Systems and methods for providing notifications of availability of generic drugs or products

• US 8,788,296 B1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McKesson Corp.
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Ringold, James Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): RANGREJ, SHEETAL
• Application Number:
  US12/696,717
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

Systems and methods may provide notifications of availability of generic drugs or products. The systems and methods may include receiving, from a healthcare provider computer, a healthcare claim transaction request that identifies a product for a patient; determining that the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request is a non-generic product or a branded product; determining that a generic equivalent for the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request will become available on a future date; generating a generic notification message indicating the availability of generic equivalent for the product on the future date; and delivering or directing a delivery of the generic notification message.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a healthcare provider computer, a healthcare claim transaction request that identifies a product for a patient;

determining that the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request is a non-generic product or a branded product;

determining that a generic equivalent for the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request will become available on a future date by accessing a database comprising one or more future dates of an availability of one or more generic equivalents to the non-generic drug or the branded product;

generating a generic notification message indicating the availability of the generic equivalent for the product on the future date;

delivering or directing a delivery of the generic notification message,

wherein the above operations are performed by one or more computers associated with a service provider.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to generating the generic notification message, further determining that the future date is within a predetermined time period from a current date associated with the healthcare claim transaction request,

wherein the above operation is performed by one or more computers associated with a service provider.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generic notification message further specifies an expected price or savings associated with the generic equivalent.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare provider computer is associated with one or more particular pharmacy locations, wherein the future date is based upon an expected delivery date of the generic equivalent to the one or more particular pharmacy locations.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generic notification message is delivered to the healthcare provider computer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting a reject response to the healthcare provider computer in response to the received healthcare claim transaction request, the reject response including the generic notification message,

wherein the above operation is performed by one or more computers associated with a service provider.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the healthcare claim transaction request is a first healthcare claim transaction request, and further comprising:

storing information indicating a prior rejection of the healthcare claim transaction request identifying the product for the patient;

receiving, from the healthcare provider computer, a second healthcare claim transaction request that identifies the product for the patient, the product being a same product as for the first healthcare claim transaction request;

identifying a presence of the stored information indicating the prior rejection associated with the product for the patient; and

delivering the second healthcare claim transaction request to a claims processor computer for adjudication,

wherein the above operations are performed by one or more computers associated with a service provider.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generic notification message is delivered by at least one of:

(i) via email, (ii) to a facsimile, (iii) to a printer, (iv) via text message to a cellular phone or personal communications device, (v) via Internet message or presentation, or (v) via paper mailing.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generic notification message is delivered to at least one of (i) a pharmacy;

(ii) a healthcare provider;

or (iii) the patient.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the product is identified in the healthcare claim transaction request by a National Drug Code (NDC), a Universal Product Code, or a SKU number, wherein the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request is determined to be a non-generic product or a branded product based upon the NDC, UPC, or SKU number.

11. A system, comprising:

at least one memory operable to store computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive, from a healthcare provider computer, a healthcare claim transaction request that identifies a product for a patient,

determine that the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request is a non-generic product or a branded product,

determine that a generic equivalent for the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request will become available on a future date by accessing a database comprising one or more future dates of an availability of one or more generic equivalents to the non-generic drug or the branded product,

generate a generic notification message indicating the availability of the generic equivalent for the product on the future date, and

deliver or direct a delivery of the generic notification message.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

prior to generating the generic notification message, further determine that the future date is within a predetermined time period from a current date associated with the healthcare claim transaction request.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the generic notification message further specifies an expected price or savings associated with the generic equivalent.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the healthcare provider computer is associated with one or more particular pharmacy locations, wherein the future date is based upon an expected delivery date of the generic equivalent to the one or more particular pharmacy locations.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the generic notification message is delivered to the healthcare provider computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

transmit a reject response to the healthcare provider computer in response to the received healthcare claim transaction request, the reject response including the generic notification message.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the healthcare claim transaction request is a first healthcare claim transaction request, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

store information indicating a prior rejection of the healthcare claim transaction request identifying the product for the patient;

receive, from the healthcare provider computer, a second healthcare claim transaction request that identifies the product for the patient, the product being a same product as for the first healthcare claim transaction request;

identify a presence of the stored information indicating the prior rejection associated with the product for the patient; and

deliver the second healthcare claim transaction request to a claims processor computer for adjudication.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the generic notification message is delivered by at least one of:

(i) via email, (ii) to a facsimile, (iii) to a printer, (iv) via text message to a cellular phone or personal communications device, (v) via Internet message or presentation, or (v) via paper mailing.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the generic notification message is delivered to at least one of (i) a pharmacy;

(ii) a healthcare provider;

or (iii) the patient.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the product is identified in the healthcare claim transaction request by a National Drug Code (NDC), a Universal Product Code, or a SKU number, wherein the product identified by the healthcare claim transaction request is determined to be a non-generic product or a branded product based upon the NDC, UPC, or SKU number.