Medical payment system
First Claim
1. A method of facilitating payment of health care benefits to a health care provider comprising:
- identifying the healthcare provider that renders goods and services in anticipation of payment;
identifying a payer that has agreed to pay the healthcare provider on behalf of a patient subject to preselected conditions;
determining a payment amount with one or more computer processors associated with the goods or services wherein determining the payment amount comprises;
selecting at least one fee schedule from multiple fee schedules based at least in part on the provider identification information; and
calculating the payment amount based at least in part on the selected fee schedule;
verifying that the payment amount is a bona fide medical expense;
sending the verification of the payment amount to a medical credit account associated with the patient;
approving, the charging of the payment amount on the medical credit account only when the medical credit account has received the verification of the payment amount; and
transmitting a scanned copy of the payment amount to the health care provider.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medical payment system is described in which a provider of medical goods and/or services submits, via telephone or other communications medium, a request for payment amount determination for a patient encounter. A price determination system determines which of a plurality of fee schedules negotiated by the provider applies to the patient encounter and calculates, based at least in part on information entered by the provider, a payment amount for the encounter, which it communicates to at least the provider. In one embodiment, the provider receives the payment amount information while the patient is at the point of service. In one embodiment, the provider may use the system to submit a claim for payment by at least one responsible party.
32 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A method of facilitating payment of health care benefits to a health care provider comprising:
-
identifying the healthcare provider that renders goods and services in anticipation of payment; identifying a payer that has agreed to pay the healthcare provider on behalf of a patient subject to preselected conditions; determining a payment amount with one or more computer processors associated with the goods or services wherein determining the payment amount comprises; selecting at least one fee schedule from multiple fee schedules based at least in part on the provider identification information; and calculating the payment amount based at least in part on the selected fee schedule; verifying that the payment amount is a bona fide medical expense; sending the verification of the payment amount to a medical credit account associated with the patient; approving, the charging of the payment amount on the medical credit account only when the medical credit account has received the verification of the payment amount; and transmitting a scanned copy of the payment amount to the health care provider. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification
-
- Resources
-
Current AssigneeFirst Access, Inc. (WEX Inc.)
-
Original AssigneeFirst Access, Inc. (WEX Inc.)
-
InventorsDarling, Kimberly A., Baylor, Dorothy M.
-
Primary Examiner(s)Sereboff, Neal
-
Application NumberUS13/209,259Publication NumberTime in Patent Office298 DaysField of Search705 2- 4US Class Current705/2CPC Class CodesG06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time man...G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or paymentsG06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billi...G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calc...G06Q 40/08 InsuranceG16H 10/65 stored on portable record c...
