Method for competitive prescription drug and/or bidding service provider selection

• US 8,560,338 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Tag Company US LLC
• Original Assignee: The Tag Company US LLC
• Inventors: Kalies, Ralph F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cobanoglu, Dilek B
• Application Number:
  US12/281,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705/37, 700/236
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

Unfilled prescriptions are submitted to a registry comprising pre-qualified pharmacies for a “reverse auction” in which the pharmacies bid for the opportunity to fill the prescription. The pharmacies are allowed to bid based on price and/or offering ancillary services. The auction may also be used to bid on supplying specified pharmaceutical cognitive services. The method may also include obtaining cost comparisons with generic substitutes or similar alternative pharmaceutical products. The system may further comprise automatically requesting a review by the prescriber for a list of similar substitutes or prior-authorization for third party payers. The winner of the reverse auction is selected by the customer.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided to the customer by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

communicating, from the customer to the processing unit, a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service;

transferring information relating to the select prescription from the bidding service provider to a registry of pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription;

selecting the winning bid by the customer; and

providing the customer with a reservation, wherein the reservation comprises at least one coupon for an item other than the select prescription.

2. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

communicating, from the customer to the processing unit, a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service;

transferring the information relating to the select prescription from the bidding service provider to a registry of pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription; and

selecting a bid of a prescription fulfillment provider by the customer, wherein the prescription fulfillment provider having the selected bid provides the select prescription from a central prefill location.

3. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

communicating, from the customer to the processing unit, a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service;

transferring information relating to the select prescription from the bidding service provider to a registry of pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription; and

selecting the winning bid by the customer,

wherein the select prescription is sent electronically to the fulfillment provider having the winning bid.

4. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

communicating, from the customer to the processing unit, a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service;

transferring information relating to the select prescription from the bidding service provider to a registry of pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription; and

selecting the winning bid by the customer,

wherein the fulfillment provider with the winning bid does not use the Internet to access the bidding service provider and reservation and transaction information is transmitted between the bidding service provider and the fulfillment provider with the winning bid through a data interchange system.

5. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided to the customer by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

selecting a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service, with the approval of the prescriber;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with a list of fulfillment providers based on criteria set by the customer;

selecting a fulfillment provider by the customer to fill the select prescription;

transferring prescription fulfillment information for the select prescription to the selected fulfillment provider; and

providing the customer with a reservation, wherein the reservation comprises at least one coupon for an item other than the select prescription.

6. A method for facilitating the delivery of prescription products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, from a customer to a participating bidding service provider, prescription information and patient information relating to an unfilled prescription, wherein the unfilled prescription was provided to the customer by a prescriber;

electronically performing a similar product price comparison to identify a list of products or services potentially similar to the unfilled prescription along with relative costs for such identified similar products or services;

providing the customer with the results of the similar product price comparison;

selecting a select prescription comprising the unfilled prescription or a select similar product or service, with the approval of the prescriber;

conducting a reverse auction on a computer system in which the pre-qualified prescription fulfillment providers respond with interactive and iterative bids to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with the details of the lowest bid of each responding prescription fulfillment provider that made at least one bid to fill the select prescription;

providing the customer with a list of fulfillment providers based on criteria set by the customer;

selecting a fulfillment provider by the customer to fill the select prescription;

transferring prescription fulfillment information for the select prescription to the selected fulfillment provider; and

providing the customer with a reservation, wherein the reservation comprises at least one coupon for an item other than the select prescription, wherein the pharmacy selected fulfillment provider provides the select prescription from a central prefill location.