Facilitating Payments to Health Care Providers

• US 20070011025A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Company
• Inventors: Pincock, Shari, Sachdev, Sunil, Jagatic, Jason, Kalappa, Ahana, Keck, Mark, Reynders, Todd, Cracchiolo, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,626 B2
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD

Abstract

A computer-implemented method to facilitate a purchase comprising: receiving, at a first host computer, a request from a provider for payment authorization for a charge to a purchaser; examining a database coupled to the first host computer for information concerning the purchaser; providing the information concerning the purchaser to a second host computer associated with the provider; receiving at the first host computer information from a third host computer concerning a negotiated amount of the charge to the purchaser; tendering payment of the negotiated charge to the provider; and withdrawing an amount no greater than the negotiated amount of the charge from an account of the purchaser.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to facilitate a purchase comprising:

receiving, at a first host computer, a request from a provider for payment authorization for a charge to a purchaser;

examining a database coupled to the first host computer for information concerning the purchaser;

providing the information concerning the purchaser to a second host computer associated with the provider;

receiving at the first host computer information from a third host computer concerning a negotiated amount of the charge to the purchaser;

tendering payment of the negotiated charge to the provider; and

withdrawing an amount no greater than the negotiated amount of the charge from an account of the purcahser.