Systems and Methods for Providing Drug Samples to Patients

• US 20090326977A1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Cullen, Peter, Kaye, Elizabeth S.
• Application Number:
  US12/165,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20090326977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing drug sample prescription transactions that determine whether a drug to be prescribed is eligible for sampling and/or whether the patient is eligible for sampling that drug. A prescription transaction for that drug is created and transmitted to a switch provider and is then routed to a pharmacy for prescription fulfillment. Once the prescription has been filled a message may be sent to the prescribing clinician. Moreover, the pharmacy may generate a prescription claim to be adjudicated by a claim processor where the claim specifies voucher and/or coupon information associated with the drug to be sampled that is taken into consideration either prior to or during claim adjudication. A database containing patient and/or drug information may be used to track a patients'"'"' receipt of drug samples as well as used for analyzing and/or reporting on the use of the drug sampling prescription based system.

Claims

1. A method for processing drug sample prescription transactions comprising:

determining that a drug is eligible for sampling;

receiving a prescription transaction for the drug, wherein the prescription transaction specifies that the drug is eligible for sampling; and

submitting the prescription transaction for prescription fulfillment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to submitting a prescription transaction for the drug, determining that the patient is eligible for sampling of the drug.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein submitting the prescription transaction includes electronically routing the prescription transaction to a pharmacy over a network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein submitting a prescription transaction for the drug to a pharmacy includes providing a patient with voucher information to be presented at the pharmacy.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a message to a clinician'"'"'s office after the prescription transaction has been fulfilled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prescription transaction for the drug includes voucher information associated with the drug.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the a prescription transaction for the drug includes coupon information associated with the drug.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to submitting the prescription transaction for prescription fulfillment, amending the prescription transaction to include voucher information associated with the drug.

9. A system for processing drug sample prescription transactions comprising:

a memory device; and

a processor in communication with the memory device, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to;

determine that a drug is eligible for sampling,

receive a prescription transaction for the drug, wherein the prescription transaction specifies that the drug is eligible for sampling, and

submit the prescription transaction to a pharmacy for prescription fulfillment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

prior to submitting a prescription transaction for the drug, determine that the patient is eligible for sampling of the drug.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the software instructions for submitting the prescription transaction include electronically routing the prescription transaction to a pharmacy over a network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the software instructions for submitting a prescription transaction for the drug to a pharmacy include providing a patient with voucher information to be presented at the pharmacy.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

provide a message to a clinician'"'"'s office after the prescription transaction has been fulfilled.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the prescription transaction for the drug includes voucher information associated with the drug.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the prescription transaction for the drug includes coupon information associated with the drug.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

prior to submitting the prescription transaction for prescription fulfillment, amend the prescription transaction to include voucher information associated with the drug.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

updating a database containing patient information with an indication that the patient has received the drug eligible for sampling.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the claim to a claim processor includes routing the claim based on voucher information associated with the drug eligible for sampling.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to transmitting the claim to a claim processor, applying a discount to the claim, wherein the discount is associated with coupon information associated with the drug eligible for sampling.

17. A method for processing a claim associated with a prescription transaction for drug sampling comprising:

receiving, from a pharmacy, a claim associated with fulfillment of a prescription transaction for a drug eligible for sampling;

transmitting the claim to a claim processor;

receiving an adjudicated claim response message from the claim processor; and

transmitting at least a portion of the adjudicated claim response message to the pharmacy.