Systems and methods for executing an electronic pharmacy program that requires access to an electronic medical record

• US 8,660,859 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ansari, Mohsin Ovais, Rickord, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Neha
• Application Number:
  US13/354,701
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

In a pharmacy computing network, executing an electronic pharmacy program that requires access to an electronic medical record (EMR) may include determining that the execution of the pharmacy program requires data that is accessible via an EMR of a patient. The EMR may be stored in a different computing network that supports a protocol different than a protocol supported by the pharmacy network. A request for the EMR data may be generated by pharmacy network using a first protocol. A response to the request that includes the EMR data may be received by the pharmacy network using the first protocol, where the EMR data was accessed by the different network using a second protocol. The electronic pharmacy program may be executed using the EMR data included in the response. The first protocol may be based on an NCPDP standard, and the second protocol may be based on an HL7 protocol.

Claims

1. A method of transferring electronic pharmacy information and electronic medical record information, the method comprising:

determining, at a first computing device, that an execution of at least a part of an electronic pharmacy program requires first data that is included in an electronic medical record (EMR) corresponding to a patient, wherein the EMR is stored in a storage device, and the first data included in the EMR is accessed using a first protocol;

initiating, by the first computing device and using a second protocol different from the first protocol, a transmission of a request for the first data included in the EMR to a first computing system, the first computing system storing the first data included in the EMR;

receiving, at the first computing device, a response to the transmitted request, the received response being compatible with the second protocol and including the requested first data, wherein the requested first data was accessed from the EMR using the first protocol;

executing, by the first computing device or by a second computing device in communicative connection with the first computing device, the at least the part of the electronic pharmacy program using the requested first data included in the received response;

receiving, at the first computing device, a request for second data stored at a pharmacy network, the pharmacy network storing pharmacy records corresponding to patients, the first computing device and the second computing device included in the pharmacy network, and the pharmacy network different from the first computing system, wherein;

the received request for the second data is based on a query generated by a second computing system different from the pharmacy network, and

the second computing system includes the storage device storing one or more EMRs including the EMR corresponding to the patient; and

causing, by the first computing device, the requested second data to be included in a generated response to the query, the generated response to be transmitted to the second computing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the transmission of the request for the first data comprises initiating the transmission of a request that includes at least one of an identification corresponding to the patient or an identification of the second computing system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the first computing device, a communication from the first computing system, wherein the communication is received at the first computing device using the second protocol, and wherein at least a portion of contents of the communication was originated using the first protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the at least the part of the electronic pharmacy program comprises executing at least a part of:

an electronic check for eligibility of the patient, a clinical aftercare program corresponding to the patient, a medication therapy management program corresponding to the patient, a disease state management program corresponding to the patient, or a function that operates on a pharmacy record corresponding to the patient and stored at the pharmacy network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is based on a Health Level Seven International (HL7) protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol is based on a National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) standard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested second data is stored at the pharmacy network in a particular pharmacy record corresponding to a respective patient.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is generated by the second computing system using the first protocol, and wherein the generated response to the query is compatible with the second protocol.

9. A system for transferring electronic pharmacy information and electronic medical record information, the system comprising:

a first data storage device included in a pharmacy network and storing a pharmacy record corresponding to a patient;

a network interface; and

one or more computing devices included in the pharmacy network and coupled to the data storage device,

the one or more computing devices configured to initiate an execution of an electronic pharmacy program, the execution of the electronic pharmacy program being based on first data included in the pharmacy record corresponding to the patient;

the one or more computing devices configured to determine that an execution of at least a part of the electronic pharmacy program requires second data that is included in an electronic medical record (EMR) corresponding to the patient and that is stored on a second data storage device excluded from the pharmacy network;

the one or more computing devices configured to initiate, using a first protocol, a transmission of a request for the second data included in the EMR corresponding to the patient from the system for transferring electronic pharmacy information and electronic medical record information via the network interface;

the one or more computing devices configured to receive, using the first protocol via the network interface at the system for transferring electronic pharmacy information and electronic medical record information, the requested second data, wherein the requested second data was accessed from the EMR corresponding to the patient using a second protocol;

the one or more computing devices configured to execute the at least the part of the electronic pharmacy program based on the requested second data;

the one or more computing devices configured to receive a request for third data stored at the first data storage device, wherein the received request for the third data is based on a query generated by a second computing system, the second computing system storing one or more EMRs including the EMR corresponding to the patient; and

the one or more computing devices configured to cause the requested third data to be included in a generated response to the query, the generated response to be transmitted to the second computing system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transmitted request for the second data that is included in the EMR includes an identification of the second computing system storing the EMR corresponding to the patient.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the transmitted request for the second data that is included in the EMR includes an identification of the patient.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first protocol is compatible with a National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) standard, and the second protocol is compatible with a Health Level Seven International (HL7) format.

13. The system of claim 9, the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive, from a correlation system and using the second protocol, a communication corresponding to the patient, wherein at least some of contents of the communication were originated by the second computing system using the first protocol; and

store at least a portion of data included in the communication in conjunction with the pharmacy record corresponding to the patient.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the third data is stored in the pharmacy record corresponding to the patient or is stored in another pharmacy record corresponding to another patient.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the query generated by the second computing system is compatible with the second protocol; and

the generated response to the query generated by the second computing system is compatible with the first protocol.