Multi-path electronic prescription processing system

Abstract

An electronic prescription processing system which is capable of direct two-way electronic communication between the physician and the pharmacist, in one example, uses a multi-path clearinghouse between the physician's office practice management system and a pharmacy computer system. In one example, the multi path electronic prescription processing system allows a physician to create electronic prescriptions using an electronic signature, and using the multi-path clearinghouse, allow for interface with the pharmacy computer system such that an image of an electronic prescription and prescription information are directly auto-populated into an entry screen of the pharmacy computer system.

1 . An electronic prescription processing system comprises:
 at least one pharmacy system connected to a network capable of two-way digital communications between a plurality of physician office practice management systems and the at least one pharmacy system, wherein the at least one pharmacy system displays an image of the information entered as an electronic prescription by a prescriber using one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems on a display and the information entered as an electronic prescription is auto-populated in entries for a prescription entry screen of the at least one pharmacy system;   a clearinghouse electronically disposed between the plurality of physician office practice management systems and the at least one pharmacy system, such that the at least one pharmacy system may query, electronically, the prescriber, without speaking by telephone, to resolve questions about the electronic prescription, and the multi-path clearinghouse automatically correlates the query with an answer from the prescriber, when the prescriber of one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems responds to the query from the at least one pharmacy system.   
   
   
       2 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the clearinghouse correlates the query with the answer from the prescriber, when the one of the plurality of physician office management systems responds to the at least one pharmacy system using a batch process for answering a plurality of queries from one or more of the at least one pharmacy systems in a single electronic transmission. 
   
   
       3 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the clearinghouse provides access to information from a drug file database of the at least one pharmacy system, such that a prescriber using one of the plurality of physician office management systems has access to drug inventory and prices. 
   
   
       4 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 3 , wherein the clearinghouse is capable of automatically providing notification to the prescriber of alternative drugs available at the at least one pharmacy and pricing, and the clearinghouse allows the prescriber the opportunity to substitute an alternative drug, electronically, in response to a query. 
   
   
       5 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 4 , wherein the clearinghouse notifies the prescriber of any generic equivalent available at the at least one pharmacy and pricing. 
   
   
       6 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 3 , wherein the clearinghouse automatically provides notification to the prescriber of a recalled drug. 
   
   
       7 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 6 , wherein the clearinghouse automatically provides at least one acceptable alternative to the recalled drug. 
   
   
       8 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the clearinghouse provides the prescriber an opportunity to substitute the at least one acceptable alternative of the recalled drug, electronically, in response to a query. 
   
   
       9 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the clearinghouse verifies the identity and authority of the prescriber to enter the electronic prescription using an electronic signature, biometric data, a password or a combination thereof. 
   
   
       10 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 9 , wherein the clearinghouse verifies the identity and authority of the prescriber to enter the electronic prescription using an electronic signature. 
   
   
       11 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , further comprising the plurality of physician office management systems, wherein the plurality of physician office management systems include a utility for a prescriber to answer queries from the at least one pharmacy system in batch mode, and the clearinghouse correlates a single transmission from a prescriber operating in batch mode to a plurality of queries from one or more of the at least one pharmacy systems. 
   
   
       12 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , further comprising a biometric data reader, wherein the biometric data reader captures biometric data of a prescriber, and the electronic prescription processing system uses the biometric data of the prescriber to authenticate a prescription or a change to-a prescription authorized by the prescriber. 
   
   
       13 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , further comprising an interface system coupled to at least one of the plurality of physician office management systems such that the interface system couples the at least one of the plurality of physician office management systems to the clearinghouse, wherein two-way communications are established between the interface system and the clearinghouse. 
   
   
       14 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 13 , wherein the interface system is coupled to a data input and editing device and a display. 
   
   
       15 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 14 , wherein the data input and editing device includes a keyboard, a voice recognition system, a pointing device, a touch screen, a bar code reader, a scanner or a combination thereof. 
   
   
       16 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 15 , wherein the data input and editing device includes a keyboard and a pointing device. 
   
   
       17 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one pharmacy system is a plurality of pharmacy systems, and the plurality of pharmacy systems are electronically coupled to the clearinghouse, wherein the clearinghouse couples each of the plurality of physician office practice management systems with a selected one of the plurality of the plurality of pharmacy systems for two-way communications. 
   
   
       18 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 17 , wherein the clearinghouse, at least one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems, an interface system coupling at least one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems and the clearinghouse, or at least one pharmacy system includes at least one insurance formulary, and the prescriber is notified, automatically by the at least one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems or the interface system if a drug prescribed is not included in the at least one insurance formulary. 
   
   
       19 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems or the interface system provides at least one alternative drug, if the at least one alternative drug is an acceptable substitute for the drug prescribed by the prescriber, the at least one alternative drug is included in the at least one insurance formulary, and the at least one alternative drug is available from the pharmacy. 
   
   
       20 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems or the interface system provides notification of an alternative pharmacy, if the drug or the at least one alternative drug is not available from the pharmacy originally selected, but is available from the alternative pharmacy, or if the drug or the at least one alternative drug is available at lower cost to the patient or the insurance plan at the alternative pharmacy. 
   
   
       21 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmacy system includes a database, and all queries and answers to the queries are stored in the database and are tracked by the pharmacy system. 
   
   
       22 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 21 , wherein the pharmacy system, the clearinghouse, one of the plurality of physician office management systems or a combination of these may present an alert to the prescriber if the prescriber does not timely reply to a query from the pharmacy system. 
   
   
       23 . The electronic prescription processing system of  claim 22 , wherein the pharmacy system may present an alert to a pharmacist responsible for processing the prescription, after receipt of an answer from the prescriber to the query by the pharmacist or the pharmacy system. 
   
   
       24 . A method of processing an electronic prescription using the system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 installing the at least one pharmacy system such that the at least one pharmacy system is coupled to the clearinghouse, and the at least on pharmacy system includes a pharmacy database for storing an image of a prescription together with auto-populated fields relating to the image of the prescription transmitted by one of the plurality of physician office practice management systems to the clearinghouse;   receiving the image of the prescription together with auto-populated fields relating to the image of the prescription and displaying the image of the prescription together with auto-populated fields relating to the image of the prescription on a display of a pharmacist such that the pharmacist is capable of verifying the auto-populated fields;   providing a two-way communication protocol for the pharmacist to electronically query a prescribing prescriber about the prescription and for the prescribing prescriber to provide the pharmacy system with an answer to the query electronically;   querying the prescribing prescriber to provide the pharmacy system with the answer to the query;   notifying the pharmacist or another pharmacist of the receipt of the answer from the prescribing prescriber; and   verifying that the prescription is ready to be filled.   
   
   
       25 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 24 , wherein the query and the answer are stored in the pharmacy database. 
   
   
       26 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 monitoring the time elapsed between the time that the query is made in the step of querying and receipt of the answer, if any; and   flagging the query as having a higher urgency if the answer is not timely received.   
   
   
       27 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 26 , wherein the step of flagging occurs if two hours is elapsed from the time that the query is made in the step of querying without receipt of the answer. 
   
   
       28 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 alerting, automatically, the prescribing prescriber of the query if the query is flagged as urgent.   
   
   
       29 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 28 , wherein the step of alerting includes a visual alert on the physician office practice management system. 
   
   
       30 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 28 , wherein the step of alerting includes an email sent to the prescribing prescriber, wherein the email is flagged as urgent. 
   
   
       31 . The method of processing an electronic prescription of  claim 30 , wherein the email flagged as urgent provides a selection of yes/no for responding to the query, and wherein selecting yes or no from the selection provides a response to the query, transmitting the response to the pharmacist or another pharmacist.