Appropriateness Of A Medication Therapy Regimen

• US 20080097784A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Scott A., Bertram, Carl T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A method of determining the appropriateness of a medication therapy regimen detects and reduces gaps occurring between established standards of treatment and treatment provided to a person through a medication therapy regimen. Methods of determining the appropriateness of a medication or medication therapy regimen and intervention thereof are provided herein. The methods of determining the appropriateness of a medication and intervention include receiving information on a medication for the person, receiving treatment guidelines for treating a chronic medical condition, determining a level of compliance between the medication and the treatment guidelines, and intervening in a medical treatment of the person if the medication does not comply with the one or more treatment guidelines.

Claims

1. A method of determining the appropriateness of a medication and intervention comprising:

receiving medication data relating to a medication for a person;

receiving treatment guidelines data relating to one or more treatment guidelines for treating the chronic medical condition;

determining a level of compliance between the medication and the one or more treatment guidelines; and

intervening in a medical treatment of the person if the medication does not comply with the one or more treatment guidelines.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving medical condition data relating to a chronic medical condition associated with a person, wherein determining a level of compliance between the medication and the one or more treatment guidelines comprises evaluating the medication data, the medical condition data and the treatment guidelines data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a rationale for intervening in the medical treatment of the user, wherein the rationale is based on the treatment guidelines data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein intervening in the medical treatment of the person comprises intervening in the medical treatment of the person during a refill of a prescription for the medication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein intervening in a medical treatment of person comprises contacting one or more of the group consisting of:

the person and a medical provider for the person.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a new medication for the person based on the treatment guidelines data, and wherein intervening in a medical treatment of the person comprises prescribing the new medication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a new medication for the person based on the treatment guidelines data comprises consulting with a medical provider associated with the person to determine the new medication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the chronic medical condition comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

diabetes, heart failure, asthma and oral steroid use.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the medication comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a statin, a beta blocker, an Ace-I inhibitor, an Angiotensin II receptor blocker, a long-term asthma controller and a bisphosphonate.

10. A method of determining the appropriateness of a medication and intervention comprising:

receiving medication data relating to a medication for each of a plurality of persons;

receiving treatment guidelines data relating to one or more treatment guidelines for treating the chronic medical condition for each of the plurality of persons; and

identifying one or more persons within the plurality of persons where the medication for each of the identified persons does not match with the treatment guidelines for the identified persons.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving medical condition data relating to a chronic medical condition for each of the plurality of persons, wherein identifying one or more persons within the plurality of persons where the medication for each of the identified persons does not match with the treatment guidelines for the identified persons comprises evaluating the medication data, the medical condition data and the treatment guidelines data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying one or more persons within the plurality of persons where the medication for each of the identified persons does not match with the treatment guidelines for the identified persons comprises determining a level of compliance between the medication for each of the plurality of persons and the treatment guidelines for each of the plurality of persons.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising intervening in a medical treatment of each of the identified persons if the medication for each of the identified persons does not match with the one or more treatment guidelines for each of the identified persons.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein intervening in the medical treatment of each of the identified persons comprises intervening in the medical treatment of each of the identified persons during a refill of a prescription for the medication of each of the identified persons.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein intervening in a medical treatment of each of the identified persons comprises contacting one or more of the group consisting of:

the identified person and a medical provider for the identified person.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a new medication for each of the identified persons based on the treatment guidelines data; and

prescribing the new medication for each of the identified persons.

17. A method of conducting a business relating to appropriateness of a medication therapy regimen, the method comprising:

receiving a request to subscribe to a medication therapy management service;

providing a medication therapy management service relating to determining the appropriateness of a medication therapy regimen, wherein the medication therapy management service includes intervening in the medication therapy regimen if the medication therapy management service determines a noncompliance between the medication therapy regimen and treatment guidelines;

submitting a reimbursement code in response to the intervention; and

receiving reimbursement for the service in response to the reimbursement code.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the intervention in the medication therapy regimen comprises creating a new medication therapy regimen for the person and providing the person with the new medication therapy regimen.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein creating a new medication therapy regimen for the person comprises consulting with a medical provider associated with the person to determine the new medication therapy regimen.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein providing a medication therapy management service relating to determining the appropriateness of a medication therapy regimen comprises:

receiving medication data relating to a medication for a person;

receiving treatment guidelines data relating to treatment guidelines for treating the chronic medical condition; and

determining a level of compliance between the medication and the one or more treatment guidelines.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving medical condition data relating to a chronic medical condition associated with the person, wherein determining a level of compliance between the medication and the one or more treatment guidelines comprises evaluating the medication data, the medical condition data and the treatment guidelines data.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the medication therapy regimen includes one or more prescriptions for one or more chronic medical conditions, and wherein the noncompliance between the medication therapy regimen and treatment guidelines comprises one of the group consisting of:

the medical condition comprising diabetes and the prescription not including a statin,

the medical condition comprising diabetes and the prescription not including an Ace-I inhibitor or an Angiotensin II receptor blocker,

the medical condition comprising heart failure and the prescription not including an Ace-I inhibitor or a beta blocker,

the medical condition comprising asthma and the prescription not including a long-term asthma controller, and

the medical condition comprising long-term oral steroids use and the prescription not including a bisphosphonate.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the reimbursement code comprises a National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Professional Pharmacy Services code.