Systems and methods for pharmacy inventory management

• US 8,099,339 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McKesson Corp.
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Pinsonneault, Roger, McGrath, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott
• Application Number:
  US12/263,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking prescription drug inventory of a pharmacy at a switch. Embodiments of the invention include receiving, at a switch, a prescription claim transaction from a pharmacy system, where the prescription claim transaction indicates an amount of a drug, and transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication. An adjudicated response for the prescription claim is then received from the payer system, and an inventory amount associated with the drug maintained by the switch is updated by the switch. When a determination is made that the inventory amount has met a threshold value, a message is transmitting indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value. In some embodiments of the invention the message is sent to the pharmacy or directly to a supplier as part of an order for additional inventory of the drug.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for tracking prescription drug inventory at a prescription claim transaction switch comprising:

receiving a prescription claim transaction from a pharmacy system associated with a pharmacy, wherein the prescription claim transaction indicates an amount of a drug;

transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication;

receiving an adjudicated response for the prescription claim transaction, wherein the adjudicated response indicates payment associated with the prescription claim transaction;

updating, based upon the received adjudicated response indicating the payment, an inventory amount associated with the drug, wherein the inventory amount is maintained by a service provider;

determining that the inventory amount has met a threshold value; and

transmitting a message to the pharmacy system indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value,

wherein the prior steps are performed by the prescription claim transaction switch comprising one or more processors executing computer-executable instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a message indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value comprises transmitting an order for additional supply of the drug to a drug supplier.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a notification that the order for additional supply of the drug has been fulfilled by the drug supplier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a message indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value comprises transmitting a message that requests approval for ordering additional supplies of the drug supplier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug is a controlled substance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein updating an inventory amount associated with the drug includes decrementing the inventory amount by an amount of drug dispensed, wherein the amount dispensed is included in the prescription claim transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating an inventory amount associated with the drug includes incrementing the inventory amount by an amount of drug indicated in the prescription claim transaction, wherein the prescription claim transaction is a reversal transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing inventory information for reporting; and

generating a report of inventory amount updates for the drug that occur over a period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, prior to transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication, verifying identification information associated with the pharmacy, physician, or patient, wherein the identification information is included in the prescription claim transaction.

10. The method of claim 1, prior to transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication, validating that a quantity dispensed value included in the prescription claim transaction satisfies an expected value associated with the drug.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the inventory amount has met a threshold value comprises determining that the inventory amount has reached or gone beyond a threshold value.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a message to the pharmacy system indicating the prescription claim transaction is being denied based at least in part on the determination of possible fraud.

13. A system for tracking prescription drug inventory comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

a prescription claim transaction switch comprising one or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive, at the prescription claim transaction switch, a prescription claim transaction from a pharmacy system associated with a pharmacy, wherein the prescription claim transaction indicates an amount of a drug;

transmit the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication;

receive an adjudicated response for the prescription claim transaction, wherein the adjudicated response indicates payment associated with the prescription claim transaction;

update, based upon the received adjudicated response indicating the payment, an inventory amount associated with the drug, wherein the inventory amount is maintained by a service provider;

determine that the inventory amount has met a threshold value; and

determining that a ratio of the inventory amount to a dispensed amount of the drug has met a threshold that indicates possible fraud; and

transmitting a message to the pharmacy system indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value.

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

subsequent to determining that the inventory amount has met a threshold value, transmit an order for additional supply of the drug to a drug supplier.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to:

receive a notification that the order for additional supply of the drug has been fulfilled by the drug supplier.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the software instructions to transmit a message indicating that the inventory amount has met the threshold value include transmitting a message that requests approval for ordering additional supplies of the drug supplier.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the drug is a controlled substance.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the software instructions to update an inventory amount associated with the drug include decrementing the inventory amount by an amount of drug dispensed, wherein the amount dispensed is included in the prescription claim transaction.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the software instructions to update an inventory amount associated with the drug include incrementing the inventory amount by an amount of drug indicated in the prescription claim transaction, wherein the prescription claim transaction is a reversal transaction.

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

capture inventory information associated with the drug; and

generate a report of inventory amount updates for the drug that occur over a period of time.

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

prior to transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication, verify identification information associated with the pharmacy, physician, or patient, wherein the identification information is included in the prescription claim transaction.

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

prior to transmitting the prescription claim transaction to a payer system for adjudication, validate that a quantity dispensed value included in the prescription claim transaction satisfies an expected value associated with the drug.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the software instructions to determine that the inventory amount has met a threshold value include determining that the inventory amount has reached or gone beyond a threshold value.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to transmit a message to the pharmacy system indicating the prescription claim transaction is being denied based at least in part on the determination of possible fraud.