System for separating and distributing pharmacy order processing

• US 8,666,780 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berkelhamer, Alan J., Goodall, Charles, Selka, Gowri
• Primary Examiner(s): Najarian, Lena
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEOH, MINNAH L
• Application Number:
  US11/253,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,059 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

An information system and method that provides the ability to reroute portions of prescription order work between a plurality of organizational units in order to leverage capacity, expertise, or other resources to increase network efficiency.

Claims

1. A method of filling a prescription order within a network of pharmacy resources having at least a first and a second pharmacy resource at separate geographic locations, each pharmacy resource having equipment resources and each having at least one employee, the network of pharmacy resources connected by an information processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a prescription order at a first network computer at the first pharmacy resource;

creating an original order data (OOD) object containing a set of information received from a customer during placement of the prescription order;

creating a task object that is associated with the OOD object, wherein the task object stores a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription order and that is used to carry and save work performed on the prescription order associated with the OOD object;

separating task items in the task object into information processing tasks and physical processing tasks;

routing the OOD object and task object from a first queue associated with the first network computer to a second queue associated with a second network computer at a second geographic location for performing an information processing task requiring the OOD object, the routing based on a criteria recorded by the first network computer;

performing at least a portion of work required to fill the prescription order at each of the first and second pharmacy resources responsive to receiving the task object in its queue;

updating the task object to indicate the work performed at each pharmacy resource; and

filling the prescription order associated with the OOD object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing the task object only to a third network computer at a third pharmacy resource for physical processing of the prescription order, the third pharmacy resource having a least one employee and the third pharmacy resource is geographically separate from the first and second pharmacy resources.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a portion of work required to fill the prescription prior to routing the task object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing an order confirmation document at the first geographic location using the first network computer;

delivering the order confirmation document to a customer while at the first geographic location;

receiving the order confirmation document from the customer at the second pharmacy resource at the second geographic location;

authenticating the order confirmation document at the second pharmacy resource; and

delivering the filled prescription to the customer at the second pharmacy resource.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a portion of work required to fill the prescription comprises at least one of inputting prescription data, authenticating a prescription, validating customer information, validating third-party provider information, collecting payment information, referencing drug information, determining out-of-stock status of materials, and entering accounting information into a database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting mail order information and routing the at least one OOD object and task object to a mail service center queue and mailing a filled prescription from the mail service center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network computer performs a portion of work required to fill the prescription and then routes the task object to a third network computer associated with a third pharmacy resource.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the third network computer is one of a mail fulfillment center and a specialized processing center.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the third network computer is the first network computer.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the OOD object and task object are routed together.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the task object and a reference to the OOD object are routed together.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pharmacy resource is located at a first retail pharmacy and the second pharmacy resource is located at a second retail pharmacy, the method further comprising:

storing the task object and the OOD object at the first network computer located at the first retail pharmacy prior to routing the OOD object and the task object to the second queue;

storing the OOD object and the task object at the second network computer located at the second retail pharmacy after routing the OOD object and the task object to the second queue,

performing at least one discrete task indicated in the task object at the second computer located at the second retail pharmacy location, wherein filling the prescription order comprises filling the prescription order at the second retail pharmacy, for physical delivery to a customer at the second retail pharmacy location.

12. A pharmacy workflow system implemented by a computer system, using computer executable code embodied in a computer-readable memory of the computer system comprising:

an image object associated with a prescription order;

a task object associated with the prescription order, wherein the task object is a single program entity containing a set of discrete tasks representing work required to complete processing of the prescription order and is used to carry and save work performed on the prescription order;

a first workflow manager, wherein the workflow manager routes the image object and the task object to a first queue associated with information processing of the prescription order based on a routing criteria recorded by the first workflow manager.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the image object and task object are associated with a customer object, and wherein the customer object comprises an identifier.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first workflow manager is associated with a first pharmacy resource at a first retail location having at least one employee and the first queue is associated with a second pharmacy resource located at a second retail location having at least one employee.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a second queue, and wherein the first workflow manager is associated with a first pharmacy resource at a first location, the first queue is associated with a second pharmacy resource at a second location, and the second queue is associated with a third pharmacy resource located at a third location, and wherein routing at least one of the image object and the task object further comprises routing from the first queue to the second queue.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the image object is associated with the task object, and further wherein the workflow object routes the image object and the task object based on a progress level of the task object.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the image object comprises a scanned image of at least one of a prescription form, a medical third party card, or other patient documents.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the criteria comprises a customer pharmacy location selection.

21. The pharmacy workflow system of claim 12, further comprising:

a first computer located at a first retail pharmacy location used to create and store the task object responsive to receipt of the prescription order, wherein at least a portion of the work required to complete processing of the prescription order is performed at the first computer;

a second computer located at a second retail pharmacy location used to receive and store the task object, wherein at least one discrete task indicated in the task object is performed at the second computer located at the second retail pharmacy location.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for providing a prescription order workflow, comprising:

a first program that receives original order data and creates an original order data object including an image of the drug order and at least one of a certificate of medical necessity, an insurance card, and a laboratory result;

a second program that creates a task object and associates the task object with the original order data object, the task object storing a discrete set of tasks to be performed for filling the prescription order and that is used to carry and save work performed on the prescription order;

a third program that sends an electronic mail reference to the task object to an email queue associated with a second network computer based on a customer preference recorded at a first network computer; and

a fourth program that stores processed information in the task object as the prescription order is processed by the second network computer.