On-line pharmacy automated refill system

Abstract

An interactive computer request processing system. In the preferred embodiment, the request processing system utilizes telephone and computer equipment to accept refill requests for patient prescriptions. The system receives information from a patient and performs prescription inquiries to a databank to determine patient information such as the status of prescriptions. The system remains operational whether or not interactive communications can be achieved with the databank. If communications are not available, the system stores the patient information. Therefore, the system always appears to the caller to be fully operational regardless of whether interactive communications are available. When communications are re-established, the databank and prescription inquiries are conducted, whereby the system validates or invalidates requests based on specified criteria. In a preferred embodiment, the system automatically attempts to notify a patient that the patient's request is invalid, thereby alerting the patient that the patient's prescription has not been filled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.