IP Library Granted Patent US 11,030,666
Granted Patent B2
US 11,030,666 · App. 16/685,888 · Granted Jun 8, 2021

Network-based marketplace service pricing tool for facilitating purchases of bundled services and products

Inventors: Paul J. Ketchel, III (Nashville, TN); Ani Osborne (Nashville, TN); Kar Martirosyan (Nashville, TN); Daniel Schmidt (Albany, CA); Ryan Aipperspach (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: MDSAVE SHARED SERVICES INC.
G06Q30/0621G06Q20/065G06Q20/10G06Q20/381G06Q30/0206G06Q30/0239G06Q30/0613G06Q30/0629G06Q30/0633G06Q50/22G16H10/60G16H40/20G16H20/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,030,666
App. No.
16/685,888
Granted
Jun 8, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for pricing offers of healthcare services including an application server linked to a virtual payment system manager providing a pricing tool, a service pricing information database and a cost adjustment information database that are accessible by the application server. The pricing tool is operable to receive an indication of a healthcare service set that is respectively associated with a service detail information record included in the service pricing information database, dynamically calculating an adjusted physician fee for the primary service based on cost adjustment metrics for a geographic zone that corresponds to the specified location, and provide a recommended price for the indicated healthcare service set based on the calculated adjusted physician fee. A virtual money account database to maintain records of virtual funds of the user is provided and the virtual payment system manager is configured to allocate and distribute the virtual funds in the transaction marketplace system to virtual accounts of the user.

Claims (29)

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and a memory operably coupled with the processor, wherein the memory comprises processor executable program instructions configured that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to implement an application server for pricing offers of healthcare services by healthcare service providers, wherein the application server provides a network service, the network service including a pricing tool comprising an interactive pricing page with a set of accessible user interface controls to email prices, save changes and purchase healthcare services in which said pricing tool is accessible via a user interface on each of the client systems, the user interface rendering a common display structure to represent the network service provided by the application server for a user of a client;

a virtual payment system manager linked to the application server;

a data storage system comprising storing a plurality of service detail information records associated with a plurality of healthcare service sets, each healthcare service set identifying a primary service, a set of base pricing metrics for the primary service, and a first set of cost adjustment metrics for each of a plurality of geographic zones and

wherein, the pricing tool is configured that upon a user accessing the pricing tool, the pricing tool determines a base physician fee for the primary service based on the set of base pricing metrics for the primary service included in the service detail information record,

determine a location indication, based on the location stored in a session data object that specifies a location for performing the primary service,

dynamically perform a calculation of an adjusted physician fee for the primary service based on the first set of cost adjustment metrics that corresponds to the location specified by the location indication, determine a recommended price for the indicated healthcare service set based on the adjusted physician fee calculated for the primary service, and render respective indications of the adjusted physician fee and the recommended price determined for the indicated healthcare service set,

wherein the user interface provided by the client application includes a graphical user interface element that is accessible by the user and the user submit a request to the pricing tool for the indicated healthcare service set to be offered for purchase, and the pricing tool is configured to generate an information record, store the information record in association with the respective account information record, update the session data object on the application server, and send an electronic document to the user in a printable form;

wherein, upon rendering the respective indications of the adjusted physician fee calculated for the primary service and the recommended price determined for the indicated healthcare service set, the pricing tool in response to receiving a request submitted from the user, direct a service offer information record associated with a service offer for the indicated healthcare service set to be established that comprises a plurality of other service offer information records,

wherein the service offer information record that is established has an indication of the primary service, a purchase price based on the recommended price, and payment amount based on the adjusted physician fee calculated for the primary service, and

wherein the data storage system further comprises a virtual money account database configured to maintain records of virtual funds of the user in a transaction marketplace system; wherein the virtual payment system manager is configured to allocate and distribute the virtual funds in the transaction marketplace system to virtual accounts of the user;

wherein the application server is accessible via the network to, based on the plurality of service offer information records and the session data object, facilitate purchases of service offers selected from the plurality of service offers; and

wherein the network service operated generating and transmitting a voucher for the user that includes a description of the purchased service offer.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the data storage system further comprises a service offer database storing a bundled set of healthcare services offers.

3. The system according to claim 2 , further comprising a the application server configured with a machine learning algorithm, the application server communicatively coupled to the data storage system, the application server using the machine learning algorithm instructs the service offer database to store each healthcare service provider service corresponding to the user selection via the user interface and the application server displays the bundled set of healthcare services via the user interface.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual payment system manager implemented by the processor executable program instructions executed by the application server further comprises:

a virtual account management module configured to access the virtual money account database to maintain virtual money accounts;

a communication module configured to generate notifications and reports with respect to the virtual money accounts;

a virtual payment module configured to implement functionality for performing operations for facilitating payment processing;

a transaction tracking module configured to dynamically perform updates to the accounting details pertaining to transactions;

a virtual fund creation and disbursement module configured to implement functionality for creating or instantiating virtual fund objects within respective account information records for the virtual money accounts; and

an adjustment module configured to implement functionality for performing operations for processing cancellation requests, refund requests, and other modifications to purchases of offered services and products.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data storage system further comprises an insurance database programed to provide optimized bundled prices for the healthcare services,

wherein the application server electronically submits an electronic claim to an insurance company and the application server receives a request to count the payment amount towards a patient's deductible.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the application server further comprises a deductible checker to look up the patient's deductible.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application server further comprises a shopping cart to provide details of pricing of the healthcare services to the user.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the application server automatically communicates the shopping cart details of pricing to the user when the user registers for the healthcare service.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the application server verifies the pricing details in the shopping cart.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application server further comprises a drug discount card for the user for subscription of healthcare services.

Continuity (7)
Continuation In Part 16520906 · Jul 24, 2019
Continuation In Part 15055076 · Feb 26, 2016
Continuation In Part 14874004 · Oct 2, 2015
Continuation 14827026 · Aug 14, 2015
Continuation In Part 14461209 · Aug 15, 2014
Provisional Application 61866922 · Aug 16, 2013
Related Publication 20200082451A1 · Mar 12, 2020
Cited By (4)
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