APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING PHONE-IN PRESCRIPTIONS

• US 20120130744A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Medco Health Solutions Incorporated (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Mark W., McNamara, Steven M., Russo, Melissa, KOSINSKI, Diana L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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
• 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

An apparatus and method are disclosed for processing phone-in prescription requests. The apparatus is in the form of a prescription processing network that includes a prescription processing system and a communication device remotely located from the prescription processing system. The communication device is used to establish a communication channel with the prescription processing system and submit a prescription request over the communication channel. A pharmacist, associated with the prescription processing system, prepares a completed prescription form based, at least in part, on the submitted prescription request. The prescription processing network also includes a pharmacy for receiving the completed prescription form, and filling the prescription request based on the completed prescription form.

Claims

1. A prescription processing system comprising:

a telephone for receiving an audible prescription request;

a computer for capturing the audible prescription request and for receiving a digitized prescription request, the computer creating an identification file, including identification data, for the at least one of the digitized prescription request and the audible prescription request and associating the identification file and the at least one of the digitized prescription request and the audible prescription request to form a prescription file;

a header entry agent for retrieving general information from at least one of the digitized prescription request and the audible prescription request after the audible prescription request has been converted to a digitized format at the prescription processing system, and the general information is transcribed, and wherein said general information comprises non-medication related information comprising at least one of member'"'"'s name, member'"'"'s identification number, physician information, and patient information;

a user interface enabling personnel associated with the prescription processing system to independently assesses correctness of at least one of the digitized prescription request and the audible prescription request and prepares a completed prescription information based on the at least one of the digitized prescription request and the audible prescription request; and

a pharmacy for receiving said completed prescription information, and filling said prescription request based on the completed prescription information, and when the physician'"'"'s phone number and the prescription number result in a predetermined relationship, wherein the predetermined relationship is a match between the physician'"'"'s phone number and the prescription number and a stored physician'"'"'s phone number and a stored prescription number stored at the prescription processing system then filling the prescription request, at the predetermined pharmacy, based on the completed prescription information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the header entry agent comprises at least one of a person or an intelligent software program.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the personnel comprises at least one of a pharmacist, a medical doctor, and a licensed physician assistant.