Healthcare payment aggregation system

Abstract

A healthcare payment aggregation service is provided. The service receives invoice information (e.g., identifying a patient and an amount due) sent from multiple healthcare providers who each sends their own invoices to its patients. The service receives a request from a user to access their invoices. The service identifies invoices received from multiple healthcare providers that identify the user as the patient. The service displays an indication of the healthcare provider and amount due of one or more the identified invoices. The service receives from the user an instruction to pay the amount due of a designated invoice of the displayed invoices. The system directs that payment for the amount due of the designated invoice be transferred from an account of the user to an account of the healthcare provider of the designated invoice. The service then notifies the healthcare provider of the designated invoice of the payment.

I/we claim: 
     
         1 . A method performed by one or more computing systems of a healthcare payment aggregation service, the method comprising:
 receiving invoice information sent from a plurality of healthcare providers, the healthcare providers that separately create invoices for their patients, the invoice information including invoices that each identifies a patient and an amount due;   receiving a request from a user to access their invoices;   identifying invoices received from multiple healthcare providers that identify the user as the patient;   displaying an indication of the healthcare provider and amount due of one or more the identified invoices;   receiving from the user an instruction to pay the amount due of a designated invoice of the displayed invoices;   directing that payment for the amount due of the designated invoice be transferred from an account of the user to an account of the healthcare provider of the designated invoice; and   notifying the healthcare provider of the designated invoice of the payment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving from another user a request to pay a patient-provided invoice that has not been received from a specified healthcare provider by the healthcare payment aggregation service, the request identifying a payment amount and the specified healthcare provider; 
 directing that payment for the payment amount due be transferred from an account of the other user to an account of the specified healthcare provider; and 
 notifying the specified healthcare provider of the payment for the patient-provided invoice. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the request to pay the patient-provided invoice identifies the specified healthcare provider and wherein the notifying of the specified healthcare provider identifies the patient-provided invoice. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each invoice includes an invoice identifier and the notifying includes providing the invoice identifier of the designated invoice to the healthcare provider. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising when a user specifies to automatically pay invoices of a specified healthcare provider,
 after a specified invoice for the specified healthcare provider is received, directing that payment for the amount due of the specified invoice be transferred from an account of the user to an account of the specified healthcare provider; and 
 notifying the specified healthcare provider of the payment. 
 
     
     
         6 . One or more computing systems of a healthcare payment aggregation service for providing a user experience for payment of healthcare providers that are not affiliated with each other for invoicing purposes, the one or more computing systems comprising:
 one or more computer-readable storage mediums storing computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more computing systems to:
 display to a user a dashboard display page that identifies one or more pending invoices for different healthcare providers, that identifies recent payments to different healthcare providers whose invoices are handled by separate invoicing systems, and that provides payment statistics; 
 display to the user an invoices pending display page through which the user can review all pending invoices including invoices from different healthcare providers and pay an invoice; and 
 display to the user a healthcare providers display page through which the user can review authorized healthcare providers for which the user has authorized the healthcare aggregation service to receive invoices of the user and through which the user can authorize and de-authorized healthcare providers; and 
   one or more processors for executing the computer-executable instructions stored in the one or more computer-readable storage mediums.   
     
     
         7 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 6  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to receive a selection of an invoice and coordinate payment of the invoice. 
     
     
         8 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 7  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to upon receiving a selection of an invoice, automatically paying the invoice based on previously stored payment information. 
     
     
         9 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 6  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to display a display page through which the user can designate a healthcare provider whose invoice information for the user is to be sent to the healthcare payment aggregation service. 
     
     
         10 . One or more computing systems that provide a healthcare payment aggregation service, the one or more computing system comprising:
 one or more computer-readable storage mediums for storing computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more computing systems to:
 receive invoice information sent from different healthcare provider computer systems of different healthcare providers, the invoice information including invoices that each identifies a healthcare provider, a patient and an amount due, wherein the invoice information of at least two healthcare providers are not provided by the same computer system; 
 identify invoices received from multiple healthcare provider computer systems that identify the user as the patient; 
 receive from the user an instruction to pay the amount due of invoices; 
 direct that payment for the amount due of an identified invoice be transferred from an account of the user to an account of the healthcare provider of the identified invoice; and 
 notify the healthcare provider of the identified invoice of the payment; and 
   one or more processors for executing the computer-executable instructions stored in the one or more computer-readable storage mediums.   
     
     
         11 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to display an indication of the identified invoice and receive from the user an indication to pay the invoice. 
     
     
         12 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to automatically direct payment based on receiving the identified invoice. 
     
     
         13 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to:
 receive from another user a request to pay a patient-provided invoice that has not been received from a specified healthcare provider by the healthcare payment aggregation service, the request identifying a payment amount and the specified healthcare provider; 
 direct that payment for the payment amount due be transferred from an account of the other user to an account of the specified healthcare provider; and 
 notify the specified healthcare provider of the payment for the patient-provided invoice. 
 
     
     
         14 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 13  wherein the request to pay the patient-provided invoice identifies the specified healthcare provider and wherein the notifying of the specified healthcare provider identifies the patient-provided invoice. 
     
     
         15 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein each invoice includes an invoice identifier and the notifying includes providing the invoice identifier of the identified invoice to the healthcare provider. 
     
     
         16 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to send electronic notifications to patients to inform the patients when invoices are received. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 10  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to send electronic notifications of invoices followed by paper notifications while an invoice is not paid. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 17  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems establish a notification plan of sending electronic notification and paper notifications based on a history of a patient in responding to notifications. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 18  wherein the computer-executable instructions further control the one or more computing systems to learn the payment pattern of a patient based on applying different notification plans. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more computing systems of  claim 17  wherein the notification plan is established based on history of a patient in responding to notifications of different healthcare providers.