Controlled substance tracking system and method

• US 20040176985A1
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey A. Anon, Jesse J. Bornfreund, Ralph B. Lilly
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey A. Anon, Jesse J. Bornfreund, Ralph B. Lilly
• Inventors: Bornfreund, Jesse J., Lilly, Ralph B., Anon, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/083 capable of being taken apart
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/10 Arrangements for sealing the margins
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for medical reports G16H15/00; for therapies or health-improving plans G16H20/00; for the handling or processing of medical images G16H30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• 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

A method for tracking prescriptive medications is provided whereby a complete prescriptive medication history including active and inactive prescriptive medications is stored for a plurality of patients utilizing a plurality of pharmacies wherein the pharmacies may be affiliated or unaffiliated. The information may be selectively retrieved through a secure computer connection by entities such as hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, insurance companies, government agencies and the like. The information may be utilized to benefit the patient whereby a doctor is able to obtain an accurate view of the complete prescriptive medication history of the patient including prescriptive medications by other doctors. Hospitals will be able to obtain, in accord with the invention, a prescriptive medication history prior to treatment such as emergency treatment where such information is not normally available. The stored data for each prescriptive medication transaction includes searchable data such as the patient'"'"'s name, address, doctor, pharmacy, aberrant use flag, and the like.

Claims

1. A method for tracking prescriptive medication, to address and control prescription drug abuse, said method comprising:

providing respective computer connections to a plurality of entities, said plurality of entities comprising a plurality of both affiliated and unaffiliated pharmacies;

storing pharmaceutical computer data related to prescriptive medication purchases obtained by a plurality of prescriptive medication purchasers from said plurality of affiliated and unaffiliated pharmacies; and

selectively transferring said pharmaceutical computer data through said computer connections to at least one of said plurality of entities for obtaining a prescriptive history of a selected prescriptive medication purchaser for all prescriptive medications purchased in the aggregate by said selected prescriptive medication purchaser from all of said plurality of affiliated and unaffiliated pharmacies based on said transferred pharmaceutical computer data; and

generating from said prescriptive history of said selected purchaser one or more patterns which can be used by one or more viewers of said prescriptive history to flag the possibility of prescriptive drug abuse.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing that said at least one of said plurality of entities comprises a physician'"'"'s office and said selected prescriptive medication purchaser is a patient of said physician; and

said physician'"'"'s office utilizing said pharmaceutical computer data to verify said prescriptive history of said selected prescriptive medication purchaser.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing that said at least one of said plurality of entities comprises a pharmacy with a pharmacist;

said selected prescriptive medication purchaser requesting that said pharmacist fill a new prescriptive medication; and

said pharmacist utilizing said pharmaceutical computer data to compare said new prescriptive medication with respect to said prescriptive history of said selected prescriptive medication purchaser.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

said pharmacist accepting or declining to fill said new prescriptive medication based on said prescriptive history.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing that at least one of said plurality of entities comprises a hospital and said selected prescriptive medication purchaser is a patient of said hospital; and

said hospital utilizing said pharmaceutical computer data to determine said prescriptive history of said selected prescriptive medication purchaser.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing that said pharmaceutical computer data for each of said prescriptive medication purchases comprises a name of a respective prescriptive medication purchaser, an address of said respective prescriptive medication purchaser, a drug prescribed, said respective prescriptive medication purchaser, a quantity of said drug, a dosage of said drug, a pharmacist name, and a doctor name.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

searching said stored pharmaceutical computer data based on one or more of said name of a respective prescriptive medication purchaser, said address of said respective prescriptive medication purchaser, said drug prescribed, said respective prescriptive medication purchaser, said quantity of said drug, said dosage of said drug, said pharmacist name, and said doctor name.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing pharmaceutical data related to whether a request for filling a prescriptive medication is filled or declined.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing that at least one of said plurality of entities comprises a government agency.

22. A method for tracking prescriptive medications, to address and control prescription drug abuse, said method comprising;

providing respective computer connections to a plurality of entities, said plurality of entities comprising at least one of a group comprising a plurality of hospitals, a plurality of doctors, at least one government agency, and a plurality of doctors;

storing pharmaceutical computer data relating to prescriptive medication purchases obtained by a plurality of prescriptive medication purchasers from a plurality of pharmacies;

selectively transferring said pharmaceutical computer data through said computer connections to at least one of said plurality of entities for obtaining a prescriptive history of a selected prescriptive medication purchaser for all prescriptive medications purchased in the aggregate by said selected prescriptive medication purchaser from all of said plurality of pharmacies based on said transferred pharmaceutical computer data; and

generating from said prescription history of said selected purchaser one or more patterns which can be used by one or more viewers of said prescriptive history to flag the possibility of prescriptive drug abuse.