Method for providing medical test results

• US 8,645,152 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2002
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Quest Diagnostics Investments Incorporated (Quest Diagnostics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shenoy, T. Ashok, Sweeney, Niall, Dekker, Elize
• Primary Examiner(s): Cobanoglu, Dilek B
• Application Number:
  US10/044,568
• Time in Patent Office: 4,407 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 600/300, 600/301, 604/207, 703/11, 707/10, 707/11
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

In an exemplary embodiment, this invention provides a method of providing medical test results. The method includes a step of selecting formulary information that corresponds to a result of a medical test. The method also includes a step of generating a medical report. The medical report includes a laboratory report that corresponds to the medical test. The medical report also includes the selected formulary information.

Claims

1. A computer system for providing a result of a laboratory test performed upon a patient who participates in a prescription drug benefit plan that is associated with a prescription care provider, the system comprising:

one or more programmable processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, operatively coupled to one or more of the processors, the medium being encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the computer system at least to select formulary information, associated with the result of the laboratory test, from a prescription drug formulary that is associated with the provider and is applicable to the patient, the formulary information comprising information about the provider'"'"'s coverage of one or more prescription drugs;

wherein the computer-readable storage medium is encoded with instructions that cause the computer system at least to select, based on the test result, one or more treatment options; and

the selected formulary information, comprised by the medical report, comprises information identifying the selected one or more treatment options;

and wherein the computer-readable storage medium is encoded with instructions that cause the computer system

to identify a sponsor of the medical report and

to cause the medical report to comprise information that distinguishes a treatment option, identified in the formulary information, that is associated with the sponsor from one or more alternative treatment options identified in the formulary information

and generate a medical report that comprises the result of the laboratory test and the selected formulary information.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

The computer-readable storage medium is encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the medical report to identify one or more current prescriptions of the patient.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is encoded with instructions that cause the computer system at least to identify the prescription care provider associated with the patient.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein:

the prescription care provider associated with the patient is a pharmacy benefit management company;

the patient is associated with a medical insurance provider other than the pharmacy benefit management company; and

the computer-readable storage medium is encoded with instructions that cause the computer system to select the insurance provider of the patient that is the prescription care provider.

5. A method, using a computer system that comprises at least one programmable processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that is operatively coupled to the processor and encoded with instructions that the processor is capable of executing, of providing a result of a medical test performed upon a patient who participates in a prescription drug benefit plan that is associated with a prescription drug benefit plan that is associated with a prescription care provider, the method comprising:

receiving the result of the laboratory test through at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors;

at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause selection of formulary information, associated with the result of the laboratory test, from a prescription drug formulary that is associated with the provider and is applicable to the patient, the formulary information comprising information about the provider'"'"'s coverage of one or more prescription drugs,

at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause selection, based on the test result, of one or more treatment options, wherein generation of the medical report comprises including in the medical report information identifying the selected one or more treatment options,

at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause identification of a sponsor of the medical report, wherein generation of the medical report comprises including in the medical report information that distinguishes a treatment option, identified in the formulary information, that is associated with the sponsor from one or more alternative treatment options identified in the formulary information,

generation of a medical report that comprises the result of the laboratory test the comprises the result of the laboratory test and the selected formulary information; and

transmitting the report through at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause identification of one or more current prescriptions of the patient, wherein generation of the medical report comprises including in the medical report information identifying one or more of the identified current prescriptions.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause identification of the prescription care provider that is associated with the patient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the prescription care provider that is associated with the patient is a pharmacy benefit management company, the method comprising:

receiving through at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors information indicating that the patient is associated with a medical insurance provider other than the pharmacy benefit management company; and

at least one of the processors executing instructions retrieved from the computer-readable storage medium to cause selection of the insurance provider of the patient that is the prescription care provider.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein:

transmitting the medical report comprises transmitting the medical report to a means for delivering the medical report to a medical professional who ordered the medical test for the patient; and

the transmitting of the medical report is the first transmission of the result of the medical test to a means for delivering the medical report to the medical professional who ordered the medical test for the patient.