Payment terminal and payment processing system

Abstract

To provide a settlement terminal and a settlement processing system capable of reducing a burden on the medical institution side while surely issuing the prescription to a patient.SOLUTION: A settlement terminal 10 includes: a control part 101 for executing the settlement process for settling the medical treatment cost; and an operation display part 106 serving as an informing part. At the time of the settlement processing, the control part 101 acquires the issuance presence / absence information from a storage part 202 which holds the issuance presence / absence information which is the determination information for determining whether or not a prescription relating to the medical treatment to be settled has already been issued. When the prescription is determined to have already been issued on the basis of the issuance presence / absence information, the notification corresponding to the issuance is made on the operation display part 106.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment terminal and a payment processing system for settling medical fees. [Background technology]

[0002] When a medical treatment is performed at a medical institution, a prescription for medicine is issued as appropriate according to the contents of the treatment. Conventionally, prescriptions are issued at the counter of a medical institution. For example, when the medical fee is paid at a payment terminal, a voucher for receiving the prescription is output from the payment terminal. The patient receives the prescription by presenting this voucher at the counter. The patient then takes the issued prescription to a dispensing pharmacy and receives the medicine.

[0003] As an example of the settlement terminal, a medical fee payment machine that issues a medicine exchange ticket when paying medical fees is described in the following Patent Document 1.

[0004] Recently, the practice of digitizing prescriptions has been adopted. For example, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has issued guidelines for the operation of electronic prescriptions using electronic prescription servers. In this system, computerized prescriptions (electronic prescriptions) are registered in the server from the medical institution's medical system via an external network. In this registration, the server issues management information (access code and confirmation number) to the medical system prior to registering the electronic prescription. The medical system sends an electronic prescription according to the medical treatment content to the server together with the received management information. In response, the server registers the received electronic prescription by linking it to the received management information. This completes the registration of the electronic prescription in the server.

[0005] The medical institution provides the patient with the management information received from the server. For example, when the medical fee is paid at the payment terminal, a paper sheet on which the management information is printed can be output in place of a voucher. The patient presents the provided management information to the dispensing pharmacy. A staff member at the dispensing pharmacy accesses the server via a terminal in the dispensing pharmacy and obtains an electronic prescription using the presented management information. The staff member provides the patient with medicines based on the obtained electronic prescription. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-102860 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In cases where a patient is unable to pay medical fees due to circumstances such as forgetting their wallet at a medical institution, payment may have to be postponed. In such cases, if medication is required for that treatment, a prescription may be issued without payment on the day.

[0008] Conventionally, payment terminals do not communicate with prescription issuing terminals or systems regarding the status of prescription issuance, and it is not possible to know whether a prescription has been issued or not. For this reason, when medical expenses are settled at a later date, it is not possible to determine whether a prescription should be issued or not at the time of settlement at the payment terminal. For example, in a payment terminal that issues an exchange ticket at the time of settlement as described above, the exchange ticket is issued regardless of whether a prescription has been issued or not.

[0009] Therefore, when medical expenses are paid at a later date, medical institutions will have the patient visit the counter before payment in order to ensure that the prescription is issued to the patient, and counter staff will use a terminal separate from the payment terminal to confirm whether the prescription has been issued. This raises concerns that the burden on counter staff and other medical institutions will increase.

[0010] The same problem may occur when the prescription is an electronic prescription.

[0011] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a payment terminal and a payment processing system that can reliably issue prescriptions to patients while reducing the burden on medical institutions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a payment terminal. The payment terminal according to this aspect includes a control unit that executes a payment process for settling medical expenses, and a notification unit. Here, the control unit acquires, during the payment process, judgment information from a storage unit that stores judgment information for judging whether a prescription related to the medical treatment to be paid has been issued, and when it is judged based on the judgment information that the prescription has been issued, causes the notification unit to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has been issued.

[0013] With the payment terminal according to this embodiment, the patient can know whether or not a prescription has already been issued before payment at the time of payment. Therefore, in cases where payment for medical expenses is made at a later date, the medical institution does not need to check at the counter whether or not a prescription has been issued before payment, which reduces the burden on the medical institution, such as counter staff.

[0014] In the settlement terminal according to this aspect, the storage unit may be configured to further store information related to the issuance history of the prescription. In this case, the control unit may be configured to obtain the information related to the issuance history from the storage unit and to include the information related to the issuance history in the notification.

[0015] According to this configuration, a user such as a patient can obtain detailed information about a prescription that has already been issued by checking information related to the issuance history.

[0016] The settlement terminal according to this aspect may further include an output unit that outputs an output medium that is a voucher for receiving the prescription or the prescription. In this case, the control unit may be configured to cause the output unit to output the output medium when it determines that the prescription has not been issued, and not cause the output unit to output the output medium when it determines that the prescription has been issued.

[0017] This configuration prevents the printing of duplicate vouchers or prescriptions.

[0018] When configured as above, the control unit can be further configured to determine whether the prescription has expired, and if the prescription has expired even if it has not yet been issued, not to cause the output unit to output the output medium, and to cause the notification unit to issue a notification informing the user of the expiration date.

[0019] With this configuration, the patient will know that they will not be able to receive the prescription on the day of their appointment due to the expiration date, and can take steps to receive the prescription, such as by consulting with the staff at the counter.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a payment processing system. The payment processing system according to this aspect includes a control unit that executes payment processing for settling medical expenses, a storage unit, and a notification unit. Here, the storage unit holds judgment information for judging whether a prescription related to the medical treatment to be paid has been issued. The control unit acquires the judgment information from the storage unit during the payment processing, and when it judges that the prescription has been issued based on the judgment information, causes the notification unit to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has been issued.

[0021] According to the settlement processing system of this aspect, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be achieved.

[0022] The third aspect of the present invention relates to a payment terminal. The payment terminal according to this aspect includes a control unit that executes a payment process for settling medical expenses, and a notification unit. Here, the control unit acquires, during the payment process, judgment information from a storage unit that stores judgment information for judging whether electronic prescription information related to the medical treatment to be paid has been transmitted to a server that manages the electronic prescription information, and when it is judged based on the judgment information that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted, causes the notification unit to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted.

[0023] According to the settlement terminal of this embodiment, the patient can know whether or not the electronic prescription information has already been transmitted before the settlement, i.e., whether or not the electronic prescription has been issued, at the time of settlement. Therefore, in the case where the settlement of medical expenses is performed at a later date, the medical institution does not need to take the operation of checking whether or not the electronic prescription has been issued at the counter before settlement, and the burden on the medical institution, such as the counter staff, can be reduced.

[0024] In the settlement terminal according to this aspect, the server may be configured to hold information related to a dispensing result in association with the electronic prescription information. In this case, the front-end control unit may be configured to acquire the information related to the dispensing result from the server and include a dispensing result notification in the notification.

[0025] With this configuration, the patient can know not only whether the electronic prescription information has been sent, but also whether the medication has been dispensed.

[0026] In the above configuration, the information on the dispensing result may further include information on the dispensing history. In this case, the control unit may be configured to include the notification of the information on the dispensing history in the notification of the dispensing result.

[0027] With this configuration, the patient can obtain detailed information about the medication that has already been dispensed by checking the information related to the medication dispensing history.

[0028] In the settlement terminal according to the present embodiment, an output unit may be further provided to output exchange information for receiving medicines provided by the electronic prescription information. In this case, the control unit may be configured to cause the output unit to output the exchange information when it determines that the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted, and to not cause the output unit to output the exchange information when it determines that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted.

[0029] According to this configuration, duplicated exchange information is prevented from being output.

[0030] In the above configuration, a configuration may be adopted in which an operation unit that accepts an operation is further provided. In this case, the control unit may be configured to cause the output unit to output the exchange information when the operation unit accepts an operation to output the exchange information even if the electronic prescription information has already been transmitted.

[0031] With this configuration, if the patient needs new exchange information due to loss or other reasons, he or she can receive new exchange information by operating the settlement terminal.

[0032] When the configuration is provided with an output unit that outputs redemption information as described above, the control unit can be further configured to determine whether the electronic prescription information has expired, and if the expiration date has expired even if the electronic prescription information has not yet been transmitted, not to cause the output unit to output the redemption information, and to cause the notification unit to issue a notification informing the user of the expiration date.

[0033] With this configuration, patients will be aware that the electronic prescription information for the prescription on the day of the consultation will not be registered on the server due to the expiration date, and will be able to take steps to register the electronic prescription information, such as by consulting with staff at the front desk.

[0034] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a payment processing system capable of communicating with a server that manages electronic prescription information via an external communication network. The payment processing system according to this aspect includes a control unit that executes a payment processing for settling medical expenses, a storage unit, and a notification unit. Here, the storage unit holds judgment information for judging whether the electronic prescription information related to the medical treatment to be paid has been transmitted to the server. The control unit acquires the judgment information from the storage unit during the payment processing, and when it judges that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted based on the judgment information, causes the notification unit to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the information has been transmitted.

[0035] According to the settlement processing system of this aspect, the same effects as those of the third aspect can be achieved. Effect of the Invention

[0036] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a payment terminal and a payment processing system that can reliably issue prescriptions to patients while reducing the burden on medical institutions.

[0037] The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the embodiment. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of how the present invention can be put into practice, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] Fig. 1(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of a settlement processing system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 1(b) is a block diagram showing the configurations of a settlement terminal and a medical system according to embodiment 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a medical database held in a storage unit of the medical system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit of the settlement terminal when settling medical fees according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit of the medical-receipt system when settling medical fees according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of a medical treatment database stored in a storage unit according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. Fig. 6(b) is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] Fig. 7(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of a medical treatment database stored in a storage unit according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. Fig. 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit of the settlement terminal when settling medical fees according to the second modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic prescription management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] Fig. 10(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of a medical treatment database stored in a storage unit of a medical system according to embodiment 2. Fig. 10(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic prescription database constructed in a server according to embodiment 2. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit of the settlement terminal when settling medical fees according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing control performed by a control unit of the medical-receipt system when settling medical fees according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit of the settlement terminal when settling medical fees according to the first modification of the second embodiment. [Figure 14]14(a) and (b) are diagrams showing examples of a notification screen when a medicine has been dispensed and a notification screen when a medicine has not been dispensed, respectively, according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2. FIG. 14(c) is a diagram showing another example of a notification screen when a medicine has been dispensed, according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit of the settlement terminal when settling medical fees according to the second modification of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an inquiry screen according to the second modification of the second embodiment. [Figure 17] Fig. 17(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of a medical treatment database stored in a storage unit according to Modification 3 of Embodiment 2. Fig. 17(b) is a flowchart showing control performed by a control unit of a payment terminal when settling medical treatment fees according to Modification 3 of Embodiment 2. [Figure 18] 18(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the configuration of a medical treatment database held in a storage unit according to another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0040] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of a settlement processing system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the settlement processing system 1 includes a settlement terminal 10 and a medical system 20. The settlement terminal 10 and the medical system 20 are installed in a medical institution such as a hospital, and are communicatively connected via a LAN (Local Area Network) installed within the medical institution. One or more settlement terminals 10 are installed in the medical institution. Although two settlement terminals 10 are shown in FIG. 1(a), the number of settlement terminals 10 installed is not limited to this.

[0042] The settlement terminal 10 is used by users such as patients to settle medical fees and other expenses incurred by using a medical institution, and is, for example, a medical fee payment machine installed in a hospital lobby. The medical system 20 is used to manage patient information, medical record information for each patient, drug prescription information for each medical treatment, settlement information such as medical fees, etc. The medical system 20 does not necessarily have to be composed of a single device, and may be composed of a combination of multiple personal computers and servers.

[0043] FIG. 1( b ) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the settlement terminal 10 and the medical system 20 .

[0044] The settlement terminal 10 includes a control unit 101, a memory unit 102, a banknote processing unit 103, a coin processing unit 104, a card processing unit 105, an operation display unit 106, an audio output unit 107, a printing unit 108, a barcode reader 109, and a communication unit 110. Note that the banknote processing unit 103 and the coin processing unit 104 may be separate from the settlement terminal 10. For example, if the settlement terminal 10 is a POS terminal for a hospital, clinic, or the like, the POS terminal may be connected to a currency processing device including the banknote processing unit 103 and the coin processing unit 104 via a communication cable or the like.

[0045] When the settlement terminal 10 is a medical fee payment machine, which is an automated payment machine, the user operates it. When the settlement terminal 10 is a POS terminal, at least the operation of the POS terminal device is performed by a receptionist at a clinic or the like, but when the currency handling device is a semi-self-service type, the operation of the currency handling device is performed by the user.

[0046] The control unit 101 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each unit according to a program stored in the storage unit 102. The storage unit 102 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores the programs executed by the control unit 101 and various data. The storage unit 102 is also used as a work area when the control unit 101 performs control.

[0047] The banknote processing unit 103 includes a banknote storage unit for storing banknotes of each denomination and a transport unit for transporting banknotes, and transports banknotes between the banknote storage unit and the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit under control of the control unit 101. The coin processing unit 104 includes a coin storage unit for storing coins of each denomination and a transport unit for transporting coins, and transports coins between the coin storage unit and the coin deposit / withdrawal unit under control of the control unit 101.

[0048] The card processing unit 105 reads card information such as the card number from a card (patient appointment card, credit card, etc.) inserted through a card insertion slot. The operation display unit 106 displays predetermined information and accepts operations from the user. The operation display unit 106 is configured, for example, with a touch panel equipped with a liquid crystal display. The audio output unit 107 includes audio output means such as a speaker, and outputs predetermined audio in response to control from the control unit 101.

[0049] Printing unit 108 sends a user copy when payment is made by credit card or the like. Printing unit 108 also sends a receipt when medical fees are paid, and sends a medical statement when an operation to issue a medical statement is performed on operation display unit 106. The user copy, receipt, and medical statement are receipt documents received by users such as patients. Printing unit 108 also sends (issues) an exchange ticket for receiving a prescription. Printing unit 108 is an output unit that outputs output media such as receipts and exchange tickets.

[0050] The barcode reader 109 reads the barcode printed on the paper for settling medical expenses. For example, a barcode for settling expenses is printed on a numbered ticket issued by a reception machine for accepting patients for medical treatment. Patients can use this barcode to settle their medical expenses. The barcode contains a medical ID that is assigned to each medical treatment.

[0051] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with the medical system 20 and an external communication network (not shown). The communication unit 110 is connected to the communication unit 205 of the medical system 20 via a LAN. The communication unit 110 is also connected to the external communication network via a router (not shown). When a user such as a patient settles a bill using a credit card, the control unit 101 communicates with a card information processing center (not shown) via the external communication network and processes the card payment.

[0052] The medical system 20 includes a control unit 201 , a storage unit 202 , an operation display unit 203 , a printing unit 204 , and a communication unit 205 .

[0053] The control unit 201 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each unit according to a program stored in the storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) and stores the programs executed by the control unit 201 and various data. The storage unit 202 is also used as a work area when the control unit 201 performs control. The storage unit 202 holds a medical database for updating and storing medical information such as patient information, medical record information, payment information, and prescription information.

[0054] The operation display unit 203 displays predetermined information and accepts operations from the user. The operation display unit 203 is, for example, configured with a touch panel equipped with a liquid crystal display. The printing unit 204 outputs printed materials such as prescriptions under the control of the control unit 201.

[0055] The communication unit 205 is a communication interface for communicating with the settlement terminal 10 and an external communication network. The communication unit 205 is connected to the communication unit 110 of the settlement terminal 10 via a LAN. The communication unit 205 is also connected to the external communication network via a router.

[0056] When the medical system 20 is configured with multiple personal computers or the like, the control unit 201 may be configured with multiple CPUs, and the storage unit 202 may be configured with multiple ROMs, RAMs, and the like.

[0057] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the medical database stored in the storage unit 202 of the medical system 20. As shown in FIG.

[0058] The medical database has a structure in which patient information, medical record information, billing information, and prescription information are associated with each other. Each piece of information is associated with a medical ID that is assigned to each medical treatment and that identifies each medical treatment.

[0059] Patient information includes the patient's name, a patient ID (medical card number) for identifying the patient, etc. Medical record information includes the date and time of consultation, details of the consultation, etc. Settlement information includes details of the medical treatment, medical expenses, and settlement status indicating whether the treatment has been settled or not. Prescription information includes a prescription ID for identifying each prescription, the details of the drug prescription (type, amount, etc.), and issuance status information indicating whether the prescription has been issued or not. Issuance status information is judgment information for determining whether a prescription has been issued or not, and includes "unissued" information indicating that the prescription has not been issued and "issued" information indicating that the prescription has been issued.

[0060] The medical database may be composed of a single database, or may be composed of multiple databases divided according to the type of information, such as patient information, medical record information, etc.

[0061] In the medical system 20, the control unit 201 reads out the prescription contents from the medical database in the storage unit 202, and executes an issuing process in which a paper prescription is printed and output by the printing unit 204. When the issuing process is performed, a prescription ID obtained from an exchange ticket or the like is input to the operation display unit 203. When the prescription is issued, the issuance information in the medical database is updated from "unissued" to "issued."

[0062] However, in cases where a patient is unable to pay the medical fee due to circumstances such as forgetting their wallet at a medical institution, the patient may be forced to pay at a later date. In such cases, if medicine is required for the treatment, the patient may be issued a prescription without payment on the day.

[0063] If there is no coordination regarding the issuance of prescriptions between the settlement terminal 10 that settles the bill and the medical system 20 that issues the prescription, the settlement terminal 10 does not know whether the prescription has been issued or not. Therefore, when the medical fee settlement is made at a later date, the settlement terminal 10 cannot determine whether a prescription should be issued or not. Therefore, in order to ensure that the prescription is issued to the patient, the medical institution will have the patient visit the counter before settlement, and the counter staff will use the terminal of the medical system 20 to check whether the prescription has been issued or not. There is a concern that this will increase the burden on the medical institution, such as the counter staff.

[0064] Therefore, in this embodiment, a control that can reliably issue a prescription to a patient while reducing the burden on the medical institution is executed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10. This control will be described below.

[0065] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical expenses. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 when settling medical expenses. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 310.

[0066] 3, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 determines whether or not a transaction process for settlement of medical fees has started (S101). For example, the control unit 101 determines that a transaction process for settlement of medical fees has started when, after accepting an operation for settlement via the operation display unit 106, the card processing unit 105 reads the patient card, or the barcode reader 109 reads the barcode printed on the paper for settlement of medical fees.

[0067] When the settlement transaction is started (101: YES), the control unit 101 sends a settlement start notification to the medical system 20 via the communication unit 110 (S102). The settlement start notification includes identification information for specifying the medical fee, that is, the patient card number (patient ID) on the patient card or the medical ID information included in the barcode.

[0068] 4, when the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 receives a settlement start notification from the settlement terminal 10 (S201: YES), it refers to the identification information included in the notification, reads out medical information necessary for settlement that corresponds to the identification information from the storage unit 202, i.e., the medical database, and transmits it to the settlement terminal 10 that sent the notification (S202). The medical information transmitted includes medical fees and medical details. Furthermore, if prescription information corresponding to the identification information exists in the medical database, the medical information transmitted includes a prescription ID and issuance / non-issuance information.

[0069] 3, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 monitors whether or not the medical information has been received (S103). If the medical information from the medical system 20 includes issuance / non-issuance information, the control unit 101 receives the medical information and acquires the issuance / non-issuance information, which is judgment information.

[0070] When the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 receives the medical information (S103: YES), it performs settlement processing of the medical fee based on the received medical information (S104). Specifically, the control unit 101 displays the medical fee on the operation display unit 106 and prompts the patient to settle the medical fee. Then, when the patient settles the medical fee with cash or a credit card, the control unit 101 receives the cash and pays the change or settles the card.

[0071] Next, the control unit 101 transmits a settlement completion notification to the medical system 20 (S105).

[0072] Referring to FIG. 4, when the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 receives a settlement completion notification (S203: YES), it updates the settlement information in the medical care database of the storage unit 202 from "unsettled" to "settled" (S204).

[0073] 3, when the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 transmits a settlement completion notification to the medical system 20 (S105), it determines whether or not a prescription exists for the medical treatment that is the subject of settlement (S106). If the control unit 101 has acquired the prescription ID and issuance information, it determines that a prescription exists (S106: YES), and determines whether or not the prescription has been issued based on the issuance information (S107).

[0074] When medical fees are settled on the day of treatment, the prescription will usually not have been issued at the time of settlement. On the other hand, as mentioned above, when medical fees are settled on a later day, if the prescription has already been issued on the day of treatment, the prescription will be considered issued at the time of settlement. If the prescription has not been issued, the issuance information will be "not issued," and if the prescription has already been issued, the issuance information will be "issued."

[0075] If the prescription has not been issued (S107: NO), the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output receipt documents such as a receipt and medical details, and an exchange ticket (S108). The prescription ID is printed on the exchange ticket.

[0076] The receipt and the exchange ticket may be on a single sheet of paper, and the exchange ticket may be torn off. The prescription ID may not be printed on the exchange ticket. In this case, for example, the patient card number (patient ID) may be printed on the exchange ticket. Furthermore, the prescription ID and the patient card number may be written as a barcode or the like.

[0077] The patient presents the printed exchange ticket at the counter to receive a prescription, and then takes the received prescription to a dispensing pharmacy to receive their medication.

[0078] On the other hand, when the prescription has already been issued (S107: YES), the control unit 101 executes a notification process for notifying the user that the prescription has already been issued (S109). That is, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106, which is the notification unit, to display a notification screen 310 as shown in FIG. 5. The notification screen 310 includes a message 311 for notifying the user that the prescription has already been issued, and an OK button 312. The patient refers to the message 311 and understands that the prescription has already been issued. Then, the patient operates the OK button 312. In response to this, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to close the notification screen 310.

[0079] Next, the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt (S110). The control unit 101 does not cause the printing unit 108 to output an exchange ticket.

[0080] In addition, even when it is determined in S106 that there is no prescription for the medical treatment to be settled (S106: NO), the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output only a receipt (S110).

[0081] Thus, when the process of step S108 or S110 is completed, the transaction process regarding the settlement of medical fees at the settlement terminal 10 is completed.

[0082] The notification in step S109 when the prescription has been issued does not necessarily have to be performed by the notification screen 310, and for example, a voice with the same message content may be output from the audio output unit 107. Alternatively, a predetermined message or a chime sound may be output from the audio output unit 107 together with the display of the notification screen 310 to more reliably notify the patient.

[0083] 3, a prescription exchange ticket is output (issued) as described above, but instead, a prescription may be directly issued from the printing unit 108 of the settlement terminal 10. In this case, the prescription contents are included in the medical information received by the control unit 101 in step S103.

[0084] <Effects of the First Embodiment> According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0085] The settlement terminal 10 includes a control unit 101 that executes settlement processing for settling medical expenses, and an operation display unit 106. During settlement processing, the control unit 101 acquires issuance information, which is judgment information for judging whether or not a prescription related to the medical treatment to be settled has been issued, from the storage unit 202 of the medical system 20, and when it is judged that the prescription has been issued based on the issuance information, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has been issued. This allows the patient to know whether or not the prescription has already been issued before the settlement at the time of settlement. Therefore, in the case where the settlement of medical expenses is performed at a later date, the medical institution does not need to take an operation such as checking whether or not the prescription has been issued at the counter before settlement, and the burden on the medical institution side, such as counter staff, can be reduced.

[0086] The settlement terminal 10 further includes a printing unit 108 that outputs an exchange ticket (or prescription) for receiving a prescription. When the control unit 101 determines that a prescription has not been issued, it causes the printing unit 108 to output an exchange ticket (or prescription), and when the control unit 101 determines that a prescription has been issued, it does not cause the printing unit 108 to output an exchange ticket (or prescription). This prevents the output of duplicate exchange tickets (or prescriptions), and prevents a patient from receiving duplicate prescriptions.

[0087] <Modification 1 of Embodiment 1> Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of a medical treatment database stored in the storage unit 202 according to a first modification of the first embodiment. Fig. 6(b) is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 320 according to a first modification of the first embodiment.

[0088] In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the prescription information stored in the medical database of the storage unit 202 includes information related to the issuance history of the prescription. The information related to the issuance history includes the issuance date and time of the prescription, an image of the prescription, and the like. Note that the information indicating the time of issuance need not be the issuance date and time, and may be the issuance date without including the time. The information related to the issuance history is information indicating the detailed contents of the prescription.

[0089] When the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 issues a prescription by the issuance process, it registers the issuance date and time and an image of the issued prescription in the medical database. Then, in control step S202 of FIG. 4, the control unit 201 adds information related to the issuance history (issuance date and time, prescription image) to the medical information to be sent to the settlement terminal 10.

[0090] In the settlement terminal 10, the control unit 101 acquires information related to the issuance history by receiving the medical information in step S103 of the control in FIG. 3. Then, in the notification process in step S109, the control unit 101 includes a notification of the information related to the issuance history in the notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has already been issued. Specifically, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to display a notification screen 320 as shown in FIG. 6(b). The notification screen 320 includes a message 321 for notifying that the prescription has already been issued and an OK button 322, as well as a prescription issuance date and time 323 and an image 324. A notification of the same content as the notification screen 320 may be made by voice from the voice output unit 107.

[0091] As information related to the issuance history, the notification screen 320 may include prescription contents (items such as type and amount of medicine) instead of the prescription image 324.

[0092] According to this modified example, users such as patients can obtain detailed information about prescriptions that have already been issued by checking information related to the issuance history (issuance date and time, prescription image).

[0093] <Modification 2 of Embodiment 1> Fig. 7(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of the medical treatment database stored in the storage unit 202 according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment. Fig. 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 330 according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical fees according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment. Note that, for the sake of convenience, the processing of steps S101 to S105 is omitted in Fig. 8.

[0094] 7(a), in this modification, the prescription expiration date is included in the prescription information stored in the medical treatment database of the storage unit 202. The expiration date is set to a predetermined period (for example, 4 days) from the date of medical treatment.

[0095] When settling medical fees, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 executes the control of Fig. 8 instead of the control of Fig. 3. In the flowchart of Fig. 8, the processes of steps S121 to S123 are added to the flowchart of Fig. 3.

[0096] 8, when the control unit 101 determines in step S107 that the prescription has not been issued (S107: NO), it determines whether the prescription has expired (S121). The expiration date is transmitted from the medical system 20 by the process of step S202 in FIG. 4, and is acquired by the control unit 101 by receiving the medical information in step S103.

[0097] If the medical fee is settled on the day of treatment, the expiration date does not occur. When the control unit 101 determines that the validity date is not expired (S121: YES), it causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt and an exchange ticket (S108).

[0098] In the case where the medical fee is not settled on the day of the medical treatment and the prescription is not issued, and the payment is made later, the expiration date may have expired on the day of the payment. When the control unit 101 determines that the expiration date has expired (S121: NO), it executes a notification process for notifying the patient of the expiration date (S122). That is, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to display a notification screen 330 as shown in FIG. 7(b). The notification screen 330 includes a message 331 for notifying the patient that the prescription has expired and guiding the patient to the counter, and an OK button 332. The patient refers to the message 331 and understands that he or she must go to the counter to have the prescription issued. Then, the patient operates the OK button 332. In response to this, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to close the notification screen 330.

[0099] Thereafter, the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output only the receipt (S123).

[0100] According to this modified example, the patient will know that he / she will not be able to receive the prescription on the day of the consultation due to the expiration date, and can take steps to receive the prescription, such as consulting with the staff at the counter.

[0101] In the above example, the prescription expiration date is registered in the medical database, and the expiration date is transmitted to the settlement terminal 10. However, the prescription expiration date may not be registered in the medical database, and instead the expiration date, the consultation date and time registered in the medical database may be transmitted to the settlement terminal 10, and the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 may calculate the expiration date from the consultation date and time. In other words, the information for determining the expiration date may not be the expiration date itself, but may be the consultation date and time or the consultation date that is the starting point for calculating the expiration date.

[0102] Moreover, the configuration of Modification 1 of the above-mentioned Embodiment 1 can also be applied to the configuration of this modification.

[0103] <Embodiment 2> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the electronic prescription management system 2 according to the second embodiment.

[0104] In this embodiment, the settlement terminal 10 and medical system 20 constituting the settlement processing system 1 are each connected to an external communication network 50 via a router 60. The external communication network 50 is composed of the Internet, a dedicated line, a public line, or the like. A server 30 and a pharmacy terminal 40 are connected to the external communication network 50. The settlement processing system 1, i.e., the settlement terminal 10 and the medical system 20, the server 30, and the pharmacy terminal 40, constitute an electronic prescription management system 2.

[0105] In the electronic prescription management system 2, the medical system 20 transmits information about an electronic prescription (hereinafter referred to as "electronic prescription information") to the server 30. That is, the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 performs a process of registering the electronic prescription information generated according to medical treatment in the server 30 via the external communication network 50.

[0106] The server 30 manages electronic prescription information. The server 30 has a database for storing electronic prescription information received from the medical system 20. Medical systems other than the medical system 20 shown in FIG. 9 are also connected to the external communication network 50. The server 30 similarly manages the electronic prescription information received from these medical systems.

[0107] The pharmacy terminal 40 is installed in a facility, such as a dispensing pharmacy, that provides medicines to patients based on prescriptions. The pharmacy terminal 40 is an information processing terminal, such as a personal computer or a tablet. The pharmacy terminal 40 may be a dedicated terminal for managing dispensing. The pharmacy terminal 40 accesses the server 30 to obtain electronic prescription information for the patient, and displays the obtained electronic prescription information. A staff member, such as a pharmacist, dispenses medicines based on the displayed electronic prescription information, and provides the dispensed medicines to the patient.

[0108] FIG. 10( a ) is a diagram showing the configuration of the medical database stored in the storage unit 202 of the medical system 20 .

[0109] In this embodiment, the prescription information constituting the medical database includes transmission / non-transmission information indicating whether the electronic prescription information is in an unsent state or has been sent state to the server 30, instead of the issuance / non-transmission information included in the prescription information of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The transmission / non-transmission information is judgment information for judging whether the electronic prescription information has been sent or not, and includes information "not sent" indicating that it has not been sent and information "sent" indicating that it has been sent. The other medical information constituting the medical database of this embodiment is the same as that of the medical database of the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0110] FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the electronic prescription database constructed in the server 30.

[0111] The electronic prescription database has a structure in which an access code and a confirmation number are associated with prescription information and dispensing results. The access code and the confirmation number are management information for managing the electronic prescription information. The access code and the confirmation number are issued by the server 30 in response to a request from the medical system 20. The prescription information is the electronic prescription information received from the medical system 20. The electronic prescription information is, for example, an electronic version of a print image of a prescription. For example, the electronic prescription information is a text data version of the contents written on a prescription, such as the type of drug, the amount, the timing of taking the drug, etc. The dispensing result is information indicating the dispensing result of the drug based on the prescription. The dispensing result is transmitted from the pharmacy terminal 40 to the server 30 when the drug is provided to the patient.

[0112] Here, the information regarding electronic prescriptions managed by the server 30 has a database structure, but this information does not necessarily have to have a database structure, as long as each piece of information is linked to each other and managed.

[0113] In this embodiment, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, a control that can reliably issue a prescription to a patient while reducing the burden on the medical institution is executed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10. This control will be described below.

[0114] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical fees. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 when settling medical fees.

[0115] 11, when a transaction for settlement of medical fees is started (S301: YES), the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 transmits a settlement start notification to the medical system 20 (S302). Then, when the control unit 101 receives medical information from the medical system 20 (S303: YES), it performs settlement processing of medical fees based on the received medical information (S304). When the medical information transmitted from the medical system 20 includes transmission / non-transmission information, the control unit 101 receives the medical information and obtains the transmission / non-transmission information, which is judgment information.

[0116] 12, when the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 receives a settlement start notification from the settlement terminal 10 (S401: YES), it transmits medical information corresponding to the identification information included in the notification to the settlement terminal 10 that sent the notification (S402). The transmitted medical information includes the medical fee and medical details, as well as a prescription ID and transmission information if prescription information corresponding to the identification information exists in the medical database. After that, when the control unit 201 receives a settlement completion notification (S403: YES), it updates the settlement information in the medical database from "unsettled" to "settled" (S404).

[0117] Next, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the electronic prescription information for the medical treatment for which the settlement completion notification has been received has already been transmitted to the server 30 based on the transmission information in the medical treatment database (S405).

[0118] If the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted yet (S405: NO), the control unit 201 transmits a request for issuing management information (access code, confirmation number) for registering the electronic prescription information to the server 30 via the communication unit 205 (S406). After that, the control unit 201 waits to receive a response including the management information (access code, confirmation number) from the server 30 (S407).

[0119] The request to issue the management information (access code, confirmation number) does not necessarily have to be sent to the server 30 at this timing, and may be sent to the server 30, for example, when the patient's patient card is received at the reception terminal before the medical treatment. In this case, steps S406 and S407 are omitted from the flowchart in Fig. 12. Also, in this case, if no medicine is prescribed in the medical treatment, a process may be performed to cancel the issued management information.

[0120] When the control unit 201 receives a response to the management information issuance request (S407: YES), it transmits the electronic prescription information to the server 30 via the communication unit 205 (S408). The management information included in the response is added to the transmitted electronic prescription information. The management information is registered in the medical treatment database.

[0121] Thereafter, the control unit 201 waits to receive a response from the server 30 indicating that the registration of the transmitted electronic prescription information has been completed (S409). Then, when the control unit 201 receives this response (S409: YES), it updates the transmission / non-transmission information of the medical database stored in the storage unit 202 from "not transmitted" to "transmitted" (S410). Furthermore, the control unit 201 transmits a registration notification indicating that the registration of the electronic prescription information has been completed and the management information of the electronic prescription information (access code, confirmation number) to the settlement terminal 10 (S411). With this, the control unit 201 ends the processing of FIG. 12.

[0122] In normal cases, after the settlement is completed, the electronic prescription information is transmitted to the server 30 and registered by the registration process of S406 to S411 described above. However, in cases where the settlement of medical expenses is performed at a later date, if a drug is needed on the day of the medical treatment, the electronic prescription information may be transmitted to the server 30 without settlement being performed. In this case, a registration process similar to the process of S406 to S410 described above is performed by a predetermined operation on the operation display unit 203 of the medical system 20, and when the transmission of the electronic prescription information is completed, the transmission status information in the medical treatment database is updated from "not transmitted" to "transmitted".

[0123] In this way, if electronic prescription information is sent to the server 30 before the medical expenses are settled, in step S405, the control unit 201 determines that the electronic prescription information has already been sent (S405: YES) and terminates the processing of Figure 12.

[0124] 11, in the settlement terminal 10, when the control unit 101 completes sending a settlement completion notice to the medical system 20 (S305), it determines whether or not a prescription exists for the medical treatment that is the subject of settlement (S306). If the control unit 101 has acquired the prescription ID and transmission information, it determines that a prescription exists (S306: YES), and determines whether or not electronic prescription information has been sent to the server 30 based on the transmission information (S307).

[0125] If the transmission information indicates "not transmitted", the control unit 101 determines that the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted (S307: NO) and waits to receive management information from the medical system 20 (S308). When the control unit 101 receives the management information (S308: YES), it causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt and an exchange ticket (S309). Management information (access code, confirmation number) is printed on the exchange ticket. The receipt and the exchange ticket may be on a single sheet of paper, and the exchange ticket may be tearable. The management information is exchange information for receiving the medicine provided by the electronic prescription information, and is output in this form printed on the exchange ticket.

[0126] Patients can receive their medication by bringing the printed voucher to a dispensing pharmacy and presenting it.

[0127] On the other hand, in step S307, if the transmission information is "transmitted", the control unit 101 determines that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted. In this case (S307: YES), the control unit 101 executes a notification process to notify that the information has been transmitted (S310). That is, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106, which is the notification unit, to display a notification screen 310 as shown in FIG. 5. The patient refers to the message 311 included in the notification screen 310 to understand that the prescription has been issued, that is, the electronic prescription information has been transmitted.

[0128] Next, the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt (S311). The control unit 101 does not cause the printing unit 108 to output an exchange ticket.

[0129] In addition, even when it is determined in S306 that no prescription exists for the medical treatment to be settled (S306: NO), the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output only a receipt (S311).

[0130] When the process of step S309 or S311 is completed, the transaction process for the settlement of medical fees at the settlement terminal 10 is completed.

[0131] Instead of or in addition to the notification using the notification screen 310, a voice message having the same content as that of the notification screen 310 may be output from the audio output unit 107.

[0132] Also, in step S309 of Fig. 11, a prescription exchange ticket is output (issued) as described above, but the form in which the management information is output is not limited to this. For example, the management information may be output in a form in which it is written (stored) in an appointment card. In this case, the appointment card has a storage means such as a memory. And the card processing unit 105 has a function of writing information, and serves as an output unit for the management information.

[0133] <Effects of the second embodiment> According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0134] The settlement terminal 10 includes a control unit 101 that executes settlement processing for settling medical expenses, and an operation display unit 106. During settlement processing, the control unit 101 acquires transmission presence / absence information, which is judgment information for judging whether or not electronic prescription information related to the medical treatment to be settled has been transmitted to the server 30, from the storage unit 202 of the medical system 20, and when it is judged that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted based on the transmission presence / absence information, causes the operation display unit 106 to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the information has been transmitted. This allows the patient to know whether or not the electronic prescription information has already been transmitted, i.e., whether or not the electronic prescription has been issued, before the settlement at the time of settlement. Therefore, in the case where the settlement of medical expenses is performed at a later date, the medical institution does not need to take an operation such as checking whether or not an electronic prescription has been issued at the counter before settlement, which reduces the burden on the medical institution side, such as counter staff.

[0135] The settlement terminal 10 further includes a printing unit 108 that outputs management information, which is exchange information for receiving medicines provided by the electronic prescription information. When the control unit 101 determines that the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted, it causes the printing unit 108 to output the management information, and when the control unit 101 determines that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted, it does not cause the printing unit 108 to output the management information. This prevents duplicate management information from being output, and prevents a patient from receiving duplicate medicines.

[0136] <Modification 1 of Embodiment 2> Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical expenses according to Modification 1 of the second embodiment. Figs. 14(a) and 14(b) are diagrams showing examples of a notification screen 340 when a medicine has been dispensed and a notification screen 350 when a medicine has not been dispensed, respectively, according to Modification 1 of the second embodiment. Fig. 14(c) is a diagram showing another example of a notification screen 340 when a medicine has been dispensed, according to Modification 1 of the second embodiment. Note that, for convenience, the processing of steps S301 to S305 is omitted in Fig. 13.

[0137] In this modification, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 executes the control of Fig. 13 when settling medical fees. In the flowchart of Fig. 13, the process of step S310 in the flowchart of Fig. 11 of the above-mentioned embodiment 2 is replaced with the processes of steps S321 to S324.

[0138] Referring to FIG. 13, in step S307, when the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 determines that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted (S307: YES), it performs the processing of steps S321 to S324 as a notification process to notify that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted, and includes a notification of the drug dispensing result based on the electronic prescription information in the notification that the information has been transmitted.

[0139] Specifically, the control unit 101 requests the dispensing result from the medical system 20 (S321). Based on this request, the medical system 20 (control unit 201) acquires the dispensing result from the server 30. If the dispensing has been completed, the dispensing result can be acquired, and if the dispensing has not been completed, the dispensing result cannot be acquired. If the medical system 20 is able to acquire the dispensing result, it responds to the settlement terminal 10 and transmits the dispensing result, and if the dispensing result cannot be acquired, it only responds to the settlement terminal 10.

[0140] When the control unit 101 receives a response from the medical system 20, it determines whether or not the medicine has been dispensed based on the presence or absence of a dispensing result (S322). If the medicine has been dispensed (S322: YES), the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to display a notification screen 340 for notifying that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted and the medicine has been dispensed (S323). As shown in FIG. 14(a), the notification screen 340 includes a message 341 indicating that the electronic prescription has been issued, i.e., that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted and the medicine has been dispensed, and an OK button 342 for closing the notification screen 340.

[0141] On the other hand, if the prescription has not been dispensed (S322: NO), the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to display a notification screen 350 for notifying that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted but not dispensed (S324). As shown in FIG. 14(b), the notification screen 350 includes a message 351 indicating that the electronic prescription has been issued, i.e., that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted but not dispensed, and an OK button 352 for closing the notification screen 350.

[0142] In this manner, according to this modified example, the patient can know not only whether the electronic prescription information has been sent, i.e., whether the electronic prescription has been issued, but also whether the medication has been dispensed.

[0143] The control unit 101 may include a notification of information related to the dispensing history in the notification of the dispensing result. The information related to the dispensing history includes the dispensing date and time (dispensing date), an image of the prescription to be dispensed, and the like, and is registered in the electronic prescription database of the server 30 as a dispensing result. The information related to the dispensing history is information indicating detailed contents of the dispensing. The control unit 101 acquires information related to the dispensing history, such as the dispensing date and time and the prescription image, from the server 30 via the medical-business system 20 by the processing of step S321, and includes the dispensing date and time 343 and the prescription image 344 in the notification screen 340 displayed on the operation display unit 106 in step S323, as shown in FIG. 14(c). The notification screen 340 may display the contents described in the electronic prescription in text format instead of the prescription image 344.

[0144] In this way, users such as patients can obtain detailed information about prescriptions that have already been dispensed by checking information related to prescription history (prescription date and time, prescription image).

[0145] <Modification 2 of Embodiment 2> Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical expenses according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 2. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an inquiry screen 360 according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 2. Note that, for the sake of convenience, the processing of steps S301 to S305 is omitted in Fig. 15.

[0146] In this modification, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 executes the control of Fig. 15 when settling medical fees. In the flowchart of Fig. 15, the processes of steps S331 to S333 are added to the flowchart of Fig. 11 of the above embodiment 2.

[0147] 15, when the notification process of step S310 is completed, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 causes the operation display unit 106 to display an inquiry screen 360 as shown in Fig. 16, and inquires as to whether or not to reissue the exchange coupon (S331). The inquiry screen 360 includes an inquiry message 361, a Yes button 362, and a No button 363. The operation display unit 106, as an operation unit, accepts an operation to reissue the exchange coupon by using the Yes button 362, i.e., to output management information.

[0148] If the patient wishes to have the exchange coupon reissued, he or she operates the Yes button 362, and if he or she does not wish to have the exchange coupon reissued, he or she operates the No button 363.

[0149] If the control unit 101 determines that the Yes button 362 has been operated and that the exchange coupon should be reissued based on that operation (S332: YES), it requests a control number from the medical system 20 and acquires that control number (S333). Then, the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt and the exchange coupon, i.e., the control number (S309).

[0150] On the other hand, if the NO button 363 has been operated and the control unit 101 determines that the exchange check will not be reissued based on that operation (S332: NO), it causes the printing unit 108 to output only a receipt (S311).

[0151] According to this modified example, if a patient comes to settle their bill at a later date after treatment and needs a new exchange ticket (control number) because, for example, they lost the exchange ticket (control number) they had received before going to the pharmacy, they can receive a new exchange ticket (control number) by performing the reissue procedure.

[0152] When the control unit 101 determines to reissue an exchange slip, it checks the expiration date of the prescription transmitted as the electronic prescription information, and if the expiration date has passed, it may notify the user of the expiration date by displaying the expiration date on the operation display unit 106 without issuing an exchange slip. The expiration date may be a predetermined period (for example, 4 days) from the date of medical treatment or a predetermined period from the date of transmission of the electronic prescription information. In this case, the expiration date may be registered in the medical treatment database of the medical system 20, and this expiration date may be acquired by the settlement terminal 10. Alternatively, the date of medical treatment or the date of transmission of the electronic prescription information may be registered in the medical treatment database, and the date of medical treatment or the date of transmission may be acquired by the settlement terminal 10, and the expiration date may be calculated from the date of medical treatment or the date of transmission.

[0153] Furthermore, the configuration of this modified example can be applied to the configuration of modified example 1 of embodiment 2. In this case, for example, following the process of step S324 in Fig. 13 of modified example 1, the processes of steps S331 to S333 are executed. That is, if the medicine has not been dispensed, an exchange ticket is reissued based on the inquiry.

[0154] <Modification 3 of Embodiment 2> Fig. 17(a) is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of the medical treatment database stored in the storage unit 202 according to Modification 3 of Embodiment 2. Fig. 17(b) is a flowchart showing the control performed by the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 when settling medical fees according to Modification 3 of Embodiment 2. Note that, for the sake of convenience, the processing of steps S301 to S305 is omitted in Fig. 17(b).

[0155] 17(a), in this modification, the expiration date of the electronic prescription information, i.e., the expiration date of the electronic prescription, is included in the prescription information stored in the medical treatment database of the storage unit 202. The expiration date is set to a predetermined period (for example, 4 days) from the date of medical treatment.

[0156] When settling medical fees, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 executes the control of Fig. 17(b) instead of the control of Fig. 11. In the flowchart of Fig. 17(b), the processes of steps S341 to S343 are added to the flowchart of Fig. 11.

[0157] 17(b), when the control unit 101 determines in step S307 that the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted (S307: NO), it determines whether the expiration date of the electronic prescription information has expired (S341). The expiration date is transmitted from the medical system 20 by the process of step S402 in FIG. 12, and is acquired by the control unit 101 by receiving the medical information in step S303.

[0158] If the control unit 101 determines that the validity period has not expired (S341: YES), it receives the management information (S308: YES) and then causes the printing unit 108 to output a receipt and an exchange ticket (S309).

[0159] On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that the expiration date has passed (S341: NO), it executes a notification process to notify the user that the expiration date has passed (S342). That is, the control unit 101 causes the operation display unit 106 to display a notification screen 330 as shown in Fig. 7(b). After that, when the notification screen 330 is closed, the control unit 101 causes the printing unit 108 to output only a receipt (S343).

[0160] In the medical system 20, when the control unit 201 determines that the electronic prescription information has not yet been transmitted (S405: NO) in S405 of the control of Fig. 12, it determines whether the expiration date of the electronic prescription information has expired. If the expiration date has not expired, the control unit 101 proceeds to the process of S406 to request the management information from the server 30, and if the expiration date has not expired, the control unit 101 ends the control of Fig. 12.

[0161] According to this modified example, the patient can understand that the electronic prescription information for the prescription on the day of the consultation will not be registered to the server 30 due to the expiration date, and can take measures to register the electronic prescription information, such as consulting with the staff at the counter.

[0162] In the above example, the expiration date of the electronic prescription information is registered in the medical database, and the expiration date is transmitted to the settlement terminal 10. However, the expiration date of the electronic prescription information may not be registered in the medical database, and the consultation date and time registered in the medical database may be transmitted to the settlement terminal 10 instead of the expiration date, and the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 may calculate the expiration date from the consultation date and time. In other words, the information for determining the expiration date may not be the expiration date itself, but may be the consultation date and time (the consultation date) that is the basis for calculating the expiration date. In this case, in the control of FIG. 12, the control unit 201 of the medical system 20 also calculates the expiration date of the electronic prescription information from the consultation date and time.

[0163] Moreover, the configurations of Modifications 1 and 2 of the second embodiment can be applied to the configuration of this modification.

[0164] <Other changes> Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention and their modified examples have been described above, various modifications other than those described above are possible.

[0165] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, as shown in Fig. 18(a), the medical database held in the storage unit 202 of the medical system 20 may be configured to register information of the person in charge who performed the issuing operation, such as the name and ID, as one piece of prescription information when a prescription is issued. Similarly, in the above-mentioned embodiment 2, as shown in Fig. 18(b), the medical database held in the storage unit 202 may be configured to register information of the person in charge who performed the sending operation as one piece of prescription information when electronic prescription information is transmitted to the server 30.

[0166] With this configuration, the person who issued the prescription and sent (registered) the electronic prescription information can be identified, making it possible to inquire of the person in charge at a later date if necessary.

[0167] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 1, the settlement terminal 10 (particularly, the POS terminal) may be configured to be able to accept an operation to issue only a prescription without making a settlement, via the operation screen of the operation display unit 106 or the like. In this case, when the operation is accepted, the settlement terminal 10 issues an instruction to issue to the medical system 20, and the medical system 20 performs an issuing process to issue the prescription. Similarly, in the above embodiment 2, the settlement terminal 10 may be configured to be able to accept an operation to only register (send) electronic prescription information to the server 30, without making a settlement, via the operation screen of the operation display unit 106 or the like. In this case, when the operation is accepted, the settlement terminal 10 issues an instruction to register to the medical system 20, and the medical system 20 performs a registration process to send electronic prescription information to the server 30.

[0168] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, issuance information is registered in the medical database held in the memory unit 202 of the medical system 20 as judgment information for determining whether a prescription has been issued. However, the judgment information is not limited to issuance information, and may be any information as long as the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 can determine whether a prescription has been issued. For example, the prescription issue date or issue time and date may be registered in the medical database as judgment information. In this case, the control unit 101 can determine whether a prescription has been issued based on whether it has been able to obtain the issue date or issue time and date from the medical system 20.

[0169] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the transmission / non-transmission information is registered as the judgment information for judging whether the electronic prescription information has been transmitted in the medical database stored in the memory unit 202 of the medical system 20. However, the judgment information is not limited to the transmission / non-transmission information, and may be any information as long as the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 can judge whether the electronic prescription information has been transmitted. For example, the transmission date or transmission time and date of the electronic prescription information may be registered in the medical database as the judgment information. In this case, the control unit 101 can judge whether the electronic prescription information has been transmitted based on whether the transmission date or transmission time and date can be obtained from the medical system 20.

[0170] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the storage unit 102 of the settlement terminal 10 may hold a database in which at least the medical information necessary for the control of Fig. 3 and Fig. 11 among the medical information registered in the medical database of the medical system 20 is registered. In this case, the control unit 101 of the settlement terminal 10 acquires the issuance / non-issuance information and the transmission / non-transmission information, which are the determination information, from the database of the storage unit 102.

[0171] Furthermore, in the configuration example of Fig. 1(a), the medical system 20 and the settlement terminal 10 are connected via a LAN to configure the settlement processing system 1 within the medical institution. However, in cases where both management of medical information and settlement of medical fees are performed by a single settlement terminal installed at the counter, such as in small-scale hospitals and clinics, this settlement terminal may perform the prescription issuing process and electronic prescription information registration process that were previously performed by the medical system 20. In this case, the medical database may be stored in the memory unit of the settlement terminal, or may be stored in an external storage device of the settlement terminal.

[0172] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, the management information (access code, management number) is printed on a paper medium and issued to the patient, but the method of issuing the management information is not limited to this. For example, the management information may be stored in a writable medium owned by the patient, such as a My Number card. Alternatively, the management information may be transmitted via data transmission or a QR code (registered trademark) to allow the patient's mobile terminal to obtain the necessary information.

[0173] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, the pharmacy terminal 40 is configured to acquire electronic prescription information from the server 30 using the management information as a key at the dispensing pharmacy. However, the pharmacy terminal 40 may be configured to acquire electronic prescription information from the server 30 using the My Number as a key. In this case, when multiple pieces of electronic prescription information are linked to one My Number, the patient may be allowed to select the electronic prescription information that he / she desires to be prescribed.

[0174] Furthermore, the control for settlement of medical fees is not limited to the control in Figures 3 and 4 and the control in Figures 11 and 12, and the order of the predetermined steps may be changed. For example, in the flowchart in Figure 3, the process of step S105 may be executed after the processes of steps S108 and S110.

[0175] Furthermore, the configurations of the settlement terminal 10 and the medical system 20 are not limited to those described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, the operation display units 106 and 203 are used to input and display information, but a display unit consisting of a display or the like and an operation unit consisting of a mouse, a keypad, or the like may be arranged separately.

[0176] Furthermore, some hospitals are switching from patient registration cards to My Number cards. In such cases, when the payment terminal accepts the patient registration card, a notification may be issued to encourage the patient to switch from the patient registration card to a My Number card based on a predetermined condition. Examples of the predetermined condition include that the patient is not a child or elderly patient (under 15 years old or over 70 years old), that the patient is a regular patient with a certain number of visits or frequency of visits.

[0177] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0178] 1. Payment processing system 10 Payment terminal 30 Servers 50 External communication network 101 Control section 106 Operation display unit (notification unit, operation unit) 108 Printing department (output department) 202 Storage section

Claims

1. A control unit that executes a settlement process for settling medical expenses; A notification unit, The control unit is At the time of the settlement process, the determination information for determining whether or not a prescription related to the medical treatment to be settled has been issued is acquired from a storage unit that stores the determination information, When it is determined that the prescription has been issued based on the determination information, the notification unit is caused to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has been issued. Checkout terminal.

2. The storage unit further stores information related to the issuance history of the prescription, The control unit acquires information related to the issuance history from the storage unit, and includes the notification of the information related to the issuance history in the notification. The settlement terminal according to claim 1.

3. An output unit that outputs an output medium that is an exchange ticket for receiving the prescription or the prescription, The control unit is When it is determined that the prescription has not been issued, the output unit outputs the output medium; When it is determined that the prescription has been issued, the output unit is not caused to output the output medium.

3. The settlement terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit is determining whether the prescription has expired; If the prescription has not been issued but the expiration date has passed, the output unit is not caused to output the output medium, and the notification unit is caused to notify the expiration date. The settlement terminal according to claim 3.

5. A control unit that executes a settlement process for settling medical expenses; A storage unit; A notification unit, The storage unit holds determination information for determining whether a prescription related to a medical treatment to be paid for has been issued, The control unit is During the settlement process, the judgment information is acquired from the storage unit; When it is determined that the prescription has been issued based on the determination information, the notification unit is caused to issue a notification corresponding to the fact that the prescription has been issued. Checkout processing system.

6. A control unit that executes a settlement process for settling medical expenses; A notification unit, The control unit is During the settlement process, obtain judgment information from a storage unit that stores judgment information for determining whether or not electronic prescription information related to the medical treatment to be settled has been transmitted to a server that manages the electronic prescription information; When it is determined that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted based on the determination information, the notification unit is caused to notify the fact that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted. Checkout terminal.

7. The server stores information related to a dispensing result in association with the electronic prescription information, The front control unit acquires information related to the dispensing result from the server, and includes a notification of the dispensing result in the notification.

7. The settlement terminal according to claim 6.

8. The information relating to the dispensing result includes information relating to the dispensing history, The control unit includes, in the notification of the dispensing result, notification of information related to a dispensing history. The settlement terminal according to claim 7.

9. An output unit that outputs redemption information for receiving a drug provided by the electronic prescription information, The control unit is When it is determined that the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted, the output unit is caused to output the exchange information; When it is determined that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted, the output unit is not caused to output the exchange information. A checkout terminal according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. An operation unit that accepts operations is further provided, The control unit causes the output unit to output the exchange information when the operation unit receives an operation for outputting the exchange information even if the electronic prescription information has been transmitted.

10. The checkout terminal according to claim 9.

11. The control unit is determining whether the electronic prescription information has expired; If the electronic prescription information has not been transmitted but the expiration date has expired, the output unit is not caused to output the exchange information, and the notification unit is caused to notify the expiration date. The settlement terminal according to claim 9 or 10.

12. In a payment processing system capable of communicating with a server that manages electronic prescription information via an external communication network, A control unit that executes a settlement process for settling medical expenses; A storage unit; A notification unit, The storage unit holds judgment information for determining whether the electronic prescription information related to the medical treatment to be settled has been transmitted to the server, The control unit is During the settlement process, the judgment information is acquired from the storage unit; When it is determined that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted based on the determination information, the notification unit is caused to notify the fact that the electronic prescription information has been transmitted. Checkout processing system.

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