Integrated health & financial benefits system and method

Abstract

A medical shared savings unit receives a selection from one or more computing devices to select a medical provider in a region outside the United States for a patient as part of a medical savings plan, and accesses the medical plan information from the data store, and calculates a savings based on a difference between a cost of the medical procedure performed in the region outside the United States and a cost of the medical procedure performed within the United States. The medical shared savings unit further divides the savings between the insurer and the employer based on a medical savings plan model when the patient undergoes the medical procedure in the region outside the United States.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medical shared savings system, comprising:
 a data store that stores medical plan information for a medical plan associated with a patient and an employer, the medical plan information including pricing data for a medical procedure for each of a plurality of medical providers in a medical plan network associated with the medical plan, the plurality of medical providers including at least one medical provider in a region outside of the United States, the medical plan having an associated established medical premium to be paid to an insurer; and   a medical shared savings unit connected with the data store and interacting with one or more computing devices via a communications network, the medical shared savings unit receiving a selection from one of the one or more computing devices to select the at least one medical provider in a region outside of the United States for a patient as part of a medical savings plan associated with the medical plan, accessing the medical plan information from the data store, and calculating a savings based on a difference between a cost of the medical procedure performed in the region outside of the United States and a cost of the medical procedure performed within the United States, the medical shared savings unit further dividing the savings between the insurer and the employer based on a medical savings plan model when the patient undergoes the medical procedure in the region outside of the United States, the savings being in the form of a lower medical premium that is lower than the established medical premium.   
     
     
         2 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pricing data includes travel costs. 
     
     
         3 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the medical shared savings unit further divides the savings with the patient based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         4 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the medical shared savings unit divides the savings at an unequal percentage of the savings based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         5 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for post-operative services related to the medical procedure. 
     
     
         6 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for ongoing prescriptions related to the medical procedure. 
     
     
         7 . A medical shared savings system, comprising:
 a data store that stores medical plan information for a medical plan associated with an employer, the medical plan information including pricing data for a medical procedure for each of a plurality of medical providers in a medical plan network associated with the medical plan, the plurality of medical providers including at least one medical provider in a region outside of the United States, the medical, plan having an established medical premium to be paid to an insurer on behalf of a patient associated with the employer; and   a medical shared savings unit connected with the data store and interacting with one or more computing devices via a communications network, the medical shared savings unit receiving a selection from one of the one or more computing devices to select the medical procedure in a patient-selected region outside of the United States as part of a medical savings plan associated with the medical plan, accessing the medical plan information from the data store, and calculating a savings based on a difference between a cost of the medical procedure performed in the patient-selected region outside of the United States and a cost of the medical procedure performed within the United States, the medical shared savings unit further dividing the savings between the insurer and the employer based on a medical savings plan model when a patient undergoes the medical procedure in the patient-selected region outside of the United States, the savings being in the form of a lower medical premium to be paid to the insurer that is lower than the established medical premium.   
     
     
         8 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein the pricing data includes travel costs. 
     
     
         9 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein the medical shared savings unit further divides the savings with the patient based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         10 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein the medical shared savings unit divides the savings at an unequal percentage of the savings based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         11 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for post-operative services related to the medical procedure. 
     
     
         12 . The medical shared savings system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for ongoing prescriptions related to the medical procedure. 
     
     
         13 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 storing, in a data store, medical plan information for a medical plan associated with an employer, the medical plan information including pricing data for a medical procedure for each of a plurality of medical providers in a medical plan network associated with the medical plan, the plurality of medical providers including at least one medical provider in a region outside of the United States, the medical plan having an established medical premium to be paid to an insurer on behalf of a patient associated with the employer;   receiving, by a computer via a communications network, a selection from a computing device to select the at least one medical provider in a region outside of the United States for a patient as part of a medical savings plan associated with the medical plan;   accessing, by the computer, the medical plan information from the data store;   calculating, by the computer, a savings based on a difference between a cost of the medical procedure performed in the patient-selected region outside of the United States and a cost of the medical procedure performed within the United States;   dividing, by the computer, the savings between the insurer and the employer based on a medical savings plan model when a patient undergoes the medical procedure in the patient-selected region outside of the United States, the savings being in the form of a lower medical premium to be paid to the insurer that is lower than the established medical premium.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the computing device is one of a mobile device or desktop computer. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the pricing data includes travel costs. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , further comprising dividing the savings with the patient based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , further comprising dividing, by the computer, the savings at an unequal percentage of the savings based on the medical savings plan model. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for post-operative services related to the medical procedure. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the pricing data includes costs for ongoing prescriptions related to the medical procedure.