Pharmaceutical systems and methods

• US 8,799,018 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rx Savings, LLC (McKesson Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Rx Savings, LLC (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Rea, Michael, Besch, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Phongsvirajati, Sind
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng, Jonathan K
• Application Number:
  US14/071,247
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• 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 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A system for determining a second drug and a third drug that may collectively be taken by a patient in lieu of a first drug prescribed to the patient by a physician comprises a processor in data communication with a non-transitory memory, an input device, an output device, and a networking device. The system also comprises a patients'"'"' database for storing a profile of the patient, and a drug pricing database for storing the first price, the second price, and the third price for the first, the second, and the third drugs, respectively. The first price is greater than a sum of the second and the third price. The system further comprises a drug segregation database for outlining that the first drug is segregable into the second drug and the third drug.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining a cost effective option for a first drug of a first strength prescribed to a patient by a physician, the cost effective option being one of an original option, a generics option, a therapeutic alternatives option, a drug segregation option, and a tablet splitting option, the method comprising steps:

a) using a pharmaceutical database to identify a second drug that is a generic alternative of the first drug;

b) using the pharmaceutical database to identify a third drug that is a therapeutic alternative of the first drug;

c) using the pharmaceutical database to identify both a fourth drug and a fifth drug into which the first drug can be segregated;

d) using the pharmaceutical database to identify a sixth drug that comprises the first drug at a second strength, the second strength being greater than the first strength;

e) storing in a non-transitory computer memory a preliminary option set consisting of the first drug as the original option, the second drug as the generics option, the third drug as the therapeutic alternatives option, the fourth and the fifth drugs collectively as the drug segregation option, and the sixth drug as the tablet splitting option;

f) using a profile of the patient to identify a drug and a substance to which the patient is allergic;

g) using the pharmaceutical database to identify ingredients of each of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth drug; and

deleting from the non-transitory memory any said option associated with the drug or the substance to which the patient is allergic, whereby forming from the preliminary option set a final option set stored in the non-transitory memory;

h) subsequent to step (g), using the pharmaceutical database to identify a promotional offer applicable to any said option in the final option set;

i) using the pharmaceutical database to determine a respective price of each said option in the final option set;

j) automatically identifying one of said options in the final option set as the cost effective option, the price of the cost effective option being lower than the respective prices of all other options in the final option set;

k) generating a report for the patient using an output device, the report having a first portion for the patient and a second portion for the physician, each of the first and second portions listing the cost effective option; and

l) automatically submitting the second portion to the physician;

wherein each of the steps (a)-(l) is performed at least in part by a computer processor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the price of the cost effective option is the lower of a first network price and a second network price, the first network price being associated with a first pharmacy network and the second network price being associated with a second pharmacy network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first pharmacy network is associated with a primary health insurer of the patient.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first pharmacy network is a discount network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the price of the cost effective option is the lower of a first pharmacy price and a second pharmacy price, the first pharmacy price being associated with a first pharmacy and the second pharmacy price being associated with a second pharmacy.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein each of the first pharmacy and the second pharmacy is selected to be within a geographical area of the patient.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending a notification to the patient upon the generation of the report;

and wherein at least one of the first portion and the second portion includes a listing of every option in the final option set.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of updating the profile after the generation of the report.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of using optical character recognition to identify data on a claim form associated with the patient.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the price of the cost effective option is determined after considering the respective prices of each of said options in the final option set in at least two pharmacies and under at least two networks.