Patent CA-2315264-A1 (CA)
Title: An electronic network arrangement enabling a physician (for and/or on behalf of a patient) to initiate and arrange for the cost-efficient purchase and delivery of a prescribed pharmaceutical product(s) and/or a pharmaceutical-related product(s) for a patient
Inventor: BARRETT BRAD
IPC: G06Q30/08
Filed: 2000-07-25
Abstract: An electronic network comprising an electronic network arrangement (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service" and/or "PPPS"), wherein the said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service shall enable a physician and/or a person(s) serving on behalf of a physician (the "Physician" and/or "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service User") to initiate and arrange for the cost-efficient purchase and delivery and/or shipment of a pharmaceutical product(s) and/or a pharmaceutical-related product(s) (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s)") for and/or on behalf of a patient. And wherein the present invention shall enable a Physician to conduct a Pharmaceutical Product(s) ordering procedure (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure" and/or "PPPOP") and which said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure may/shall have as its intended purpose and/or result the initiation for the purchase and arrangement for the delivery and/or shipment to a patient of a Pharmaceutical Product(s) ordered via a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure utilizing the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service. And wherein the present invention may/shall comprise a database and data processor capable of storing, accessing and processing Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service data (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Auction/Exchange Database") and which said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Auction/Exchange Database may/shall be further capable of performing wide area bi-directional communication with a plurality of sellers and/or retailer of pharmaceutical product(s) (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer"), in addition to a plurality of Physicians. And wherein the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Auction/Exchange Database may/shall be arranged and/or organized in a manner to enable the functional selection of a qualified Pharmaceutical Product(s) retailer (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer") that offers the lowest cost to a Pharmaceutical Product(s) consumer for a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) ordered via a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure wherein a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer satisfies and/or complies with any requirements necessary in order to be entitled by the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service to fulfill a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure including: that a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer serves the said patient's geographical locality; complies with the existing rules of the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service; complies with the rules & regulations of any governmental or non-governmental body that may have regulatory authority over the transaction; and interactive multimedia device and/or wireless interactive device and/or voice telephony process and/or system, etc. ("Physician Auction/Exchange Interface Device"), and which Physician Auction/Exchange Interface Device may/shall be available to a Physician at a Physician's place of treatment for a patient(s) receiving care and/or treatment from the said physician. And wherein a Physician Auction/Exchange Interface Device shall be of sufficient attributes and/or capabilities to enable a Physician to execute a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure. And further wherein a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure shall comprise a process wherein a plurality of pre-qualified Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailers may/shall make available via an acceptable procedure and/or method (which may include an electronic information exchange/input procedure) to the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Auction/Exchange Database including the identity of the specific Pharmaceutical Product(s) being listed for sale along with the price at which the Pharmaceutical Retailer(s) is willing to sell the specific Pharmaceutical Product(s) via a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Ordering Procedure for each of a plurality of selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) (the "Pharmaceutical Product(s) Listing Procedure"). And further wherein in order to complete a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Listing Procedure a Pharmaceutical Retailer may/shall be required to provide additional information for each of the plurality of Pharmaceutical Product(s) being made available for sale via the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service such as: the period of time during which they are willing to sell a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) at a stated price; the geographic locality in which the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer is willing to deliver and/or arrange for delivery and/or shipment of a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s).  And wherein following an initial Pharmaceutical Product(s) Listing Procedure a participating Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer(s) will be invited to update existing listed Pharmaceutical Product(s) information and/or list new Pharmaceutical Product(s) for sale via the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service. And wherein a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure will generally be initiated during a Physician-patient consultation, the Physician while treating a patient will be able by utilizing the Physician Auction/Exchange Interface Device to provide the information necessary to initiate a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Ordering Procedure (which information may/shall include: patient identification information, a patient's delivery address, a patient's delivery time requirements, required prescription information, payment information, and whether or not a patient/Physician chooses to receive a price quote for a selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) prior to the said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure being fulfilled, etc.) and which said information may be inputted into a Physician Auction/Exchange Interface Device by a Physician and/or derived in whole and or in part from a preexisting database of information maintained by the Physician and/or the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service, etc. Following the completion of the process of providing the information necessary to initiate a Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure by a Physician, the said Physician will then conduct and/or perform a procedure resulting in the said information being communicated and/or transmitted to the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Auction/Exchange Database for the purpose of enabling the fulfillment of the said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure. On receiving the communicated Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Auction/Exchange Database will process the order and determine the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer entitled to fulfill the said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure following which the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Auction/Exchange Database will then communicate a fulfillment notification to both of the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer (along with all information necessary in order to fulfill the said transaction) and the Physician/patient (except in the event that a physician/patient had selected to receive a price quote prior to fulfillment of the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure, in which instance the best price chosen from a plurality of participating Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailers will be communicated to the Physician/patient thereby enabling the said Physician to confer with the said patient and determine to either complete the transaction or abandon the said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure unfulfilled). On the receipt of a said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure fulfillment notification the selected Pharmaceutical Product(s) Retailer will complete the Pharmaceutical Product(s) said Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Ordering Procedure by dispensing and delivering and/or arranging shipment of an ordered Pharmaceutical Product(s) to the Patient (and further if required receiving payment from a patient at the time of delivery of a Pharmaceutical Product(s)). The present invention shall derive revenue from a variety sources, which revenue sources may/shall include a transaction fee placed upon Pharmaceuticals Product(s) Retailers and/or patients that utilize the Pharmaceuticals Product(s) Procurement Service to purchase and/or sell Pharmaceutical Products(s). And further wherein a Physician may/shall receive a fee and/or system of fees for utilizing the Pharmaceutical Product(s) Procurement Service for and/or on behalf of his/her patients. While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made to the structure and function of individual parts of the system without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as a whole.