Patent ID: 7346523
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. In a server system that communicates with a client system associated with a health care provider and is adapted to facilitate processing of an insurance claim, a method of delivering a supporting document to a carrier to enable the carrier to process an insurance claim and for advancing payment to the physician, the method comprising the acts of: the server system determining that an insurance claim for services rendered by the health care provider is in condition for advance payment prior to adjudication by a carrier; the server system transmitting claim information associated with the insurance claim to a payment entity, such that the payment entity can advance money to the health care provider prior to the carrier making payment on the insurance claim; the server system generating a list of supporting documents needed to process the insurance claim based on information included in the insurance claim, the list of supporting documents identified from a supporting document database having data indicative of supporting documents needed to process the insurance claim; the server system providing the list of supporting documents to the client system; the server system, upon receiving the supporting documents identified in the list of supporting documents and associated with the insurance claim in an electronic format from the client system, storing an electronic image of the supporting documents; the server system causing the payment entity to advance payment to the health care provider prior to adjudication of the insurance claim by the carrier, wherein a portion of the advance payment is reserved for at least one of service fees, unpaid balances, or interest on unpaid balances in an account that is not accessible to the health care provider; and the server system transmitting the insurance claim and a notice of the availability of the electronic image to the carrier, such that the carrier can access the image, process the insurance claim, and make payment on the insurance claim to the payment entity, thereby paying for the advance payment previously made to the health care provider.