System and method for express refill

• US 8,626,530 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tran, Quynh Chieu H., Mouli Kota, Satya Chandra, McCauley, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Neha
• Application Number:
  US13/367,507
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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

A system and method may provide a refill interface and service which allow a customer to order refills of one or more prescription medications in a quick and hassle-free manner from a mobile device. The customer provides prescription data from a barcode image that includes a number associated with an order. The prescription number is received by a server and a pickup store and a pickup time are determined. The user is provided an opportunity to select a new pickup store and/or a new pickup time. The refill system and method provide the service through a series of web pages and/or via an application running on a mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a customer to refill a prescription with an application executing on a web enabled mobile device, where the web enabled mobile device includes a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and a camera configured to capture a barcode image that has at least a prescription number encoded therein, the method comprising:

causing the processor to display an interface in the application executing on the web enabled mobile device, the interface for selection of a prescription refill option;

receiving an input at the processor from the customer indicating, via the application, a selection of the prescription refill option;

the application causing the processor to activate the web enabled mobile device'"'"'s camera for scanning of a barcode;

the application causing automatically or upon a user input, the camera to capture an image, displayed in the application, of the barcode indicating at least a prescription number, the prescription number corresponding to a prescription medication and a patient;

the application causing the processor to transmit from the application, over a network, to a server, data indicative of at least the prescription number so that the server can automatically validate the prescription number by verifying that the prescription number exists in a database of prescription numbers corresponding to a previously filled prescription medication;

receiving information at the web enabled mobile device, over the network, at least a portion of which is to be displayed in an order review page of the application executing on the web enabled mobile device;

causing the processor to generate a display in the application including the at least the portion of received information in an order review page, wherein the information includes the prescription number and a pharmacy location where the prescription medication in the prescription will be filled;

wherein the information to be displayed in the order review page includes the pharmacy location and an option to change the pharmacy location;

transmitting from the web enabled mobile device, in response to an action by the customer viewing the displayed order review page, to the server and via the network, a confirmation to refill the prescription.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data corresponding to the prescription information to be displayed in an order review page further comprises receiving a default pickup time and a default pickup date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the processor to generate the display comprises displaying an option to facilitate a change by the customer to the default pickup time and the default pickup date before transmitting the order confirmation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the web enabled mobile device the validation of the prescription number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the processor to generate the display comprises displaying either the most recent pharmacy location at which the prescription medication was filled or a default location for a patient associated with the prescription number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the processor to generate another display that includes an identified area to assist the customer in positioning the web enabled mobile device'"'"'s camera over the barcode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein causing the camera to capture the image of the barcode comprises causing the processor to automatically recognize that the barcode is present in the identified area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the camera to capture the image of the barcode indicating at least a prescription number further comprises causing the processor to decode the barcode to determine the prescription number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the processor to transmit, over the network, to the server, data indicative of at least the prescription number comprises transmitting the captured image, over the network, to the server and further comprises receiving at the web enabled mobile device at least the prescription number that was decoded at the server from the captured image.

10. A nontransitory, computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, the instructions to be executed on a processor in a web enabled mobile device for providing an application operable to allow a user access to a refill by scan prescription system, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

causing the processor to generate a first display in the application executing on the web enabled mobile device to allow a user to order a prescription refill from within the application;

the application causing the processor to activate a camera in the application executing on the web enabled mobile device to scan a barcode automatically or in response to a user input;

the application causing the camera to capture an image of the barcode indicating at least a prescription number;

the application causing the processor to transmit from the application executing on the web enabled mobile device at least data indicative of the prescription number to a pharmacy server so that the server can verify the prescription number by verifying that the prescription number exists in a database of prescription numbers corresponding to previously filled prescription medications;

receiving over a network at the web enabled mobile device prescription pickup information when the prescription number was verified;

the application causing the processor to generate a second display in the application, the second display including the prescription pickup information on the web enabled mobile device;

wherein the prescription pickup information to be displayed in the second display of the application includes a pharmacy pickup location and an option to change the pharmacy pickup location;

receiving at the web enabled mobile device, via the application, a confirmation input from the user;

the application causing the processor to transmit from the web enabled mobile device confirmation information to the server;

receiving at the web enabled mobile device order receipt information from a server; and

causing the processor to generate a third display in the application, the third display including the order receipt information on the web enabled mobile device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

causing the processor to transmit stored contact information to the pharmacy server, the stored contact information comprising one of;

a stored email address, a phone number associated with the web enabled mobile device, and a device identification other than a phone number.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

causing the processor to generate on one of the displays an option to facilitate a change by the user to a default pickup time and a default pickup date before transmitting the confirmation information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein causing the camera to capture the image of the barcode comprises causing the processor to automatically recognize that the barcode is present.

14. A system for receiving a refill order for one or more prescription medications, the system comprising:

a communication network;

one or more web enabled mobile devices, each web enabled mobile device having a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and a camera coupled to the processor and the memory; and

one or more server computers communicatively coupled to the communication network and the one or more web enabled mobile devices;

one of the one or more web enabled mobile devices having an application stored thereon;

the application configured to cause the processor to display an interface in the application executing on the web enabled mobile device, the interface for selection of a prescription refill option;

the application configured to receive an input at the processor from the customer indicating, via the application, a selection of the prescription refill option;

the application configured to cause the processor to activate the web enabled mobile device'"'"'s camera for scanning of a barcode;

the application configured to cause, automatically or upon a user input, the camera to capture an image, displayed in the application, of the barcode indicating at least a prescription number, the prescription number corresponding to a prescription medication and a patient;

the application configured to cause the processor to transmit from the application, over the communication network, to at least one of the one or more server computers, data indicative of at least the prescription number so that the server can automatically validate the prescription number by verifying that the prescription number exists in a database of prescription numbers corresponding to a previously filled prescription medication;

the application configured to receive information at the web enabled mobile device, over the communication network, at least a portion of which is to be displayed in an order review page of the application executing on the w enabled mobile device;

the application configured to cause the processor to generate a display in the application including the at least the portion of received information in an order review page, wherein the information includes the prescription number and a pharmacy location where the prescription medication in the prescription will be filled;

the application configured to transmit from the web enabled mobile device, in response to an action by the customer viewing the displayed order review page, to at least one of the one or more server computers and via the communication network, a confirmation to refill the prescription.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more server computers is further configured to transmit to the customer'"'"'s web enabled mobile device data corresponding to a default pickup time and a default pickup date, wherein the default pickup time and the default pickup date are editable by the customer before confirming the order.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application is further configured to allow the customer to edit the default pickup time and the default pickup date before confirming the order.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more server computers is further configured to retrieve a default pharmacy location for a patient associated with the prescription number.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more server computers is further configured to receive a store number from the web enabled mobile device and associate the store number with a particular pharmacy location.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more server computers is further configured to electronically transmit the prescription refill order to the determined pharmacy location.