System for separating and distributing pharmacy order processing for specialty medication
First Claim
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1. A method of managing specialty drug prescription orders within a network of pharmacy resources including a first and a second pharmacy location connected by an information processing system, each containing a respective facility computer server, the method comprising:
- receiving a prescription drug order for a customer at the first pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources;
identifying that the prescription drug order requires dispensing at least one specialty drug;
determining at the first pharmacy facility computer server that the prescription order for the at least one specialty drug needs to be routed to a different pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources;
creating an original order data (OOD) object containing a set of information received from the customer during placement of the prescription drug order;
creating, at the first pharmacy, an electronic task object that is associated with the OOD object, wherein the task object has stored therein a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription drug order and that is used to carry and save work to be performed and work completed on the prescription drug order and a specialty drug indicator corresponding to the at least one specialty drug;
storing the OOD object and the task object on the first pharmacy facility computer server;
determining at the first pharmacy facility computer server that the second pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources has both an employee with a required service expertise and an equipment capable of processing the order for the at least one specialty drug;
routing both the OOD object and the task object from a first queue on the facility computer server at the first pharmacy location to a second queue on the facility server at the second pharmacy location based on the determination that the second pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources has both the employee with the required service expertise and the equipment capable of processing the order for the at least one specialty drug; and
delivering the prescription order to the customer at the second pharmacy location.
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Abstract
An information system and method that provides the ability to reroute portions of prescription order work between a plurality of organizational units in order to leverage capacity, expertise, or other resources to increase network efficiency.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of managing specialty drug prescription orders within a network of pharmacy resources including a first and a second pharmacy location connected by an information processing system, each containing a respective facility computer server, the method comprising:
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receiving a prescription drug order for a customer at the first pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources; identifying that the prescription drug order requires dispensing at least one specialty drug; determining at the first pharmacy facility computer server that the prescription order for the at least one specialty drug needs to be routed to a different pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources; creating an original order data (OOD) object containing a set of information received from the customer during placement of the prescription drug order; creating, at the first pharmacy, an electronic task object that is associated with the OOD object, wherein the task object has stored therein a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription drug order and that is used to carry and save work to be performed and work completed on the prescription drug order and a specialty drug indicator corresponding to the at least one specialty drug; storing the OOD object and the task object on the first pharmacy facility computer server; determining at the first pharmacy facility computer server that the second pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources has both an employee with a required service expertise and an equipment capable of processing the order for the at least one specialty drug; routing both the OOD object and the task object from a first queue on the facility computer server at the first pharmacy location to a second queue on the facility server at the second pharmacy location based on the determination that the second pharmacy location in the network of pharmacy resources has both the employee with the required service expertise and the equipment capable of processing the order for the at least one specialty drug; and delivering the prescription order to the customer at the second pharmacy location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A pharmacy workflow system for handling specialty drug prescriptions implemented by a computer network using computer executable code executed in a pharmacy system including at least a first pharmacy location and a second pharmacy location, each pharmacy location having respective facility computer servers connected by an information processing system and stored on one or more computer readable media, and the second pharmacy location located at a location different from the first pharmacy location, the system comprising:
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an image object associated with a prescription order comprising an image of an original document related to the prescription order, the prescription order received at the first pharmacy location; a task object associated with the prescription order that includes a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription order and that is used to carry and save work to be completed on the prescription drug order and a prescription type parameter indicating a specialty drug type associated with a particular expertise or particular processing; and a workflow manager that determines a pharmacy expertise level and determines that the prescription order for the specialty drug type needs to be routed to a different pharmacy location, the workflow manager further determines that the second pharmacy location has both the pharmacy expertise level or particular processing and routes the task object and the image object from the first pharmacy location that receives the prescription order and a payment for the prescription order to the second pharmacy location for order fulfillment based on the pharmacy expertise level and the prescription type parameter. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored theron and executed in a pharmacy system including at least a first pharmacy location and a second pharmacy location, each pharmacy location having respective facility computer servers connected by an information processing system for providing a prescription order workflow, comprising:
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a first program operating at the first pharmacy location that receives original order data associated with a prescription order, creates an original order data object, and accepts a payment for the prescription order; a second program operating at the first pharmacy location that determines that the prescription order requires dispensing at least one specialty drug; a third program operating at the first pharmacy location that determines that the prescription order for the at least one specialty drug needs to be routed to a different pharmacy location than the first pharmacy location; a fourth program operating at the first pharmacy location that creates a task object that stores a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription order and that is used to carry and save work to be performed and work completed on the prescription order and associates the task object with the original order data object; a fifth program that identifies a specialty drug indicator stored in the task object; and a sixth program that routes the task object and the original order data object from a first queue at the first pharmacy location to a second queue at the second pharmacy location based on the specialty drug indicator for fulfillment and delivery of the prescription order to a customer at the second pharmacy location. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification