IP Library Granted Patent US 11,694,249
Granted Patent B2
US 11,694,249 · App. 17/888,474 · Granted Jul 4, 2023

Prepaid bundled health, dental, and veterinary services with virtual payment distribution

Inventor: Paul J. Ketchel, III (Brentwood, TN)
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 11,694,249
App. No.
17/888,474
Granted
Jul 4, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Apparatus and associated methods relate to presenting for selection services comprising at least one bundled set of healthcare services to be performed separately by respective providers, determining a bundle price for the at least one bundled set of healthcare services, and in response to receiving payment in an amount of the bundle price, generating a purchase data record selectively redeemable to receive each of the at least one bundled set of healthcare services, and transmitting a unique confirmation number generated for the purchase data record. One or more service of the bundled set may be a dental or veterinary service. The bundle price may be based on a location or time at which at least one service will be performed and may be determined using a user's remaining insurance deductible. Payment may be disbursed to multiple providers of the bundled set of healthcare services. A payment may be virtual funds.

Claims (43)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a user interface, operably coupled with the processor; and

a memory operably coupled to the processor, wherein the memory encodes processor executable program instructions and data to program and configure the processor to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receive an electronic message comprising a user payment for a bundled set of a plurality of selectively redeemable healthcare services comprising at least one veterinary service to be provided by a plurality of respective providers, wherein the received payment is pre-paid in an amount of a bundle price based on a location at which at least one selectively redeemable healthcare service of the bundled set of healthcare services will be provided; and

in response to receiving the electronic message comprising the user payment,

generate an electronic health record comprising a purchase data record identified by and with a unique confirmation number;

preset an initial individual redemption status in the purchase data record for each selectively redeemable healthcare service of the bundled set of healthcare services as purchased and unredeemed, and

provide user access to the purchase data record to receive each selectively redeemable healthcare service of the plurality of healthcare services.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise:

in response to receiving the electronic message comprising the user payment, store the electronic health record in the memory; and

send the electronic health record to at least one provider of the plurality of respective providers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise sending the unique confirmation number to the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the received payment comprises real currency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the received payment comprises virtual funds.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the received virtual funds payment further comprises promotional credit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise creating a virtual funds account for the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the received payment is received from the virtual funds account created for the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise disbursing payment to at least one of the plurality of respective providers.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of respective providers to which payment is disbursed further comprises at least one of a veterinarian, a veterinary technician, a dentist, a lab, a lab technician, an orthodontist, a periodontist, a surgeon, a radiologist, an anesthesiologist, a dental hygienist, a practice group, a veterinary hospital, a boarding facility, or an insurer.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the disbursed payment comprises a plurality of payments allocated from the received payment, wherein the plurality of payments is disbursed to each of the plurality of respective providers.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user has a health insurance policy having a health insurance deductible and wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise applying an amount of the received payment to the health insurance deductible.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the amount of the received payment applied to the health insurance deductible is determined by the processor as a function of the health insurance policy.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise setting the bundle price based on the health insurance deductible.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the purchase data record persists in a data store operably coupled with the processor and wherein the purchase data record is redeemable at least until each of the plurality of healthcare services in the bundled set is redeemed.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise:

presenting to the user a plurality of healthcare services comprising at least one bundled set of the plurality of healthcare services to be performed separately by the plurality of respective providers; and

receiving an indication of at least one bundled set of healthcare services selected by the user,

wherein the bundle price is further determined by the processor based on a time at which at least one of the plurality of services will be provided.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bundled set further comprises a drug.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bundled set of healthcare services further comprises a primary service and a secondary service associated with the primary service, and wherein the received payment further comprises payment for the secondary service.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the purchase data record is the electronic health record.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the purchase data record is selectively redeemable for each healthcare service individually.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises prescribing a drug.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises examination.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises vaccination.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises room and board.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises a service related to surgery.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations performed by the apparatus further comprise associating an identification code received from a transponder in a non-human animal patient with the unique confirmation number using the purchase data record.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the bundled set of healthcare services further comprises at least one service related to room and board for the non-human animal patient.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the bundled set of healthcare services further comprises an additional pre-paid amount of funds redeemable to a person who found the non-human animal patient.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one veterinary service further comprises imaging.

30. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bundled set of the plurality of healthcare services further comprises at least one veterinary service determined by the processor in response to a patient lifecycle event detected as a function of updated data received in an Electronic Health Record (EHR).

Continuity (12)
Continuation 17543713 · Dec 6, 2021
Continuation In Part 17411494 · Aug 25, 2021
Continuation 17209117 · Mar 22, 2021
Continuation 16913662 · Jun 26, 2020
Continuation In Part 16685888 · Nov 15, 2019
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 20220391959A1 · Dec 8, 2022