Medical credit assurance method

• US 20060106640A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Douglas Neil Deline
• Original Assignee: Douglas Neil Deline
• Inventors: Deline, Douglas Neil
• Application Number:
  US10/990,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20060106640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A business method that provides for payment of medical expenses for members of an association, comprising, establishing contractual agreements between the association and a multiplicity of medical service providers that are obligated to provide medical services to members of the association at rates that are pre-negotiated or otherwise agreed to with the association; extending to members of the association a line of credit to be used to pay for medical services received from any of said medical service providers; paying said medical service providers for services rendered to said member according to the prenegotiated or otherwise agreed to rate schedule; charging the member'"'"'s account for payments made to a medical service provider for services received by the member; and receiving reimbursement from the member for amounts so charged to the member'"'"'s account.

Claims

1. A business method that provides for payment of medical expenses received by or on behalf of members of an association, comprising,

establishing contractual agreements between the association and a multiplicity of medical service providers that are obligated to provide medical services to members of the association at rates that are pre-negotiated or otherwise agreed to with the association;

extending to members of the association a line of credit to be used to pay for medical services received from any of said medical service providers;

paying said medical service providers for services rendered to said member according to the prenegotiated or otherwise agreed to rate schedule;

charging the member'"'"'s account for payments made to a medical service provider for services received by the member; and

receiving reimbursement from the member for amounts so charged to the member'"'"'s account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the member is charged interest for any amounts 15 charged to the account and unpaid after a fixed time period.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the member is additionally charged a fee for membership in the association.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the member is charged a transaction fee for each payment made to a service provider on behalf of a member.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a service provider is charged a fee for each payment received from the association.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein charges for goods or services by other than medical service providers are also permitted to be charged to the member'"'"'s account.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a member provides prior consent to the association to charge said member'"'"'s account for delivery of medical services by a medical service provider in the event the member is unable to provide informed consent to such medical treatment at the time of receipt thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the medical service provider uses an automatic billing generator to charge the member'"'"'s account.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein in addition to a members credit account (master account) there is associated a medical savings account such that payment for charges assessed to the account are automatically deducted from the associated medical savings account.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a member'"'"'s medical credit account is established by an automated system adapted for evaluating a member'"'"'s credit worthiness based on information supplied by an applicant.

8. The method of claim i wherein a service provider may automatically charge a member'"'"'s account for services rendered by:

establishing a communication link with a central computer containing information concerning the member'"'"'s account;

submitting information identifying the service provider, the member, and amount of charges; and

receiving from the central computer an acknowledgment if the charge is accepted,

characterized in that the identifying information concerning a member'"'"'s account is encrypted in machine readable form in a memory device retained by the member.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the memory device is a card containing the member'"'"'s account information in a magnetic strip.