CUSTOMIZABLE PAYMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130073309A1
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PaySpan, Inc. (Zelis Healthcare, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PaySpan, Inc. (Zelis Healthcare, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ritchie, Brian L.
• Application Number:
  US13/674,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073309A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system and method facilitates secure payments to a payee, according to custom preferences of the payee. The system is offered by the payer (as opposed to the biller) using a third party and, a payee can enroll with a customized account processing center (CAPC), which is the third party. The CAPC captures and stores payment information about the payee from the payer and payee. The payee registers preferences for funds deposit and also the payee'"'"'s preferred remittance format. When a payee is registered and elects payment via electronic funds transfer, the CAPC issues instructions to the bank to transfer funds from the payer'"'"'s bank account to the payee'"'"'s registered preferred bank account. The CAPC can also create a detailed record of payment histories and remittance details which are accessible to the payee. Remittance details are delivered in the payee'"'"'s registered preferred format and routed to the payee'"'"'s registered destination.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating automated and secure payment by a customized account processing center (CAPC) between an insurance company and a healthcare provider, comprising:

identifying the health care provider that an insurance company which to make electronic payments via the CAPC;

issuing the health care provider a registration code if the health care provider is not registered with the CAPC and if no registration code have been issued for the health care provider;

soliciting the health care provider to register with the CAPC in response to the registration code being issued but not yet being registered;

determining whether the health care provider chooses to register with CAPC;

receiving and storing registration information from the health care provider in response to the health care provider choosing to register, wherein the registration information comprises account information about the health care provider and the registration code;

authenticating, by a computer at the CAPC, the health care provider by authenticating the existing registration code, on-the-fly registration code or prior payment registration code;

storing the health care provider in the database and activating the health care provider as an electronic payee in response to the successful authentication of the health care provider; and

directing an automated payment to the health care provider based upon pre-determined payee payment rules in response to determining that the health care provider is registered with the CAPC by the health care provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-registering the health care provider prior to an outstanding claim being issued for the insurance company so that the CAPC can make future payments to the health care provider on behalf of the insurance company, comprising:

determining if the registration code has been issued but the health care provider is not registered with the CAPC;

in response to the registration code being issued but the health care provider not being registered with the CAPC, soliciting the health care provider to register; and

in response to the registration code not having been issued, issuing the registration code for the health care provider for the health care provider to pre-register prior to the health care provider providing any claims to the insurance company.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the health care provider is registered with the CAPC;

creating a record of payments to the health care provider that is accessible to the registered health care provider, the record of payments includes at least one of a record of each payment to the health care provider, an invoice number, a payment amount and a treatment code; and

sending the health care provider a notification that payment was made to the health care provider.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the record of payments is accessible to the health care provider, allowing the health care provider to reconcile payments received with outstanding invoices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising soliciting registration of the existing registration code or the prior payment registration code in response to determining that a registration code has been issued for the health care provider but the health care provider has not registered.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information about the health care provider in the database and indicating that the health care provider will receive paper checks in response to determining that the health care provider does not desire to register.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the registered health care provider provides at least one of payer account information, payer payments formats or pre-determined payee payment rules.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein payment is made by the CAPC to the health care provider by paper instrument upon a determination that the health care provider is unregistered.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein payment is made by the CAPC to the health care provider by paper instrument upon a determination that the health care provider is a first time payee.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the insurance company comprises at least one of an insurance service provider, a third party administrator or another health care payer.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether an existing registration code has been issued for the health care provider;

wherein the issuing a prior payment registration code for the health care provider is performed in response to determining that the existing registration code for the health care provider has not been issued for the health care provider.

12. A system for automated and secure payment, comprising:

a hardware processor;

a customized account processing engine operable on the processor and including a request for payment module, the request from payment module receiving at least one request for making payment to at least one health care provider;

a registration module operable on the processor and configured for;

identifying a health care provider that an insurance company which to make electronic payments via a customized account processing center (CAPC);

issuing the health care provider a registration code if the health care provider is not registered with the CAPC and if no registration code have been issued for the health care provider;

soliciting the health care provider to register with the CAPC in response to the registration code being issued but not yet being registered;

determining whether the health care provider chooses to register with CAPC;

receiving and storing registration information from the health care provider in response to the health care provider choosing to register, wherein the registration information comprises account information about the health care provider and the registration code;

authenticating the health care provider by authenticating the existing registration code, on-the-fly registration code or prior payment registration code; and

storing the health care provider in the database and activating the health care provider as an electronic payee in response to the successful authentication of the health care provider;

a payment processing module operable on the processor and for facilitating payment to the health care provider based upon the at least one request for making payment, the payment processing module also sending a notification to the health care provider upon payment; and

a records module operable on the processor and for creating a record of all payments to the health care provider.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the payment processing module determines whether the health care provider is a registered payee or an unregistered payee.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the payment processing module includes at least one of the health care provider'"'"'s account information, the health care provider'"'"'s address and the health care provider preferred payment and payment rules.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the payment processing module makes payment to the health care provider by a paper instrument upon a determination that the health care provider is an unregistered payee.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the payment processing module makes an electronic payment to the payee upon a determination that the health care provider is a registered payee.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the records module includes payment details for all insurance companies and payees, including at least one of payment amounts, date of payment, invoice numbers for which payment is being made, a payment amount and a payee treatment code.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the records module is accessible to the health care provider to facilitate confirmation of payment amounts and reconciliation of invoices.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein the registration module is further configured for

pre-registering the health care provider prior to an outstanding claim being due so that the CAPC can make future payments to the health care provider on behalf of the insurance company, comprising:

determining if the registration code has been issued but the health care provider is not registered;

in response to the registration code being issued but the health care provider is not registered, soliciting the health care provider to register; and

in response to the registration code not having been issued, issuing the registration code for the health care provider for the health care provider to pre-register prior to the health care provider providing any claims to the insurance company.