Method for renewing medical prescriptions

1. A system for renewing a prescription for a pharmaceutical via an electronic network, the system comprising:

a renewal server comprising:

a processor;

a communications interface circuit for communicating with a prescriber and a dispenser over a network, where the dispenser comprises a pharmacy or pharmacy benefit organization; and

a memory comprising:

an operating system;

a database comprising at least one patient profile that includes:

an identifier of a patient; and

at least one prescription associated with the identifier of the patient, the at least one prescription comprising:

 a prescribed pharmaceutical;

 an identification of a prescriber that prescribed the prescribed pharmaceutical; and

 an expiration date of the prescription; and

wherein the renewal server is capable of:

monitoring the expiration date by periodically determining whether a predetermined time period before the expiration date has been reached;

generating a prescription renewal request for renewal of the prescription prior to the expiration date based on the monitoring, where the generating occurs without human intervention;

transmitting the prescription renewal request via an electronic network to the prescriber having authority to authorize the dispenser to dispense the prescription;

receiving a renewal prescription at the renewal server, in response to the prescription renewal request, from the prescriber; and

notifying the dispenser to fill the renewal prescription.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the prescriber uses a prescriber computing device comprising:

a processor;

a communications interface circuit for communicating with the renewal server and the dispenser over the network; and

a prescriber memory comprising:

an operating system;

a renewal database comprising at least one patient profile comprising:

the identifier of the patient;

the prescribed pharmaceutical;

the prescriber of the prescribed pharmaceutical; and

the expiration date of the prescription; and

remote access procedures to receive a prescription renewal request from the renewal server and to transmit the prescription renewal to the renewal server.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the prescriber memory further comprises:

procedures for displaying the prescription renewal request; and

procedures for generating a renewal prescription based at least in part on the renewal request.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the prescriber computing device is a handheld computing device.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the prescriber memory further comprises a formulary database and a drug-drug reaction database.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the procedures further comprise procedures to ascertain a status of the prescription renewal request.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the procedures further comprise procedures to send the status to the prescriber.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the dispenser uses a dispenser computing device comprising:

a processor;

a communications interface circuit for communicating with the renewal server and the prescriber over the network; and

a dispenser memory comprising:

an operating system;

a dispenser database comprising at least one prescription record comprising:

patient information;

the prescribed pharmaceutical;

an identifier of the prescriber who authorized the prescription;

prescription filling procedures for checking if refills remain for the prescription and generating a renewal prescription request if not; and

remote access procedures for transmitting a renewal prescription request to the renewal server and receiving the renewal prescription from the renewal server.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the dispenser database further comprises of dosage information.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database further comprises refill information or dosage information for the prescription.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the procedures further comprise procedures to notify the patient to contact the prescriber.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the procedures further comprise:

procedures to obtain a patient record comprising at least a number of authorized refills of the currently prescribed pharmaceutical; and

procedures to set a renewal date before a last refill has been consumed by the patient.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the procedures further comprise:

procedures to determine whether the pharmaceutical from the prescription is on formulary for the patient; and

procedures to dispense the pharmaceutical based on whether the pharmaceutical from the prescription is on formulary for the patient.

14. A method for renewing a prescription for a pharmaceutical via an electronic network, comprising the steps of:

computer monitoring an expiration date of a prescription at a renewal server by periodically determining whether a predetermined time period before the expiration date has been reached;

computer generating a prescription renewal request at the renewal server for renewal of the prescription prior to the expiration date based on the computer monitoring, where said generating occurs without human intervention;

transmitting the prescription renewal request via the electronic network from the renewal server to a client computing device associated with a prescriber, where the prescriber has authority to authorize a dispenser to dispense the prescription;

receiving a renewal prescription at the renewal server, in response to the prescription renewal request; and

the renewal server notifying the dispenser to fill the renewal prescription, where the dispenser comprises a pharmacy or pharmacy benefit organization.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the receiving further comprises acquiring an appeal from the prescriber for a patient of the prescription to contact the prescriber.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the acquiring further comprises notifying the patient to contact the prescriber.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the client computing device is a handheld computing device.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises, prior to the receiving, providing information useful to the prescriber for reviewing the prescription renewal request.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the receiving further comprises acquiring the renewal prescription with components that have been changed from the prescription.

20. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising deleting the prescription renewal request after a set period of time.