Drug prescription registry

• US 8,577,690 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dwight L. Pierce
• Original Assignee: Dwight L. Pierce
• Inventors: Pierce, Dwight L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sereboff, Neal
• Assistant Examiner(s): COUPE, ANITA YVONNE
• Application Number:
  US10/780,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,549 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Method and system are disclosed for facilitating patient access to pharmacies. The system and method of the present invention involves setting up a prescription registry service. The prescription registry service stores the prescriptions of patients who are members of the registry. Pharmacies, including national and international pharmacies, may then subscribe to the registry service. The pharmacies may be required to satisfy one or more qualification criteria in order to subscribe to the registry service. A patient may then select one of the subscribing pharmacies to fill his prescriptions with reduced risk and increased confidence. Only pharmacies that have been authorized by the patient may access and fill a registered prescription. All communication between the member and the pharmacy are conducted through the pharmacy'"'"'s normal channels and not through the registry service.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating patient access to pharmacies, comprising:

establishing in a database on a computer server a prescription registry in which patients who have joined said prescription registry may store information regarding their prescriptions, wherein said information comprises an alphanumeric fill code associated with each of said prescriptions for each said patient wherein said fill code for each of said patients is chosen by that one of said patients;

transmitting said information from a member device to said computer server over a computer network connecting the member device and the computer server;

receiving and storing said information in said prescription registry on said computer server;

assigning by said computer server a prescription identifier to said information, wherein each prescription identifier is uniquely associated with an individual prescription within said prescription registry, and storing said prescription identifier in a record associated with such prescription in said database on said computer server, said prescription identifier initially known only to said patients and said prescription registry;

receiving at the computer server qualification information from a plurality of pharmacies;

comparing the qualification information against at least one qualification criteria, wherein the at least one qualification criteria comprises (i) being established in business for at least twelve months or (ii) not having more than a pre-determined number of unresolved customer complaints;

preparing at the computer server a list of pharmacies meeting the at least one qualification criteria established at the computer server, wherein the list is comprised of contact information for the qualified pharmacies;

transmitting from said computer server to said member device the list of pharmacies that have subscribed to said prescription registry;

transmitting from said member device to a pharmacy device associated with one of the list of pharmacies a fill request message, wherein the fill request message comprises said prescription identifier and said fill code, and further wherein the fill request message is not transmitted to said computer server;

transmitting a prescription request from a pharmacy device to said computer server, wherein said prescription request comprises said prescription identifier assigned to said prescription and said fill code chosen by said patient;

searching said prescription registry for said record containing said prescription identifier and said fill code received from said pharmacy device;

transmitting said prescription associated with said prescription identifier and said fill code from said prescription registry on said computer server to said pharmacy device whereby the pharmacy associated with said pharmacy device may fill the prescription; and

locking said record containing said prescription identifier and said fill code such that a different pharmacy may not receive and fill said prescription associated with said record from said prescription registry even if said different pharmacy possesses said prescription identifier and said fill code.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said information includes receiving from said member device a scanned image file at said computer server of an original prescription slip for each prescription.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of receiving said information further includes obtaining physical possession of an original prescription slip for each prescription.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising requiring said pharmacies to satisfy one or more qualification criteria, including passing a background check, in order to subscribe to said prescription registry.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising requiring said subscribing pharmacies to pay a fee to said prescription registry.