Healthcare credit evaluation method
OwnerPatton A. Hutchinsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The creditworthiness of a recipient of healthcare services is obtained by accessing a database containing credit information relating only to payment of healthcare-related charges by a plurality of healthcare recipients; retrieving the recipient's payment history information; and evaluating the granting of credit using the payment history information retrieved. The database is also used to select a strategy to be used in collecting an overdue invoice to a healthcare recipient. A credit rating score is assigned to the delinquent recipient based on the payment history of the delinquent recipient as determined by information in the database, and each strategy is assigned a value corresponding to possible credit rating scores.
Claims19
A method for evaluating the creditworthiness of a recipient of healthcare services comprising:
- a) obtaining recipient identifying information;
- b) accessing a database containing credit information relating only to payment of healthcare-related charges by a plurality of healthcare recipients;
- c) retrieving recipient payment history information;
- and
- d) evaluating the granting of credit using the payment history information retrieved.
A method for providing information relating to the creditworthiness of a recipient of healthcare services comprising:
- a) providing a database containing credit information relating only to payment of healthcare-related charges by a plurality of healthcare recipients;
- b) providing password access to said database to a user;
- and
- c) transmitting to the user credit information relating to the payment history of a selected recipient identified by recipient identifying information.
A method for evaluating the overdue account of a recipient of healthcare services to select a collection strategy to be used with respect to said account comprising:
- a) accessing a payment history database that includes credit information relating only to the healthcare payment histories of a plurality of recipients, including the recipient with said overdue account;
- b) receiving information scoring the recipient based on the recipient's previous healthcare payment history as indicated by said database;
- and
- c) assigning said account to one of a plurality of collection strategies based on said scoring.
A method for providing information relating to the credit history of a delinquent healthcare recipient for use in selecting a strategy to be used in collecting an overdue invoice to said recipient comprising:
- a) providing a payment history database that includes credit information relating only to the healthcare payment histories of a plurality of healthcare recipients, including said delinquent recipient;
- b) providing user password access to said database;
- c) assigning a credit rating score to said delinquent recipient based on the payment history of said delinquent recipient as determined by information in said database;
- and
- d) transmitting said credit rating score to the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.