Methods and systems for pharmacy location

• US 9,786,023 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Express Scripts Incorporated (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Cohan, Kevin C., Shutko, Alan T., Wilcox, Gary S., Cole, Elizabeth T.
• Primary Examiner(s): PAULS, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US14/200,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20140188505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Methods and systems for pharmacy location are described. In one embodiment, a plurality of pharmacy network associations of a member is determined. The pharmacy network associations are associated with a drug benefit plan of the member. A pharmacy within a pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations is capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug. A location associated with the member is accessed. A display is generated based on the determination of the pharmacy network associations and the location of the member. The display includes a first indicator and a second indicator. A first network pharmacy of a first pharmacy network association is associated with the first indicator on the display. A second network pharmacy of a second pharmacy network association is associated with the second indicator on the display. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, on a processor of a network manager device over the Internet, identification of a member from a mobile electronic device;

identifying, on the processor of the network manager device, a client associated with the member, the client providing a drug benefit plan under which the member receives a prescription drug benefit;

determining, on the processor of the network manager device, a plurality of pharmacy network associations available to the member based on the drug benefit plan of the member, a first pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of first network pharmacies having a first contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, a second pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of second network pharmacies having a second contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, the second discounted rate on prescription drugs being a lesser discounted rate than the first discounted rate on prescription drugs, a pharmacy within the first pharmacy network association or the second pharmacy network association being capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug;

determining, on the processor of the network manager device over the Internet, a location associated with the member from a location module of the mobile electronic device by receiving global positioning system (“

GPS”

) coordinates of the mobile electronic device from the location module;

identifying, on the processor of the network manager device, a first network pharmacy of the first pharmacy network association offering the first discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member;

identifying, on the processor of the network manager device, a second network pharmacy of the second pharmacy network association offering the second discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member;

transmitting the identifications of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy to the mobile electronic device from the network manager device over the Internet; and

causing the mobile electronic device to generate and output a display based on the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy and the location of the member, the display including a listing of pharmacies within a geographic area based on the location associated with the member, a first color indicator, and a second color indicator,

wherein the first network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the first color indicator, and the second network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the second color indicator, the first indicator being a different color than the second indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the drug benefit plan associated with the member,

wherein the determination of the plurality of pharmacy network associations available to the member is based on the determination of the drug benefit plan associated with the member.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving pharmacy data, the pharmacy data including location data regarding the plurality of pharmacy network associations,

wherein generation of the display is based on at least a part of the pharmacy data, the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy, and the location of the member.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting a pharmacy network association request, the pharmacy network association request based on the plurality of pharmacy network associations,

wherein receipt of the pharmacy data is in response to transmission of the pharmacy network association request.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting a pharmacy network association request, the pharmacy network association request based on the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy and the location of the member,

wherein receipt of the pharmacy data is in response to transmission of the pharmacy network association request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pharmacy network is a preferred pharmacy network of the plurality of pharmacy network associations and the second pharmacy network is a non-preferred pharmacy network of the pharmacy network associations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a pharmacy network display criterion,

wherein generation of the display is based on the pharmacy network display criterion, the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy, and the location of the member.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pharmacy network display criterion includes identification of a plurality of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) preferred pharmacies, a plurality of PBM non-preferred pharmacies, a PBM preferred pharmacy organization, a PBM non-preferred pharmacy organization, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the pharmacy network display criterion includes identification of a plurality of client preferred pharmacies, a plurality of client non-preferred pharmacies, a client preferred pharmacy organization, a client non-preferred pharmacy organization, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the pharmacy network display criterion includes a distance rule, the distance rule defining a pharmacy existence guarantee between the location and the first network pharmacy.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined location of the member comprises a last known location of the mobile electronic device received from the GPS.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an input on a mobile electronic device, the input including identification of a member;

identifying, on a processor of the mobile electronic device, a client associated with the member, the client providing a drug benefit plan under which the member receives a prescription drug benefit;

transmitting a request, from the mobile electronic device to a network manager device over the Internet, for a pharmacy network association identification of the member;

receiving, on the processor of the mobile electronic device from the network manager device over the Internet, identification of a plurality of pharmacy network associations available to the member based on the drug benefit plan of the member, a first pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of first network pharmacies having a first contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, a second pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of second network pharmacies having a second contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, the second discounted rate on prescription drugs being a lesser discounted rate than the first discounted rate on prescription drugs, a pharmacy within the first pharmacy network association or the second pharmacy network association being capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug;

determining a location associated with the member by receiving a travel route associated with the mobile electronic device;

identifying, on the processor of the mobile electronic device, a first network pharmacy of the first pharmacy network association offering the first discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member;

identifying, on the processor of the mobile electronic device, a second network pharmacy of the second pharmacy network association offering the second discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member; and

generating, on the processor of the mobile electronic device, a display based on the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy and the location of the member, the display including a listing of pharmacies within a geographic area based on the location associated with the member, a first color indicator, and a second color indicator,

wherein the first network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the first color indicator, and the second network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the second color indicator, the first indicator being a different color than the second indicator.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a pharmacy network association identification request to the network manager;

device,

wherein receipt of the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy is in response to transmission of the pharmacy network association identification request.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:

receive, on a processor of a network manager device over the Internet, identification of a member from a mobile electronic device

identify, on the processor of a network manager device, a client associated with the member, the client providing a drug benefit plan under which the member receives a prescription drug benefit;

determine, on the processor of a network manager device, a plurality of pharmacy network associations available to the member based on the drug benefit plan of the member, a first pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of first network pharmacies having a first contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, a second pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of second network pharmacies having a second contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, the second discounted rate on prescription drugs being a lesser discounted rate than the first discounted rate on prescription drugs, a pharmacy within the first pharmacy network association or the second pharmacy network association being capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug;

determine, on the processor of the network manager device over the Internet, a location associated with the member by accessing member data in a database, the member data indicating a perceived location of the member;

identify, on the processor of the network manager device, a first network pharmacy of the first pharmacy network association offering the first discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member;

identify, on the processor of the network manager device, a second network pharmacy of the second pharmacy network association offering the second discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member;

transmit the identifications of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy to the mobile electronic device from the network manager device over the Internet; and

cause the mobile electronic device to generate and output a display based on the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy and the location of the member, the display including a listing of pharmacies within a geographic area based on the location associated with the member, a first color indicator, and a second color indicator,

wherein the first network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the first color indicator, and the second network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the second color indicator, the first indicator being a different color than the second indicator.

15. A system comprising:

a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) in a mobile electronic device that determines GPS coordinates associated with the mobile electronic device, the GPS coordinates indicating a location associated with a member; and

a processor of a network manager device configured to (a) receive, over the Internet, identification of the member from the mobile electronic device, (b) identify a client associated with the member, the client providing a drug benefit plan under which the member receives a prescription drug benefit, (c) determine a plurality of pharmacy network associations available to the member based on the drug benefit plan of the member, a first pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of first network pharmacies having a first contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, a second pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations including a plurality of second network pharmacies having a second contractually obligated discounted rate on prescription drugs, the second discounted rate on prescription drugs being a lesser discounted rate than the first discounted rate on prescription drugs, a pharmacy within the first pharmacy network association or the second pharmacy network association being capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug, (d) determine the location associated with the member by receiving the GPS coordinates from the global positioning system of the mobile electronic device, (e) identify a first network pharmacy of the first pharmacy network association offering the first discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member, (f) identify a second network pharmacy of the second pharmacy network association offering the second discounted rate on prescription drugs based on the location associated with the member, (g) transmit the identifications of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy to the mobile electronic device from the network manager device over the Internet, and (h) cause the mobile electronic device to generate and output a display based on the identification of the first network pharmacy and the second network pharmacy and the location of the member, the display including a listing of pharmacies within a geographic area based on the location associated with the member, a first color indicator, and a second color indicator,

wherein the first network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the first color indicator, and the second network pharmacy is associated on the listing of pharmacies with the second color indicator, the first indicator being a different color than the second indicator.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an accelerometer in the mobile electronic device, wherein the accelerometer provides data used to generate the location associated with the member.