Prescription transmission system and method

• US 20090006126A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andre Champigny
• Original Assignee: Andre Champigny
• Inventors: Champigny, Andre
• Application Number:
  US11/819,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A system and method for processing a prescription wherein the prescription may be transmitted to a selected pharmacy from a remote location situated remote from the selected pharmacy is provided. A prescription is described by either a new prescription dataset entered on a prescription form or a refill prescription dataset. A client uses a client computing device situated in the remote location to select the selected pharmacy and to transmit the prescription dataset thereto. The client may then later attend at the selected pharmacy to retrieve the prescription. Prescription datasets may be transmitted to the selected pharmacy either electronically or verbally using client telephony device connected to the client computing device, and preferably housed therewith, in the remote location. A client scanner device may be used for converting new prescription forms for new prescription into scanned images thereof for electronic transfer to the selected pharmacy.

Claims

1. A method for processing a prescription prescribing medication wherein the prescription is transmittable to a selected pharmacy by a client situated at a remote location remote from the selected pharmacy, said method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a pharmacy selection designating the selected pharmacy from the client at the remote location;

b) when the prescription is a refill prescription, transmitting a refill prescription dataset describing said refill prescription to the selected pharmacy;

c) when the prescription is a new prescription;

i) scanning a prescription form having a new prescription dataset defining the new prescription inscribed thereon into a scanned prescription image thereof containing said new prescription dataset;

ii) electronically transmitting said scanned prescription image to the selected pharmacy;

v) establishing a telephone connection between the remote location and the selected pharmacy; and

vi) using said telephone connection, verbally confirming by a pharmacist with the client of said new prescription dataset in the scanned prescription image received at the selected pharmacy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said refill prescription dataset is transmitted electronically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said telephone connection is also established for transmitting said refill prescription dataset, said refill prescription dataset being transmitted verbally from said remote location to the selected pharmacy using said telephone connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting said scanned prescription image comprises the step of transmitting said scanned prescription image from a client computing device to a pharmacy prescription receiving device situated at said selected pharmacy over a data-enabled network connecting said client computing device to said pharmacy prescription receiving device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing said telephone connection comprises the steps of:

instructing a client telephony device from a client computing device connected thereto and situated therewith in the remote location to dial a respective pharmacy telephony device number for a pharmacy telephony device operated by the selected pharmacy to a client telephony device to establish said telephone connection over a telephony-enabled network connecting said client telephony device and said pharmacy telephony device; and

emitting at least one of an audio alert signal or visual alert signal from said kiosk when said telephone connection is established.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selecting the selected pharmacy comprises the steps of:

displaying a list of available pharmacies on a screen of a client computing device situated in the remote location; and

receiving a pharmacy selection indicating the selected pharmacy from said list from a client input device connected to said client computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of selecting the selected pharmacy further comprises the steps of:

receiving of at least one criterion entered by a client from said client input device; and

searching a pharmacy database for at least one pharmacy corresponding to said criterion, and displaying said at least one pharmacy corresponding to said criterion as said list of said available pharmacies.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said prescription form is a standardized prescription form having a plurality of predefined fields in which said new prescription dataset is inscribed, said method further comprising the step of converting said new prescription dataset in said fields from said scanned prescription image into a machine readable text format readable by a computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said new prescription dataset comprises a written signature inscribed by a prescriber in a signature field of said fields, said method further comprising the steps of:

reading from said scanned prescription image a scanned signature image of said written signature from said signature field in;

comparing said first signature image against a stored signature image associated with the prescriber on a server computing device using a signature recognition software; and

based on said comparing, generating a signature reliability score based on a degree of resemblance between said scanned signature image and said stored signature image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of electronically transmitting said new prescription dataset comprises transmitting said signature reliability score to said pharmacy for use thereby in authenticating the prescription.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said new prescription dataset comprises a patient name for a patient for whom the prescription is precribed, a prescriber name for the prescriber, and medicinal information describing a medication prescribed in the prescription and a dosage therefore, said said patient name, said prescriber name, and said medicinal information being inscribed in respective said fields therefore on said predefined standardized prescription form, and said step of converting said new prescription dataset comprises reading said medicinal information, said patient name, and said prescriber from said scanned prescription image with one of optical character recognition software and handwriting recognition software on a server computing device and converting said patient name, said prescriber name, and said medicinal information to said machine readable text format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said patient name, said prescriber name, and said medicinal information in said machine readable text format is transmitted to the selected pharmacy.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of storing said patient name, said prescriber name, and said medicinal information in said machine readable text format in at least one database on said server computer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said pharmacy selection is received in the remote location by a client computing device situated therein, said step of scanning the prescription form is effected from a client scanner connected to said client computing device, and said step of establishing a telephone connection is effected from a client telephony device connected to said client computing device, said client computing device controlling said client scanner and said client telephony device and being housed therewith in a kiosk situated in the remote location.

15. A prescription processing system for enabling transmission of a prescription emitted by a prescriber for a patient to a selected pharmacy from a remote location situated remote from the selected pharmacy, said system comprising:

at least one client scanner situated in the remote location for scanning a prescription form on which a new prescription dataset for a new prescription is inscribed into a scanned prescription image containing said new prescription dataset;

at least one client telephony device situated in the remote location; and

at least one client computing device connected to said client scanner, to the client telephony device, and to a pharmacy database of available pharmacies, the client computing device receiving a pharmacy selection from a client in the remote location designating the selected pharmacy from said available pharmacies, receiving said scanned prescription image from said client scanner, transmitting said scanned prescription image to a pharmacy prescription receiving device accessible from the selected pharmacy and connected to said client computer device by a data-enabled network, and controlling establishment of a telephone connection over a telephony-enabled network by said client telephony device with a pharmacy telephony device, connected thereto by said telephony-enabled network, for verifying said new prescription dataset.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a kiosk in which said client scanner, said client telephony device, and said client computing device are housed in the remote location.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a server computing device connected to said data-enabled network, said server computer receiving said scanned prescription image from said client computing device and storing said scanned prescription image in a client prescription database situated on said server computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said prescription form is a standardized prescription form having a plurality of fields in which said new prescription dataset is inscribed, said server computing device comprising a reading module for reading said new prescription dataset in said fields from said scanned prescription image and for converting said new prescription dataset into a machine readable text format, said new prescription dataset in said machine readable text format being stored on said server computing device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said new prescription dataset comprises a written signature inscribed by a prescriber on said standardized prescription form and said server computing device further comprises a signature recognition module for comparing a scanned signature image of said written signature from said scanned prescription image against a stored signature image of a sample signature of the prescriber provided previously thereby and stored on said server computing device and generating a signature reliability score based on a degree of resemblance between said scanned signature image and said stored signature image for use in verifying said prescriber signature on said standardized prescription form.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said new prescription dataset is inscribed on said standardized prescription form by hand and said reading module comprises handwriting recognition software for converting said new prescription dataset into said machine readable text format.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said new prescription dataset is inscribed on said standardized prescription form in typewritten form and said reading module comprises optical character recognition software for converting said new prescription dataset from said scanned prescription image of said standardized prescription form into said machine readable text format.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said scanned prescription image and said signature reliability score are transmitted to said pharmacy prescription receiving device of the selected pharmacy by said server computing device.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising a digital signature pad connectable to said server computing device and upon which said prescriber inscribes said sample signature, said digital signature pad converting said sample signature into said stored signature image and transmitting said stored signature image to said server computing device which stores said stored signature image in association with said prescriber.