US 5,628,530 AGranted

Method and system for collectively tracking demographics of starter drug samples

AssigneeInfo Tec LLC

InventorGary B. Thornton

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Abstract

A method and system for collectively tracking demographics of physician (12,14) prescribed starter drug samples dispensed to a plurality of patients (18,20) from a plurality of different dispensing locations (38,40) employs a multipart product specific sample drug voucher, such as a smart card (100) or a preprinted two part voucher (102), which has a marketing information portion (30,34) and a separable prescription portion (32,36) to be completed by the prescribing physician with starter drug sample quantity and dosage information along with patient demographic information. The prescription portion (32,36) is segregated from the marketing information portion (30,34) at the pharmacy (38,40) either electronically by a card reader (112), if it had been encoded on a smart card (100) by the physician (12,14), or physically by separation along a perforation (50), if recorded on a two part voucher (102), and is electronically retreivably stored in the pharmacy computer (130) from where this tracking information is electronically transmitted to a central remote computer (134), such as at the drug manufacturer, for subsequent rapid market analysis (136).

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for collectively tracking demographics of starter drug samples dispensed to a plurality of patients from a plurality of different dispensing locations, said dispensed starter drug samples being prescribed by a plurality of physicians at a plurality of different prescription locations, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a multipart product specific sample drug voucher for use by each of said plurality of physicians at said prescription locations for prescribing said starter drug sample for a given patient in said plurality of patients at one of said prescription locations, said multipart drug voucher comprising a first portion containing marketing information for advertising a starter drug sample to be prescribed to said given patient by the physician at said one prescription location and a second portion comprising a variable drug prescription for said advertised starter drug sample to be completed by the physician for prescribing a variable starter drug sample quantity and dosage for said advertised starter drug sample for said given patient, said variable drug prescription second portion being separable from said marketing information first portion for enabling said prescribed starter drug sample to be dispensed in accordance therewith by a pharmacist at one of said plurality of dispensing locations in accordance with said completed drug prescription second portion;
(b) completing said drug prescription second portion at said one prescription location, said prescription locations being remote from said dispensing locations, said completed drug prescription second portion comprising said variable starter drug sample quantity and dosage and patient demographic information for said given patient;
(c) separating said completed drug prescription second portion from said marketing information first portion for providing said completed drug prescription second portion to the pharmacist at said one location for dispensing of said prescribed drug sample at said one dispensing location in accordance with said variable starter drug sample quantity and dosage contained on said separated completed drug prescription second portion;
(d) electronically retrieving and storing the patient demographic and sample quantity and dosage information at each of said plurality of dispensing locations from each of said separated completed drug prescription second portions for providing tracking information for said dispensed prescribed starter drug samples;
and
(e) electronically transmitting said tracking information from each of said plurality of dispensing locations to a common remote collection location for collective market analysis of said transmitted tracking information;
whereby the dispensing of advertised starter drug samples provided to said plurality of patients at diverse locations under the direction of the physician for each of said patients may be rapidly tracked and analyzed.

4 more elements

A system for collectively tracking demographics of starter drug samples dispensed to a plurality of patients from a plurality of different dispensing locations, said dispensed starter drug samples being prescribed by a plurality of physicians at a plurality of different prescription locations, said system comprising a multipart product specific sample drug voucher capable of use by each of said plurality of physicians at said prescription locations for prescribing said starter drug sample for a given patient in said plurality of patients at one of said prescription locations,, said multipart drug voucher comprising a first portion containing marketing information for advertising a starter drug sample to be prescribed to said given patient by the physician at said one prescription location and a second portion comprising a variable drug prescription for said advertised starter drug sample dependent on a variable starter sample quantity and dosage determined by the physician for said given patient and patient demographic information for said given patient, said variable drug prescription second portion being separable from said marketing information first portion for enabling said prescribed starter drug sample to be dispensed in accordance therewith by a pharmacist at one of said plurality of dispensing locations in accordance with said completed drug prescription second portion;

means for electronically retrievably storing the patient demographic and sample quantity and dosage information at each of said plurality of dispensing locations from each of said separated drug prescription second portions for providing tracking information for said dispensed prescribed starter drug samples and for electronically transmitting said retreivably stored tracking information to a common remote collection location from each of said plurality of dispensing locations;
and means for collectively processing said transmitted tracking information at said remote collection location for providing a collective market analysis of said tracking information;
whereby the dispensing of advertised starter drug samples provided to said plurality of patients at diverse locations under the direction of the physician for each of said patients may be rapidly tracked and analyzed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.