Method and system using combined healthcare-payment device and web portal for receiving patient medical information

• US 20070282637A1
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Nigel
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods in accordance with the present invention relate to a centralized portal for making healthcare information of a patient accessible to a plurality of entities, including but not limited to the patient himself/herself, healthcare providers authorized by the patient, and healthcare payers (insurance carriers) authorized by the patient. In one embodiment, the portal comprises a website associated with a portable consumer device (such as a HSA magnetic stripe credit/debit card) of the patient, and hosted on a server accessible over the world wide web or another computer network. The patient sets a privacy level associated with his or her medical record on the host site, the privacy level granting certain entities (for example healthcare providers or insurance carriers) access to particular medical records of the patient. Upon presenting the portable consumer device to an authorized healthcare provider, medical information previously transmitted through a payment processing network may be received at the authorized healthcare provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

setting a privacy level associated with a patient'"'"'s medical record on a host site, wherein the host site is associated with a portable consumer device, and wherein the privacy level provides certain entities, including healthcare providers with the ability to access the patient'"'"'s medical record;

presenting the portable consumer device to a healthcare provider who has access to the medical record; and

receiving medical information at the provider, wherein the medical information is transmitted through a payment processing network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the payment processing system is specifically adapted to process medical and medical payment information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the privacy level allows the healthcare provider to access patient eligibility information, patient co-payment information, patient deductible information, and patient balance owed post-adjudication, but not to access patient medical information such as medical treatments unrelated to an area of practice of the healthcare provider, or medical information not pertinent to a specific procedure performed or to be performed by the healthcare provider.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the medical record is accessible on the host site to a healthcare insurance carrier.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising setting a second privacy level governing access of the healthcare insurance carrier to the medical record.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising uploading the medical information to the host site.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the medical information is received in response to an eligibility inquiry message or a healthcare claim message, communicated over the payment processing network from the provider.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the eligibility inquiry message is a HIPAA 270 message, or the healthcare claim message is a HIPAA 837 message.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a host computer including a processor in electronic communication with a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable medium having code stored thereon to direct the processor to,

set a privacy level associated with a patient'"'"'s medical record on a host site, wherein the host site is associated with a portable consumer device, and wherein the privacy level provides certain healthcare providers with the ability to access the patient'"'"'s medical record, and

send information pertaining to the patient'"'"'s medical record to a healthcare provider who has access to the medical record, after the patient presents the portable consumer device to a healthcare provider.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein host site may be accessed by the provider from the world wide web.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein one privacy level allows a provider to access certain medical records of the patient, but not to access other medical records designated as confidential by the patient.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprises code allowing the healthcare provider to update the medical record.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprises code allowing the healthcare provider to update the medical record.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprises code allowing the host computer to be accessed based upon the portable consumer device authenticated to the patient.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the payment processing system is specifically adapted to process debit and credit card transactions.

16. A computer readable medium comprising:

code for setting a privacy level associated with a patient'"'"'s medical record on a host site, wherein the host site is associated with a portable consumer device, and wherein the privacy level provides certain healthcare providers with the ability to access the patient'"'"'s medical record; and

code for sending information pertaining to the patient'"'"'s medical record to a healthcare provider who has access to the medical record, after the patient presents the portable consumer device to a healthcare provider.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising code allowing the healthcare provider to update the medical record.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising code allowing the healthcare provider to update the medical record.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising code allowing the host computer to be accessed based upon the portable consumer device authenticated to the patient.

20. A method for management of healthcare information, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of access authorization levels based on the type of healthcare information needed for a patient by a healthcare provider;

authorizing access to the healthcare information with a portable device, wherein the patient provides the healthcare provider with access to the healthcare information using the portable device and wherein the level of access is based on the established access authorization levels;

providing payment for the service using the portable device.