Patent ID: 8380532

Claim:
A method implemented by a third party in a reverse distribution environment for generating an accurate refund estimate for a pharmaceutical item returnable for credit by a customer to a manufacturer, the method comprising: receiving an item information at a computer system operated by or for the third party, the item information specifying an identity of the pharmaceutical item, wherein the identity includes a national drug code (NDC), expiration date of the pharmaceutical item, and lot number of the pharmaceutical item; retrieving a pricing rule record for the pharmaceutical item from a database on the computer system, wherein the pricing rule record specifies at least an estimated amount of credit expected to be received from the manufacturer for the pharmaceutical item, wherein the estimated amount is based at least partly on the identity of the pharmaceutical item and a class of trade of the customer; generating a refund estimate with the computer system, the refund estimate being for use by the customer, wherein the refund estimate is based on at least the estimated amount of credit expected to be received from the manufacturer; generating a debit memorandum with the computer system, the debit memorandum listing relevant details regarding the pharmaceutical item including the identity of the pharmaceutical item and quantity of the pharmaceutical item being returned; receiving on the computer system a credit memorandum issued by the manufacturer indicative of the identity of the pharmaceutical item and an actual amount of credit payable by the manufacturer for the pharmaceutical item, the credit memorandum being responsive to the debit memorandum; comparing the actual amount of credit to the estimated amount of credit expected to be received from the manufacturer with the computer system to identify a difference between the estimated amount and the actual amount indicated by the credit memorandum; identifying a reason for the difference identified in the comparing step, wherein the reason relates to at least one of identity of the customer, the expiration date of the pharmaceutical item, and whether the pharmaceutical item is eligible for return in a selected class of trade; and adjusting the pricing rule record on the computer system if the actual amount of credit is not equal to the estimated amount of credit in view of the identified reason for the difference.