Health care eligibility verification and settlement systems and methods

1. A point-of-care device comprising:

a base unit adapted for performing healthcare functions at a point-of-care, wherein the base unit includes:

a base unit housing;

a computer-readable storage device;

a processor disposed within the base unit housing and configured to process a plurality of transaction types, wherein one of the plurality of transaction types is a healthcare insurance verification transaction, and execute computer-readable code stored on the computer-readable storage device, the code including:

code for retrieving patient data from a first track of a magnetic stripe of a healthcare presentation instrument, the healthcare presentation instrument associated with a patient;

code for generating a request for a healthcare information packet based on the patient data from the healthcare presentation instrument;

code for transmitting the request for the healthcare information packet to a healthcare eligibility verification system via a credit card transaction processing network;

code for receiving the healthcare information packet from the healthcare eligibility verification system via the credit card transaction processing network;

code for presenting at least part of the content of the healthcare information packet to the healthcare provider;

code for retrieving stored-value account information from a second track of the magnetic stripe of the healthcare presentation instrument, wherein:

the stored value account information identifies a stored value account associated with funds designated for healthcare expenses, and

the first track and the second track of the magnetic stripe are different tracks;

code for generating a request to debit the stored-value account; and

code for transmitting the request to debit the stored-value account to a financial settlement system, via the credit card transaction processing network, wherein the financial settlement system is separate from the healthcare eligibility system; and

an input device configured to receive the healthcare insurance information and the stored-value account information from the healthcare presentation instrument.

2. The point-of-care of claim 1 , the point-of-care device further comprising a printer.

3. The point-of-care device of claim 1 , wherein the base unit further includes a display on the base unit housing and in communication with the processor.

4. The point-of-care device of claim 1 , wherein the base unit further comprises a touch-screen.

5. The point-of-care device of claim 1 , wherein the base unit further includes a keypad on the base unit housing and in communication with the processor.

6. The point-of-care device of claim 1 , wherein the base unit housing further includes a card slot for receiving a patient card and wherein the base unit further includes a magnetic strip reader affixed with the base unit housing at the card slot and in communication with the processor.

7. The point-of-care device recited in claim 1 , the point-of-care device further comprising a modem located within the base unit housing and in communication with the processor.

8. The point-of-care device of claim 1 , the point-of-sale device further comprising an external communications interface in communication with the processor.

9. The point-of-care device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive and process Internet communications over the external communications interface.

10. A point-of-care terminal for processing a healthcare transaction by a healthcare provider, the point-of-care terminal comprising:

a reader configured to read information from an information encoding region of a healthcare eligibility and settlement presentation instrument associated with a patient;

a computer-readable storage device;

a processor configured to process a healthcare transaction based on the information, wherein the healthcare transaction comprises a healthcare eligibility verification transaction and a healthcare settlement transaction, wherein the healthcare transaction involves debiting a stored value account associated with funds designated for healthcare expenses and the processor is configured to execute computer-readable code stored on the computer-readable storage device, the code including:

code for retrieving patient data from a track of a magnetic stripe of a healthcare presentation instrument, the healthcare presentation instrument associated with a patient;

code for generating a request for a healthcare information packet based on the patient data from the healthcare presentation instrument;

code for transmitting the request for the healthcare information packet to a healthcare eligibility verification system via a credit card transaction processing network;

code for receiving the healthcare information packet from the healthcare eligibility verification system via the credit card transaction processing network;

code for presenting at least part of the content of the healthcare information packet to the healthcare provider;

code for retrieving stored-value account information from a different track of the magnetic stripe of the healthcare presentation instrument, wherein the stored value account information identifies a stored value account associated with funds designated for healthcare expenses;

code for generating a request to debit the stored-value account; and

code for transmitting the request to debit the stored-value account to a financial settlement system via the credit card transaction processing network, wherein the financial settlement system is separate from the healthcare eligibility system.

11. The point-of-care terminal according to claim 10 , wherein the healthcare transaction comprises a healthcare eligibility transaction, and the processor is configured to transmit a healthcare eligibility request to the credit card transaction processing network and to receive a healthcare eligibility response from the credit card transaction processing network.

12. The point-of-care terminal according to claim 10 , wherein the healthcare transaction comprises a healthcare settlement transaction, the healthcare settlement transaction comprising a member selected from the group consisting of a credit card settlement, a debit card settlement, a flexible spending account settlement, a health savings account settlement, a health reimbursement account settlement, a medical savings account settlement, a transportation account settlement, a parking settlement, a dependent care settlement, and a claim settlement.

13. The point-of-care terminal according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit a request for an eligibility and coverage information packet to the credit card transaction processing network and to receive an eligibility and coverage information packet from the credit card transaction processing network.

14. The point-of-care terminal according to claim 13 , wherein the terminal further comprises an external network interface, and the processor is configured to send the request and receive the packet via the external network interface.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with program code for controlling operation of a computing device for processing a healthcare transaction by a healthcare provider, the program code comprising:

code for retrieving patient data from a first track of a magnetic stripe of a healthcare presentation instrument, the healthcare presentation instrument associated with a patient;

code for generating a request for a healthcare information packet based on the patient data from the healthcare presentation instrument;

code for transmitting the request for a healthcare information packet to a healthcare eligibility verification system via a credit card transaction processing network;

code for receiving a healthcare information packet from the healthcare eligibility verification system via the credit card transaction processing network;

code for presenting at least part of the content of the healthcare information packet to the healthcare provider;

code for retrieving stored-value account information from a second track of the magnetic stripe of the healthcare presentation instrument;

code for transmitting a debit request to debit a stored value account associated with funds designated for healthcare expenses to a financial settlement system via the credit card transaction processing network, wherein the financial settlement system is separate from the healthcare eligibility system; and

code for receiving a confirmation associated with the debit request from the financial settlement system via the credit card transaction processing network.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15 , wherein the healthcare presentation instrument comprises a healthcare insurance eligibility and coverage instrument and the healthcare information packet comprises a healthcare eligibility and coverage information packet.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15 , further comprising code for maintaining a record of healthcare information packet requests.