Patent ID: 8099306
Filing Date: 2012-01-17
Classification: G06Q,G16H

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, into a pharmacy episode grouping (PEG) system installed on a computer and being executed by a processor, pharmacy claims data records; validating, by the PEG system, each of the pharmaceutical claims data records for a valid national drug code or a generic drug code to identify at least one drug, prescription use data for the at least one drug and a valid patient unique identifying number; establishing, by the PEG system, for each unique patient identified, the number of validated pharmaceutical claims data records received for each drug identified; grouping, by the PEG system, the validated pharmacy claims data records for each unique patient identified and each drug identified to one or more pharmacy episodes based upon a predefined algorithm; sorting, by the PEG system, each pharmacy episode into one of at least three different groups, wherein the at least three different groups comprise a first group for episodes containing a single validated pharmacy claims data record, a second group for episodes containing two validated pharmacy claims data records, and a third group for episodes containing three or more validated pharmacy claims data records; categorizing, by the PEG system, each pharmacy episode based at least one of on an interval length between pharmacy events stored in the validated pharmacy claims data records and the prescription use data for the at least one drug; and storing in a memory of the computer the validated pharmacy claims data records and their associated pharmacy episodes for monitoring usage of a prescription drug identified in the validated pharmacy claims data records.