COMPREHENSIVE WASTE BILLING SYSTEM

• US 20090083090A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Healthcare Waste Solutions LLC (Stericycle Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Healthcare Waste Solutions LLC (Stericycle Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crawford, Jeffery D., Rolfes, Timothy J., Kinross, Todd A., Mayernik, Joseph M., Mayernik, Geoffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US11/859,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An apparatus, program product and method validate service provider invoices for a customer to ensure that the waste disposal services associated with such invoices are both authorized to be performed and priced correctly in view of a contract between the customer and the service provider. Such invoice validation may be performed in connection with aggregating invoices from multiple service providers, paying those service providers, and generating on behalf of a customer a composite invoice that itemizes the waste disposal costs and services from multiple service providers. In addition, in some implementations a third party that assesses a customer'"'"'s waste disposal services is permitted to share in the savings of a customer resulting from the assessment. A third party and a customer agree upon a cost reduction that the third party promises to realize for the customer, and to the extent the realized cost reduction for the customer exceeds the agreed-upon amount, at least a portion of the realized cost reduction that exceeds the agreed-upon amount is awarded to the third party.

Claims

1. A method of processing a service provider invoice associated with delivery of waste disposal service, the method comprising:

receiving invoice data associated with a service provider invoice, the invoice data identifying at least one waste disposal service provided at a service location for a customer and a cost for the waste disposal service;

accessing service location data for the customer to validate the waste disposal service provided by the service provider at the service location; and

accessing contract data associated with a contract between the service provider and the customer to validate the cost for the waste disposal service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the service location data to validate the waste disposal service comprises using a mapping matrix to compare a service location identifier from the invoice data with a service location identifier from the service location data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping matrix is configured to map a service location identifier for the service provider with a service location identifier for the customer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the service location data to validate the waste disposal service comprises determining whether a service location identified in the invoice data exists.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the service location data to validate the waste disposal service comprises determining whether a waste stream identified in the invoice data is present at the service location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the service location data to validate the waste disposal service comprises determining whether the service provider is authorized to perform the waste disposal service at the service location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the service location data to validate the waste disposal service comprises determining whether a service item identified in the invoice data is present at the service location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating a format of the invoice data for compatibility with a comprehensive waste billing system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the contract data to validate the cost for the waste disposal service comprises accessing rate data associated with the service location and determining whether the cost is accurate based upon the rate data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the contract data to validate the cost for the waste disposal service comprises accessing rate data associated with the service location and determining whether the cost is within a tolerance based upon the rate data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, with a third party, validating invoice data for a plurality of service provider invoices from a plurality of service providers and generating a composite invoice for the customer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using a mapping matrix to supply a customer charge code for a plurality of line items in the composite invoice.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, with a third party, paying the plurality of service provider invoices on behalf of the customer.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing a total cost associated with plurality of invoices and a baseline cost to determine a realized cost reduction; and

determining an amount due from the customer to the third party resulting from the realized cost reduction exceeding an agreed-upon cost reduction promised to the customer by the third party.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract is a first contract, the method further comprising:

accessing contract data associated with a second contract to generate a cost for the waste disposal service according to the second contract; and

generating a report comparing the respective costs for the waste disposal service according to the first and second contracts.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

program code configured to be executed by the processor to process a service provider invoice associated with delivery of waste disposal service by receiving invoice data associated with a service provider invoice, the invoice data identifying at least one waste disposal service provided at a service location for a customer and a cost for the waste disposal service;

accessing service location data for the customer to validate the waste disposal service provided by the service provider at the service location; and

accessing contract data associated with a contract between the service provider and the customer to validate the cost for the waste disposal service.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program code is configured to access the service location data to validate the waste disposal service by using a mapping matrix to compare a service location identifier from the invoice data with a service location identifier from the service location data, wherein the mapping matrix is configured to map a service location identifier for the service provider with a service location identifier for the customer.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program code is configured to access the service location data to validate the waste disposal service by performing at least one of:

determining whether a service location identified in the invoice data exists, determining whether a waste stream identified in the invoice data is present at the service location, determining whether the service provider is authorized to perform the waste disposal service at the service location, and determining whether a service item identified in the invoice data is present at the service location.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program code is configured to access the contract data to validate the cost for the waste disposal service by accessing rate data associated with the service location and determining whether the cost is accurate based upon the rate data.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program code is configured to, with a third party, validate invoice data for a plurality of service provider invoices from a plurality of service providers, pay the plurality of service provider invoices on behalf of the customer, and generate a composite invoice for the customer.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the program code is configured to compare a total cost associated with plurality of invoices against a baseline cost to determine a realized cost reduction, and determine an amount due from the customer to the third party resulting from the realized cost reduction exceeding an agreed-upon cost reduction promised to the customer by the third party.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the contract is a first contract, and wherein the program code is further configured to access contract data associated with a second contract to generate a cost for the waste disposal service according to the second contract, and generate a report comparing the respective costs for the waste disposal service according to the first and second contracts.

23. A program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

program code resident on the computer readable medium and configured to process a service provider invoice associated with delivery of waste disposal service by receiving invoice data associated with a service provider invoice, the invoice data identifying at least one waste disposal service provided at a service location for a customer and a cost for the waste disposal service;

accessing service location data for the customer to validate the waste disposal service provided by the service provider at the service location; and

accessing contract data associated with a contract between the service provider and the customer to validate the cost for the waste disposal service.

24. A method of billing a customer for waste disposal services provided by a plurality of waste service providers, the method comprising:

determining a baseline cost associated with the provision of waste disposal services for the customer by the plurality of waste service providers;

with a third party, assessing the provision of waste disposal services for the customer to identify at least one cost saving opportunity for the customer;

determining a realized cost reduction resulting from implementation of the cost saving opportunity; and

determining an amount due from the customer to the third party resulting from the realized cost reduction exceeding an agreed-upon cost reduction promised to the customer by the third party.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein assessing the provision of waste disposal services comprises:

receiving a plurality of invoices for the customer from the plurality of service providers;

validating the plurality of invoices;

aggregating charges from the plurality of invoices into a composite invoice; and

forwarding the composite invoice to the customer.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein assessing the provision of waste disposal services further comprises identifying a discrepancy in an invoice between an actual cost and a contracted cost, wherein determining the realized cost reduction comprises determining a difference between the actual cost and the contracted cost.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein assessing the provision of waste disposal services further comprises identifying an underutilized service location for the customer, wherein determining the realized cost reduction comprises determining a difference between costs for servicing the service location before and after a reduction in service to the underutilized service location.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the reduction in service comprises at least one of replacing a container at the service location with a smaller container and reducing a frequency of pickup for the service location.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of invoices comprise a plurality of post-contract invoices received after the customer has contracted with the third party to assess the provision of waste disposal services for the customer, wherein determining the baseline cost comprises assessing a second plurality of invoices received by the customer prior to contracting with the third party.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the amount due from the customer includes adding a line item to the composite invoice for an agreed-upon percentage of the difference between the realized cost reduction and the agreed-upon cost reduction.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein determining the baseline cost includes determining a cost prior to the customer contracting with the third party to assess the provision of waste disposal services for the customer, wherein the agreed-upon cost reduction includes a contracted cost reduction, and wherein determining the amount due from the customer comprises charging the customer for an agreed-upon percentage of the difference between the realized cost reduction and the agreed-upon cost reduction.