Method and apparatus for accurate estimation and disbursement in a reverse distribution environment
First Claim
1. A method implemented by a third party for conducting reverse distribution of pharmaceutical items between a plurality of customers and a set of manufacturers, the method comprising:
- receiving at the third party a respective multiplicity of pharmaceutical items from each of the plurality of customers to obtain an aggregate set of pharmaceutical items, wherein at least several in the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items are returnable for credit to respective ones in the set of manufacturers;
associating each pharmaceutical item with one of the respective customers;
identifying similar items in each multiplicity of pharmaceutical items to define a plurality of line items, wherein the similar items are associated with a same national drug code (NDC), lot number, and expiration date, and wherein each line item defines a number of the similar items associated with one or more customers;
grouping items in the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items according to a manufacturer identity identifying a respective one in the set of manufacturers;
sending the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items to the set of manufacturers;
receiving at the third party a credit memorandum issued by each manufacturer included in the set of manufacturers, wherein each credit memorandum indicates an amount payable by the manufacturer for each of the pharmaceutical items in the aggregate set returned to the manufacturer;
retrieving the previously defined line items associated with each of the plurality of customers;
calculating an actual amount payable for each of the retrieved line items to the respective customers based on the amount payable by the manufacturer for each of the pharmaceutical items returned as indicated by the credit memorandum and based on the pharmaceutical items that define the respective line items; and
generating a disbursement statement for each of the plurality of customers based on the calculated actual amounts payable, wherein the disbursement statements provide each respective customer with a precise accounting for the actual amount payable by the manufacture for the pharmaceutical items received from that customer;
wherein each of the steps of identifying similar items, grouping items in the aggregate set, sending the aggregate set, retrieving the line items, calculating the amount payable, and generating the disbursement statement is performed by the third party.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An efficient and accurate technique for facilitating reverse distribution of pharmaceutical items between customers and manufacturers includes receiving, from the customers, pharmaceutical items returnable for credit to the corresponding manufacturers, identifying similar items based on the national drug code and possibly other criteria to define line items, grouping items according to manufacturer identity, and sending the items to the appropriate manufacturers. The technique further includes receiving credit memoranda from the manufacturers specifying the amount of credit due for the returned items, generating actual amount payable for each item based on the line items and the credit memoranda, and generating disbursement statements for the customers.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method implemented by a third party for conducting reverse distribution of pharmaceutical items between a plurality of customers and a set of manufacturers, the method comprising:
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receiving at the third party a respective multiplicity of pharmaceutical items from each of the plurality of customers to obtain an aggregate set of pharmaceutical items, wherein at least several in the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items are returnable for credit to respective ones in the set of manufacturers; associating each pharmaceutical item with one of the respective customers; identifying similar items in each multiplicity of pharmaceutical items to define a plurality of line items, wherein the similar items are associated with a same national drug code (NDC), lot number, and expiration date, and wherein each line item defines a number of the similar items associated with one or more customers; grouping items in the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items according to a manufacturer identity identifying a respective one in the set of manufacturers; sending the aggregate set of pharmaceutical items to the set of manufacturers; receiving at the third party a credit memorandum issued by each manufacturer included in the set of manufacturers, wherein each credit memorandum indicates an amount payable by the manufacturer for each of the pharmaceutical items in the aggregate set returned to the manufacturer; retrieving the previously defined line items associated with each of the plurality of customers; calculating an actual amount payable for each of the retrieved line items to the respective customers based on the amount payable by the manufacturer for each of the pharmaceutical items returned as indicated by the credit memorandum and based on the pharmaceutical items that define the respective line items; and generating a disbursement statement for each of the plurality of customers based on the calculated actual amounts payable, wherein the disbursement statements provide each respective customer with a precise accounting for the actual amount payable by the manufacture for the pharmaceutical items received from that customer; wherein each of the steps of identifying similar items, grouping items in the aggregate set, sending the aggregate set, retrieving the line items, calculating the amount payable, and generating the disbursement statement is performed by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method implemented by a third party for calculating an amount of credit due to each of a plurality of customers for a respective multiplicity of pharmaceutical items returnable to at least one manufacturer, wherein the multiplicity of pharmaceutical items associated with the plurality of customers defines an aggregate set;
- the method comprising;
associating each of the pharmaceutical items with one of the respective customers; defining a plurality of line items as computer-readable data, wherein each of the plurality of line items corresponds to one of the plurality of customers and one or more similar items in the aggregate set; storing the plurality of line items in a computer-readable memory; receiving a credit memorandum corresponding to the aggregate set, wherein the credit memorandum is issued by the at least one manufacturer and is indicative of an amount payable by the at least one manufacturer for each pharmaceutical item in the aggregate set; and generating a respective disbursement statement for each of the plurality of customers based on the amount payable by the at least one manufacturer for each pharmaceutical item as indicated by the credit memorandum and the plurality of line items, wherein each disbursement statement specifies the amount of credit due to a respective one of the plurality of customers based on the amount payable for each pharmaceutical item corresponding to each line item thereby providing the customer with a precise accounting for the actual amount payable by the manufacture for the pharmaceutical items received from that customer; wherein each of the steps of defining the plurality of line items, storing the plurality of line items, receiving a credit memorandum, and generating the disbursements is performed by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- the method comprising;
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15. A computer system for generating accurate disbursement information in a reverse distribution environment, the system comprising:
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an item tracking interface to receive item data for an aggregate set of items returnable for credit from a plurality of customers to a plurality of suppliers; an item tracking engine to generate a plurality of line item records, each line item corresponding to a group of similar items in the aggregate set of items for a particular one of the plurality of customers; a database to store the plurality of line item records, wherein each line item is associated with at least one of the respective customers; a credit processing module to process a credit memorandum issued by any one of the suppliers for the aggregate set of items, wherein the credit memorandum includes data indicative of an amount payable by the respective supplier for each item in the aggregate set of items; and a disbursement calculator to generate refund information for each of the plurality of customers based on the amount payable for each item in the plurality of line item records indicated by the credit memorandum, wherein the refund information provides a precise accounting for the actual amount payable by the manufacture for the pharmaceutical items received from that customer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification