Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching

1 . A system, comprising:

means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual;

means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status;

means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option; and

means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting user input including an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the means for accepting user input including an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting health care provider input including an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual.

4 . The system of claim 2 wherein the means for accepting user input including an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting patient input including an indication of at least one health-related status of the patient.

5 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting an indication of at least one medical diagnosis.

8 . (canceled)

9 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting an indication of at least one symptom.

10 - 12 . (canceled)

13 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual comprises:

means for accepting an indication of at least one health-related condition.

14 - 16 . (canceled)

17 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for receiving one or more results of at least one determined health service option.

18 . (canceled)

19 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for presenting a sequence of diagnostic or treatment options based on the indication of at least one health-related status.

20 - 31 . (canceled)

32 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one of surgery, prescription drug therapy, over-the-counter drug therapy, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, ultrasound treatment, laser treatment, a minimally invasive procedure, antibody therapy, cryotherapy, hormonal therapy, or gene therapy.

33 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one of treatment by a medical doctor, treatment by a naturopathic doctor, treatment by an acupuncturist, treatment by an herbalist, self-treatment, or taking no action for a period of time.

34 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one of a diagnosis option set or a treatment option set.

35 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one health service option for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status and at least one of a standard of care, an expert opinion, an insurance company evaluation, or research data.

36 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one of a list of diagnosticians, a list of clinicians, a list of therapists, a list of dentists, a list of optometrists, a list of pharmacists, a list of nurses, a list of chiropractors, a list of opthamologists, a list of surgeons, a list of osteopaths, or a list of alternative medicine practitioners.

37 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for determining at least one list of treatment centers.

38 . (canceled)

39 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for using at least one third party reference to determine the at least one health service option for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status.

40 . (canceled)

41 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status comprises:

means for updating the at least one health service option.

42 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing an auction system for procurement of the desired health service option by the individual.

43 - 44 . (canceled)

45 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a matching system weighted toward rapid procurement of the desired health service option.

46 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a matching system weighted toward procurement of one or more low-cost desired health service options.

47 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a matching system weighted toward procurement of a high-quality desired health service option.

48 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a matching system weighted toward procurement of a locally-available desired health service option.

49 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a matching system weighted toward procurement of a geographically-specified desired health service option.

50 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option comprises:

means for providing a web 2.0 matching system for procurement of a desired health service option.

51 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for presenting previous user feedback of one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

52 - 53 . (canceled)

54 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for selectively presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

55 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for presenting value information at least partially based on attributes of the individual.

56 - 57 . (canceled)

58 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for presenting value information remotely.

59 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for presenting value information to an output device.

60 - 61 . (canceled)

62 . The system of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option comprises:

means for accepting an indication of an insured individual's cardiac diagnosis from a physician, determining a plurality of surgery options and a plurality of medication options based on the cardiac diagnosis, providing a health auction system weighted toward the procurement of high-quality service, and presenting previous patient feedback regarding overall satisfaction of the plurality of surgery options and the plurality of medication options.

63 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual;

determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status;

providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option; and

presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

64 - 124 . (canceled)

125 . A system comprising:

circuitry for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual;

circuitry for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status;

circuitry for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option; and

circuitry for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

126 . A computer program product comprising:

a signal-bearing medium bearing one or more instructions for accepting an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual;

one or more instructions for determining a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status;

one or more instructions for providing a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option; and

one or more instructions for presenting value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

127 . The computer program product of claim 126 , wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a computer-readable medium.

128 . The computer program product of claim 126 , wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a recordable medium.

129 . The computer program product of claim 126 , wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a communications medium.

130 . A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions that when executed on the computing device cause the computing device to

accept an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual;

determine a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status;

provide a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option; and

present value information about one or more experiences with the desired health service option.

131 . The system of claim 130 wherein the computing device comprises:

one or more of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal entertainment device, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet personal computer, a networked computer, a computing system comprised of a cluster of processors, a computing system comprised of a cluster of servers, a workstation computer, and/or a desktop computer.

132 . The system of claim 130 wherein the computing device is operable to accept an indication of at least one health-related status of an individual; determine a plurality of health service options for the individual based on the indication of at least one health-related status; filter the plurality of health service options; and provide a matching system for procurement of a desired health service option.