Pharmacy network computer system and printer

• US 20070164096A1
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adheris LLC (MedAdvisor Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Banfield, Simon, Byerly, Baxter, Schutte, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/024 for printing on segmented surfaces, e.g. sticker sheets, label rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

The invention provides a network computer system and novel pharmacy printers and their methods of use wherein the local CS includes a pharmacy printer for printing pharmacy orders including prescriptions, and the pharmacy printer includes a pharmacy printer database storing drug information and association of a drug identifier with information about a corresponding drug, and additional information, and obtains and uses instructions for printing the additional information in association with printing of a prescription label from characters contained in a prescription label print file for the prescription label.

Claims

1. A network CS, comprising:

a pharmacy printer located in a pharmacy store wherein said pharmacy printer stores therein a database including at least one of drug monograph and MedGuide content;

wherein said pharmacy printer is configured to parse, from a prescription label print file for a prescription, data identifying a specified drug monograph and a specified MedGuide stored by said printer in said database,

wherein said pharmacy printer is configured to retrieve said specified drug monograph and said specified MedGuide from said database;

wherein said pharmacy printer is configured to generate a prescription label print job including prescription label information specified by said prescription label printer file, said specified drug monograph, and said specified MedGuide.

2. A network CS, comprising:

a pharmacy printer located in a pharmacy store wherein said pharmacy printer stores therein a database including CHR content;

wherein said database comprises a CHR/CID content table;

wherein said pharmacy printer is further configured to parse out of a prescription label printer file for a prescription a CID associated with said prescription;

wherein said pharmacy printer is further configured retrieve from said CHR/CID content table, at least one CHR/CID content record associated with said CID associated with said prescription;

wherein said pharmacy printer is configured to generate a prescription label print job including a prescription label information specified by said prescription label printer file, and said at least one CHR/CID content record.

3. The network CS of claim 2 wherein at least one CHR/CID content record includes an image object.

4. The network CS of claim 3 wherein said image object occupies in said printer at least one megabyte of memory.

5. The network CS of claim 2 wherein said database further comprises:

a CHR/non-CID content table;

a CHR/non-CID criteria table storing records of values or ranges of values for at least one of new/refill, refills remaining, pill count, gender, age, and date of birth; and

said pharmacy printer is further configured to determine additional CHR content to include in said prescription label print job based upon correspondence of values in said a CHR/non-CID criteria table and said CHR/non-CID content table.

6. The network CS of claim 2 further comprising a central CS remote from said local CS, said central CS storing a master patient records.

7. The network CS of claim 3 further comprising a CHR computer remote from said local CS and said central CS, said CHS CS storing CHR content and CHR additional content, and structured to update said database in said pharmacy printer with updated CHR content, CHR additional content, and CHR/non-CID criteria.

8. A method for using a network CS, comprising:

storing CHR content in a database in a pharmacy printer located in a pharmacy store;

wherein said database comprises a CHR/CID content table;

parsing, in said pharmacy printer, out of a prescription label printer file for a prescription, a CID associated with said prescription;

retrieving, in said pharmacy printer, from said CHR/CID content table, at least one CHR/CID content record associated with said CID associated with said prescription;

generating, in said pharmacy printer, a prescription label print job including a prescription label information specified by said prescription label printer file and said at least one CHR/CID content record.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one CHR/CID content record includes an image object.

10. The method claim 9 wherein said image object occupies in said printer at least one megabyte of memory.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said database further comprises:

a CHR/non-CID content table;

a CHR/non-CID criteria table storing records of values or ranges of values for at least one of new/refill, refills remaining, pill count, gender, age, and date of birth; and

said pharmacy printer is further configured to determine CHR content to include in said prescription label print job based upon correspondence of values in said a CHR/non-CID criteria table and said CHR/non-CID content table.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising storing a master patient records on a central CS remote from said local CS.

13. The network CS of claim 9 further comprising:

storing on a CHR computer remote from said local CS and said central CS, CHR content and CHR additional content, and

updating, from said CHR computer, said database in said pharmacy printer with updated CHR content, CHR additional content, and CHR/non-CID criteria.

14. A method of using network CS for printing prescription labels and information comprising:

locating a pharmacy printer in a pharmacy store;

storing in said pharmacy printer a database including drug monographs in association with NDCs and MedGuides in association with DCCs;

configuring said pharmacy printer to parse out of a prescription label print file data identifying a specified drug monograph and a specified MedGuide stored by said printer in said database;

configuring said pharmacy printer to retrieve said specified drug monograph and said specified MedGuide from said database, generate a prescription label print job including a prescription label information specified by said prescription label printer file, said specified drug monograph, and said specified MedGuide.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

said database further comprises CHR non-CID content table including criteria for values of at least one of new/refill, refills remaining, pill count, gender, and at least one of age and date of birth; and

further configuring said pharmacy printer to determine CHR content to include in said prescription label print job based upon correspondence of at least one of new/refill, refills remaining, pill count, gender, and age/date of birth data contained in said prescription label printer file with corresponding criteria in said CHR non-CID content table.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing a central CS remote from said local CS and said pharmacy store, said.

17. A network computer system, comprising:

(1) a central CS;

(2) a plurality of local CSs;

wherein said central CS and said plurality of local CSs form a network in which said plurality of local CS and said central CS can communicate with one another via network protocols;

wherein each local CS of said plurality of local CSs is associated with and proximate to a corresponding plurality of pharmacy stores, wherein each local CS of said plurality of local CSs includes a CS terminal for inputting information about pharmacy orders and a pharmacy printer for printing information relating to said pharmacy orders;

wherein each local CS of said plurality of local CSs is designed to log information about pharmacy orders including information about medicines contained in pharmacy orders;

wherein a first local CS of said plurality of local CSs includes a first pharmacy printer located in a first pharmacy store and a first pharmacy POS located in said first pharmacy store;

wherein said first pharmacy printer includes a first pharmacy printer database storing;

(1) medicine records including in each medicine record a medicine identifier in association with information about the corresponding medicine; and

(2) consumer records including in each consumer record a consumer identifier in association with CHR content to be conveyed to the consumer associated with said consumer identifier;

wherein said pharmacy printer is configured to receive and process print instructions resulting from a pharmacy order containing a specified prescription for a specified medicine having a specified medicine identifier and a specified consumer identifier for a specified consumer, by;

(1) searching in said first pharmacy printer database for information about said specified medicine associated with said specified medicine identifier;

(2) searching in said first pharmacy printer database for information to be conveyed to said specified consumer associated with said specified consumer identifier;

(3) printing in association with one another said specified prescription, said information about said specified medicine, and said information to be conveyed to said specified consumer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said CHR content is stored in said first pharmacy printer database in association with said specified consumer identifier.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein an identifier of said CHR content is stored in said first pharmacy printer database association with said consumer identifier.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein said first local CS includes code instructing said first local CS to transmit to said central CS information about pharmacy orders including associated consumer identifiers and an address associated with said first local CS.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein said central CS includes code for determining from (1) criteria it stores and (2) information about pharmacy orders associated with said specified consumer identification, CHR information to associate with said consumer identification, and said central CS includes code for transmitting an identifier of said CHR information to said first local CS.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein said central CS includes code for transmitting to said first local CS medicine records including in each medicine record a medicine identifier in association with information about the corresponding medicine.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein said first local CS includes code for storing in said first pharmacy printer database (1) medicine records including in each medicine record a medicine identifier in association with information about the corresponding medicine and (2) CHR information and an identifier of said CHR information.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said medicine records comprise medicine monograph data and MedGuide data.

25. The system of claim 17 wherein said CHR content includes at least one of (1) names of alternative brands of a medicine specified in prescription contained in a corresponding pharmacy order, (2) an incentive offer for a subsequent purchase of a product other than said medicine, and (3) informational messages promoting said specified medicine.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein said central CS includes code for periodically transmitting identifiers of CHR information in association with said consumer identification to said first local CS.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said central CS includes code for automatically transmitting identifiers of CHR information that it has associated with said consumer identification to said first local CS in response to transmission from said local CS to said central CS of said consumer identification, so that said CHR information is printed by said first printer concurrently or sequentially with printing by said first pharmacy printer of said specified prescription and information about said specified medicine.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein said first local CS is inside a local area network (LAN).

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said central CS is networked to each local CSs over a wide area network.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein data transmission speed in said LAN is greater than the data transmission speed in said WAN.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein data storage size in said first pharmacy printer database for said specified prescription, said information about said specified medicine, and said information to be conveyed to said specified consumer exceeds ten megabytes.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein said first pharmacy printer database store local rules that the printer implements in addition to the rules instructing it to what to print based upon identifications of medicines and CIDs, wherein said local rules include at least one of (1) content local rules to print additional text or graphics upon receipt of instructions to print specified CHR content and CHR additional content and the other print file information and (2) layout local rules to lay out all of the material for printing defined by the print file information and the specified CHR content and CHR additional content, depending upon all of the material for printing, the type of printer, and print specification such as paper width and margins.

33. The system of claim 17 wherein said central CS stores a master set of rules based upon printer type, material for printing, and print specifications, and includes code specifying that said central CS distributes corresponding rules to printers having corresponding printer type, material for printing, or print specifications stored by said central CS.

34. The system of claim 17 wherein said system is designed to deliver to said first pharmacy printer instructions in response to a pharmacy order for printing information for the consumer placing said first pharmacy order, transmitted by both a first local CS controller CPU in the first local CS and also from said central CS.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein said first pharmacy printer includes code to prioritize print instructions received from both said first local CS controller CPU and the central CS regarding a single pharmacy order.

36. The system of claim 17 wherein said first local CS generates a de-identified pharmacy order from said first pharmacy order, encrypts said consumer identification associated with said first pharmacy order, and transmits the de-identified pharmacy order in association with the encrypted consumer identification to said central CS.

37. A method of using a network computer system, comprising:

(1) providing a central CS;

(2) providing a plurality of local CSs;

wherein said central CS and said plurality of local CSs form a network in which said plurality of local CS and said central CS can communicate with one another via network protocols;

wherein each local CS of said plurality of local CSs is associated with and proximate to a corresponding plurality of pharmacy stores, wherein each local CS of said plurality of local CSs includes a CS terminal for inputting information about pharmacy orders and a pharmacy printer for printing information relating to said pharmacy orders;

wherein a first local CS of said plurality of local CSs includes a first pharmacy printer located in a first pharmacy store and a first pharmacy POS located in said first pharmacy store;

including in said first pharmacy printer a first pharmacy printer database storing;

(1) medicine records including in each medicine record a medicine identifier in association with information about the corresponding medicine; and

(2) consumer records including in each consumer record a consumer identifier in association with CHR content to be conveyed to the consumer associated with said consumer identifier;

configuring said pharmacy printer to receive and process print instructions resulting from a pharmacy order containing a specified prescription for a specified medicine having a specified medicine identifier and a specified consumer identifier for a specified consumer, by;

(1) searching in said first pharmacy printer database for information about said specified medicine associated with said specified medicine identifier;

(2) searching in said first pharmacy printer database for additional information to be conveyed to said specified consumer associated with said specified consumer identifier;

(3) printing in association with one another said specified prescription, said information about said specified medicine, and said additional information to be conveyed to said specified consumer.