Method and system for calculating an alignment date for prescriptions
First Claim
1. A method for aligning refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions for a customer to a single alignment date, each prescription for a medication, the method embodied in a set of machine-readable instructions executed on a processor and stored on a tangible medium, the method comprising:
- receiving a selection of a plurality of prescriptions to align;
determining, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, a remaining day supply, the remaining day supply indicative of a number of days of the medication the customer has remaining;
calculating a next adjudication date for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions;
selecting as a latest adjudication date, from the plurality of calculated next adjudication dates, the next adjudication date occurring on the latest date;
calculating an alignment adjudication date;
calculating a final alignment date;
wherein the final alignment date is different from at least one of the refill dates associated with one of the plurality of prescriptions for the customerdetermining via the processor, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, whether a short fill is required so that the customer does not exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the final alignment date;
calculating via the processor a short-fill day supply for any prescription requiring a short fill;
determining via the processor a date by which the customer will receive the short fill for any prescription requiring a short fill;
determining via the processor, for any prescription requiring a short fill, whether the customer will exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the date by which the customer will receive the short fill for the prescription;
calculating via the processor a short-fill quantity for any prescription for which the customer will receive the required short fill for the prescription prior to exhausting the remaining day supply of the medication;
marking any prescription for which a short fill is required, but for which the short fill is not possible;
performing the following if one or more prescriptions are marked;
(i) recalculating via the processor the next adjudication date for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions;
(ii) selecting via the processor as the latest adjudication date, from the plurality of recalculated next adjudication dates, the next adjudication date occurring on the latest date;
(iii) recalculating via the processor the alignment adjudication date;
(iv) recalculating via the processor the final alignment date;
(v) determining via the processor for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, using the recalculated dates, whether a short fill is required so that the customer does not exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the recalculated final alignment date;
(vi) recalculating via the processor the short-fill day supply for any prescription requiring a short fill;
(vii) adjudicating via the processor each of the selected prescriptions on or after the recalculated alignment adjudication date;
(viii) filling each of the selected prescriptions; and
(ix) providing each of the medications corresponding to the selected prescriptions to the customer by the recalculated final alignment date; and
performing the following for each of the selected prescriptions if none of the prescriptions are marked;
(a) filling and providing to the customer the short-fill quantity for any prescription requiring a short fill;
(b) adjudicating via the processor each of the selected prescriptions on or after the alignment adjudication date;
(c) filling each of the selected prescriptions; and
(d) providing each of the medications corresponding to the selected prescriptions to the customer by the final alignment date.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method facilitate alignment of refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions, such that each of the plurality of prescriptions requires a refill on the same date, thus limiting the number of occasions on which a customer must visit the pharmacy to retrieve refills of the aligned prescriptions, and increasing the likelihood that the customer will comply with the prescribed medication regimen. The system and method facilitate the alignment of the refill dates while complying with one or more rules governing the adjudication of the prescriptions.
31 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for aligning refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions for a customer to a single alignment date, each prescription for a medication, the method embodied in a set of machine-readable instructions executed on a processor and stored on a tangible medium, the method comprising:
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receiving a selection of a plurality of prescriptions to align; determining, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, a remaining day supply, the remaining day supply indicative of a number of days of the medication the customer has remaining; calculating a next adjudication date for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions; selecting as a latest adjudication date, from the plurality of calculated next adjudication dates, the next adjudication date occurring on the latest date; calculating an alignment adjudication date; calculating a final alignment date; wherein the final alignment date is different from at least one of the refill dates associated with one of the plurality of prescriptions for the customer determining via the processor, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, whether a short fill is required so that the customer does not exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the final alignment date; calculating via the processor a short-fill day supply for any prescription requiring a short fill; determining via the processor a date by which the customer will receive the short fill for any prescription requiring a short fill; determining via the processor, for any prescription requiring a short fill, whether the customer will exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the date by which the customer will receive the short fill for the prescription; calculating via the processor a short-fill quantity for any prescription for which the customer will receive the required short fill for the prescription prior to exhausting the remaining day supply of the medication; marking any prescription for which a short fill is required, but for which the short fill is not possible; performing the following if one or more prescriptions are marked; (i) recalculating via the processor the next adjudication date for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions; (ii) selecting via the processor as the latest adjudication date, from the plurality of recalculated next adjudication dates, the next adjudication date occurring on the latest date; (iii) recalculating via the processor the alignment adjudication date; (iv) recalculating via the processor the final alignment date; (v) determining via the processor for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, using the recalculated dates, whether a short fill is required so that the customer does not exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the recalculated final alignment date; (vi) recalculating via the processor the short-fill day supply for any prescription requiring a short fill; (vii) adjudicating via the processor each of the selected prescriptions on or after the recalculated alignment adjudication date; (viii) filling each of the selected prescriptions; and (ix) providing each of the medications corresponding to the selected prescriptions to the customer by the recalculated final alignment date; and performing the following for each of the selected prescriptions if none of the prescriptions are marked; (a) filling and providing to the customer the short-fill quantity for any prescription requiring a short fill; (b) adjudicating via the processor each of the selected prescriptions on or after the alignment adjudication date; (c) filling each of the selected prescriptions; and (d) providing each of the medications corresponding to the selected prescriptions to the customer by the final alignment date. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for aligning refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions for a customer to a single alignment date, each prescription for a medication, the method embodied in a set of machine-readable instructions executed on a processor and stored on a tangible medium, the method comprising:
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receiving a selection of a plurality of prescriptions to align; determining, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, a remaining day supply, the remaining day supply indicative of how many days of the medication the customer has remaining; calculating a final alignment date, wherein the final alignment date is different from at least one of the refill dates associated with one of the plurality of prescriptions for the customer; determining via the processor, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, whether a short fill is required so that the customer does not exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the final alignment date; calculating via the processor one or both of a short-fill day supply and a short-fill quantity for any prescription requiring a short fill; filling and providing to the customer any required short fill, based on either the short-fill quantity or the short-fill day supply for the prescription; and filling each of the selected prescriptions. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for aligning refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions for a customer to a single alignment date, each prescription for a medication, the system comprising:
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a network; a computer coupled to the network; a database coupled to the computer; and an alignment engine configured to run on the computer to determine parameters associated with the alignment of the plurality of prescriptions, the alignment engine configured to; receive a selection of a plurality of prescriptions to align; calculate a final alignment date, wherein the final alignment date is different from at least one refill date associated with one of the plurality of prescriptions for the customer; and calculate a short-fill parameter. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for aligning refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions for a customer to a single alignment date, each prescription for a medication, the method embodied in a set of machine-readable instructions executed on a processor and stored on a tangible medium, the method comprising:
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receiving a selection of a plurality of prescriptions to align; determining via the processor, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, a remaining day supply, the remaining day supply indicative of how many days of the medication the customer has remaining; calculating via the processor a final alignment date, wherein the final alignment date is different from at least one of the refill dates associated with one of the plurality of prescriptions for the customer; determining via the processor, for each of the plurality of selected prescriptions, whether the customer will exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the final alignment date; filling and providing one intermediate fill of the medication for each of the selected prescriptions for which the customer will exhaust the remaining day supply of the medication before the alignment date; and filling each of the selected prescriptions. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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Specification