Patent ID: 8050941

Claim:
A computer system to manage the replenishment of medications dispensed to covered patients of a plurality of unaffiliated qualified health care providers by an independent contract pharmacy common to the unaffiliated qualified health care providers, wherein the unaffiliated qualified health care providers are entitled to purchase discounted medication for the covered patients through respective statutory programs, and wherein the contract pharmacy is strictly prohibited from purchasing discounted medication under the statutory programs, the system comprising: a processor; and a memory in electrical communication with the processor, the memory including, a monitoring module to receive indications from the independent contract pharmacy of medication units dispensed to the covered patients, wherein the covered patients qualify for discounted medication through a statutory program of a respective qualified health care provider; associate the medication units dispensed to the covered patients with a national drug code, the national drug code determining an order quantity of a replacement container of the dispensed medication units that qualifies for a discount under a statutory program of a qualified health care provider; allocate each of the medication units dispensed to the covered patients to the independent contract pharmacy and a respective qualified health care provider; determine a combined amount of medication units associated with the national drug code dispensed to the covered patients across the plurality of unaffiliated qualified health care providers; determine when the combined amount of medication units dispensed by the independent contract pharmacy to the covered patients of the unaffiliated qualified health care providers reaches a replenishment threshold corresponding to the order quantity of the national drug code; and upon reaching the replenishment threshold, to replenish the combined amount of medication units of the national drug code to the independent contract pharmacy by, providing for purchasing a discounted replacement container of medication units under a statutory program of the unaffiliated qualified health care providers, and transferring ownership of the purchased replacement container to the independent contract pharmacy.