Virtual Health Care Needs Fulfillment System

• US 20100057489A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medimpact Healthcare Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Medimpact Healthcare Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Watanabe, Gregory G., Howe, Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

A method of operating a health care needs fulfillment system, by: (a) a PBM contracting with a plurality of health care suppliers to fulfill a plurality of health care needs requests; (b) end users sending individual health care needs requests to the PBM; (c) the PBM selecting the health care suppliers to supply each of the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests; and (d) the PBM alerting the selected health care suppliers to fulfill the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests.

Claims

1. A method of operating a health care needs fulfillment system, comprising:

(a) a PBM contracting with a plurality of health care suppliers to fulfill a plurality of health care needs requests;

(b) end users sending individual health care needs requests to the PBM;

(c) the PBM selecting the health care suppliers to supply each of the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests; and

(d) the PBM alerting the selected health care suppliers to fulfill the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) the selected health care suppliers fulfilling the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the health care needs requests are filled by mail-order.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the health care needs requests are filled in person.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the PBM contracting with a plurality of health care suppliers to fulfill a plurality of health care needs requests comprises:

(a) the PBM inviting the health care suppliers to bid on fulfilling the health care needs requests;

(b) the health care suppliers bidding on fulfilling the health care needs requests; and

(c) the PBM selecting winning bids, thereby selecting the health care suppliers to supply each of the health care needs requests.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the end users are patients, the health care needs requests are prescriptions, and the health care suppliers are pharmacies.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) the pharmacies fulfilling the patient'"'"'s prescriptions.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the prescriptions are filled by mail-order.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the prescriptions are filled in person.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) presenting an on-screen clinical interface to the patients.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the clinical interface provides prescription information to the patients, further comprising:

(f) the patients consenting to receiving the prescription information.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the patients send the prescription requests to the PBM over the Internet.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein the patients send the prescription requests to the PBM through a call center.

21. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) the PBM collecting data on pharmacies filling the prescriptions.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) the PBM sending the data to the pharmacies.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

(h) the pharmacies paying the PBM for the data.

24. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) the PBM charging the pharmacies for using the health care needs fulfillment system.

25. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) the PBM charging the patients for using the health care needs fulfillment system.

26. The method of claim 6, wherein the pharmacies are selected by the PBM.

27. The method of claim 6, wherein the pharmacies are selected by clients of the PBM.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the clients of the PBM are managed care organizations.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein participating patients are clients of the clients of the PBM.

30. The method of claim 6, wherein the patients are given data about the pharmacies selected by the PBM to fill the prescriptions.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the data is order tracking.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the health care needs requests are requests for durable medical equipment, and the health care suppliers are durable medical equipment suppliers.

33. The method of claim 6, wherein the prescriptions are pre-approved prior to the PBM alerting the pharmacies to fill the prescriptions.

10. The method of claim 10, wherein the PBM selects pharmacies to fill the prescriptions on the basis of price.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the PBM selects pharmacies to fill the prescriptions on the basis of location of the pharmacy and location of the patient.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the PBM selects pharmacies to fill the prescriptions on the basis of pharmacy expertise.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the prescriptions are new prescriptions.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the prescriptions are refill prescriptions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the patients contact the pharmacy to renew the prescription.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the patients contact the PBM to renew the prescription.

34. An Internet-based health care needs fulfillment system, comprising:

(a) a sub-system for a PBM to contract with a plurality of health care suppliers to fulfill a plurality of health care needs requests;

(b) a sub-system for receiving individual health care needs requests from end users; and

(c) a sub-system for alerting selected health care suppliers to fulfill the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests, after the PBM has selected the health care suppliers to supply each of the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the end users are patients, the health care needs requests are prescriptions, and the health care suppliers are pharmacies.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

(d) a sub-system for the patients to request re-filling of the prescriptions.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the sub-system for the patients to request re-filling of the prescriptions comprises a system for the patients to request re-filling of the prescriptions from the pharmacies.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the sub-system for the patients to request re-filling of the prescriptions comprises a system for the patients to request re-filling of the prescriptions from the PBM.

39. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

(d) a sub-system for presenting an on-screen clinical interface to the patient.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the sub-system for receiving the prescriptions from the patients is an Internet-based sub-system.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the sub-system for receiving the prescriptions from the patients is a call center.

42. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

(d) a sub-system for collecting data on the pharmacies filling the prescriptions.

43. The system of claim 34, further comprising:

(d) a sub-system for the PBM to invite the health care suppliers to bid on fulfilling the health care needs requests; and

(e) a sub-system for the PBM to receive bids from the health care suppliers.

44. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-system for receiving individual health care needs requests from end users is Internet based.

45. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-system for receiving individual health care needs requests from end users is a call center.

46. The system of claim 34, further comprising:

(d) a sub-system for collecting data on the selected health care suppliers fulfilling of the end users'"'"' individual health care needs requests.

47. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-systems of (a), (b), and (c), are controlled by the PBM.

48. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-systems of (a), (b), and (c) are viewable to the PBM as an integrated on-line interface.

49. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-system of (b) is viewable by the end users.