Patent ID: 7729929

Claim:
A method for providing medical items to a patient, comprising the steps of: receiving an encrypted message on a computer system at an intermediary agent from a trusted sender, the encrypted message containing a consent statement from the patient, the consent statement providing permission of the patient for the intermediary agent to receive a prescription prepared for the patient by a medical professional and providing permission of the patient for the intermediary agent to transmit the prescription to a pharmacy service, said consent statement being one of two types, wherein a first type of consent statement is a general consent statement granting permission by the patient to fill a plurality of prescriptions and a second type of consent statement being a per-case consent statement granting permission by the patient to file a predetermined prescription; receiving an encrypted message on a computer system at the intermediary agent from a trusted sender, the encrypted message containing an electronic prescription prepared for the patient by a medical professional; storing the electronic prescription on a server; and transmitting an encrypted message containing the electronic prescription to a trusted receiver via the computer system from the intermediary service, the trusted receiver being a pharmacy service for filling of the prescription as authorized by the consent statement if the consent statement is a general consent statement, otherwise receiving a confirmation from the patient of instructions to transmit an encrypted message containing the electronic prescription to the pharmacy service as a trusted receiver if the consent statement is a per-case consent statement, and transmitting an encrypted message containing the electronic prescription to the pharmacy service as a trusted receiver.