Patent Publication Number: US-2018039744-A1

Title: Automated payment system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/369,811, filed on Aug. 2, 2016. The entire disclosure of the above patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to a system and method for providing an automated payment to a healthcare provider contemporaneous with a rendering of goods or services. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Paying for medical care at the time of service is one of the few business transactions in the United States which consumers (i.e. patients) think is appropriate not to pay for their out-of-pocket responsibility at the time of service provided by a healthcare provider. This is tantamount to going to the grocery store, at the checkout line only paying for 75% of what you bought, and then telling the grocery store to bill you for the remaining 25%. 
     The collection of out-of-pocket expenses from patients during the time of service has been and continues to be a laborious process for healthcare providers, and costs the healthcare providers across the United States billions of dollars every year in uncompensated care. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) performed a survey in 2010, Perspectives on Patient Payments, and the results showed that 23.2% of total patient services revenue is attributed to collection from the patients. The survey showed that 30% of the patients walk out of an office of the healthcare provider without paying any money, and the healthcare provider will send an average of 3.3 billing statements before an outstanding balance of the patient is paid in full. The collection results are even worse, wherein the healthcare provider will recover just $15.77 for every $100 owed once a debt of the patient is turned over to collections. For every 30 days that go by without the patient paying their medical bills, the healthcare provider is 30% less likely to collect any money from the patient. 
     For the collection of out-of-pocket expenses at the healthcare provider, the same process has been in place since the 1980s. While the healthcare providers have attempted to create solutions in the patient revenue collection process at the time of service (i.e. deny access to medical services until the bill is paid, set up payment plans, accept multiple forms of payment) the process continues to be an uncomfortable process for both the patients and the healthcare providers, and burdensome for the healthcare provider practice groups and collection agencies. For example, physicians do not always collect copayments at the time of service because they are unaware of copayments or are simply uncomfortable asking the patient, the patients are unaware or unsure of their copayment responsibility, or copayment information is not always available at the time of the service. 
     While health plans, both commercial and public, continue to shift more costs to the patients, the collection of out-of-pocket costs will continue to be a tremendous problem for the healthcare providers across the entire United States and is likely to escalate as the shift continues. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services National Health Projections 2012-2022 projects out-of-pocket spending to grow faster over the remainder of the projection period (2012-2022), reaching a peak of 5.6 percent in 2020. The out-of-pocket share of healthcare spending is projected to fall from 11.4 percent in 2012 to 9.1 percent by 2022. These projections show the process to collect out-of-pocket expenses is far too important to be handled under the current processes in place used by healthcare providers. 
     The Commonwealth Fund published a report in 2015 detailing the total dollars spent yearly on out-of-pocket costs including copayments, deductibles, coinsurance, and uncovered services. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Out-of-Pocket Expenditures, 2013 and 2014 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                   
                 Percent of 
                   
                 Percent of 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 2013 
                 Total 
                 2014 
                 Total 
                 2013 
                 2014 
               
               
                   
                 Amount 
                 OOP 
                 Amount 
                 OOP 
                 Growth 
                 Growth 
               
               
                   
                 (Millions) 
                 2013 
                 (Millions) 
                 2014 
                 Rate 
                 Rate 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Total National  
                 $325,487 
                 100% 
                 $329,819 
                 100% 
                 2.1% 
                 1.3% 
               
               
                 Out-of-Pocket (OOP) 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Expenditures 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Physician and Clinical 
                 53,869 
                 16.6 
                 54,035 
                 16.4 
                 2.6 
                 .3 
               
               
                 Non-Durable Medical 
                 52,884 
                 16.2 
                 54,865 
                 16.6 
                 4.8 
                 3.4 
               
               
                 Products 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Dental 
                 45,638 
                 14.0 
                 45,726 
                 13.9 
                 1.0 
                 .2 
               
               
                 Prescription Drug 
                 43,547 
                 13.4 
                 44,722 
                 13.6 
                 −3.7 
                 2.7 
               
               
                 Nursing Care 
                 40,786 
                 12.5 
                 41,159 
                 12.5 
                 1.6 
                 .9 
               
               
                 Hospital 
                 32,712 
                 10.1 
                 31,373 
                 9.5 
                 4.7 
                 −4.1 
               
               
                 Durable Medical 
                 22,976 
                 7.1 
                 23,592 
                 7.2 
                 3.5 
                 2.7 
               
               
                 Equipment 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Other Professional Services 
                 20,390 
                 6.3 
                 21,292 
                 6.5 
                 2.5 
                 4.4 
               
               
                 Home Health Care 
                 6,908 
                 2.1 
                 7,369 
                 2.2 
                 5.7 
                 6.7 
               
               
                 Other Care 
                 5,778 
                 1.8 
                 5,867 
                 1.8 
                 8.2 
                 1.5 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Examining the Physician and Clinical services of Table 1, taking 30% of $54 billion, about $16.2 billion annually is the total dollar amount of unpaid healthcare services. Factoring in all service lines under the Total National Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Expenditures and applying the 30% factor to this figure equals about $98.9 billion annually in dollars not collected at the time of service by the healthcare providers 
     In April 2016, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported the breakdown of out-of-pocket costs based on the average dollars spent per enrollee per year for deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. The results showed that 14.5% of total healthcare spending per enrollee was attributable to out-of-pocket costs in 2014. Deductibles represented 6.8%, copayments represented 3.0%, and coinsurance represented 4.7% of total healthcare spending per enrollee. The breakdown of the total out-of-pocket costs per enrollee shows that deductibles represent 46.9% of the total out-of-pocket costs, copayments represent 20.7% of total out-of-pocket costs, and coinsurance represents 32.4% of total out-of-pocket costs. 
     The table below outlines the out-of-pocket expenses attributable to deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance (percentages based on the April 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation Report) based on the 2014 out-of-pocket expenses outlined in Table 1 for the different healthcare providers. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Out-of-Pocket Expenditures Breakdown by Deductibles, 
               
               
                 Co-Pay, and Co-Insurance - 2014 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Co-Pay 
                 Co- 
               
               
                   
                 2014 
                 Deductibles 
                 (20.7% of 
                 Insurance 
               
               
                   
                 Amount 
                 (46.9% of 
                 total 
                 (32.4% of 
               
               
                   
                 (Millions) 
                 total OOP) 
                 OOP) 
                 total OOP) 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Total National Out-of- 
                 $329,819 
                 $154,686 
                 $68,272 
                 $106,861 
               
               
                 Pocket (OOP) 
               
               
                 Expenditures 
               
               
                 Physician and Clinical 
                 54,035 
                 25,343 
                 11,185 
                 17,507 
               
               
                 Non-Durable Medical 
                 54,865 
                 25,732 
                 11,357 
                 17,776 
               
               
                 Products 
               
               
                 Dental 
                 45,726 
                 21,446 
                 9,465 
                 14,815 
               
               
                 Prescription Drug 
                 44,722 
                 20,975 
                 9,257 
                 14,490 
               
               
                 Nursing Care 
                 41,159 
                 19,304 
                 8,520 
                 13,336 
               
               
                 Hospital 
                 31,373 
                 14,714 
                 6,494 
                 10,165 
               
               
                 Durable Medical 
                 23,592 
                 11,064 
                 4,884 
                 7,644 
               
               
                 Equipment 
               
               
                 Other Professional 
                 21,292 
                 9,986 
                 4,407 
                 6,899 
               
               
                 Services 
               
               
                 Home Health Care 
                 7,369 
                 3,456 
                 1,525 
                 2,388 
               
               
                 Other Care 
                 5,867 
                 2,752 
                 1,214 
                 1,901 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   # Assumption that all providers represent the same percentage of out of pocket expenses based on the April 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation report. 
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a means of providing seamless and instantaneous payment from a patient to a healthcare provider at the time of service. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In concordance with the instant disclosure, a means of providing seamless and instantaneous payment from a patient to a healthcare provider at the time of service is surprisingly discovered. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a system of automated payment from a patient to a healthcare provider includes a host including a memory and a processor. A plurality of communication devices are in communication with the host. A patient interface associated with a patient is downloadable on a first one of the plurality of communication devices. The patient interface includes a payment account information of the patient and is configured to distribute to the host the payment account information. A provider interface associated with a healthcare provider providing healthcare to the patient is downloadable on a second one of the plurality of communication devices. The provider interface is configured to receive the payment account information of the patient from the host to process a payment at the time of service for services provided to the patient from the healthcare provider. 
     According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of providing a payment from a patient to a provider is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a system including a host having a memory for storing information and a processor. The host is in communication with a plurality of communication devices. A first one of the communication devices has a downloadable patient interface associated with the patient receiving services from the healthcare provider. A second one of the communication devices has a downloadable provider interface associated with the healthcare provider and a third one of the communication devices has a downloadable administrator interface associated with an administrator of the system. The patient interface, the provider interface, and the administrator interface providing real-time communication between the plurality of communication devices. The method further includes the steps of creating a payment account with the patient interface by the patient and transferring the payment with the patient interface to the administrator interface through the host. The method includes the step of transferring the payment to the provider interface from the administrator interface through the host and the step of processing the payment through the provider interface at a time of the services. 
     According to yet another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of providing a payment from a patient to a provider is disclosed. The steps include providing a system including a host having a memory for storing information and a processor. The host is in communication with a plurality of communication devices. A first one of the communication devices has a downloadable patient interface associated with a patient receiving services from a healthcare provider. A second one of the communication devices has a downloadable provider interface associated with the healthcare provider. A third one of the communication devices has a downloadable administrator interface associated with an administrator of the system. A fourth one of the communication devices has a downloadable insurance interface associated with an insurance provider. The patient interface, the provider interface, the insurance interface, and the administrator interface providing real-time communication between the plurality of communication devices. The method includes the steps of signing up with the system by the patient through the patient interface and creating a payment account with the patient interface by the patient. The method further includes the steps of transferring the payment with the patient interface to the administrator interface through the host, transferring the payment to the healthcare provider interface from the administrator interface through the host, and processing the payment instantaneously through the provider interface at a time of the services. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a system of the instant disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of providing payment from a patient to a healthcare provider using the system of  FIG. 1 , wherein interaction between the patient, the healthcare provider, and an insurance provider with the system is shown; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating the method of providing payment from the patient to the healthcare provider using the system of  FIGS. 1-2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a graphical representation which shows a main screen of a patient interface of the system of  FIGS. 1-3 , to illustrate an underlying functionality thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. In respect of the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical unless otherwise expressed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , a system  10  is provided for facilitating payment and communication between each of a patient  12 , a healthcare provider  14 , an insurance provider  16 , and a system administrator  18 . However, it is understood other individuals or group of individuals can be included within the network communication, if desired. For example, administrators, family, and friends of the patient  12  responsible for the patient  12  can be included. In another example, a pharmacist, a medical device provider, or any other individual or group can be included in the network of communication as desired. The system  10  provides payment from the patient  12  to the healthcare provider  14  contemporaneously or instantaneously at the time of service. Payment can be provided to other individuals besides the healthcare provider if desired. As used herein, “at the time of service” means at a time while the patient  12  is within a facility, medical practice, office, or place of business of the healthcare provider  14  or where accounting or collections of costs for services provided to the patient  12  from the healthcare provider  14  are located. For example, “at the time of service” may be a time immediately after the services are rendered by the healthcare provider  14  until not more than sixty minutes after the services are rendered by the healthcare provider  14  such as when the patient  12  is leaving the facility. Additionally, “at the time of service” can further include a time immediately before the services are rendered by the healthcare provider  14  to the patient  12  such as a time between sixty minutes before the services are rendered until the services are rendered such as when the patient  12  is entering the facility and waiting for the services to be rendered. Furthermore, “at the time of service” can include the time period when the services are being rendered by the healthcare provider  14  to the patient  12 . It is understood, payment from the patient  12  to the healthcare provider  14  can be accomplished through the system  10  at any time period that is not identified above as at the time of service. 
     The patient  12  is any person receiving medical care such as preventative, curative, promotional, hospital, or rehabilitative services at a medical provider or medical facility or as otherwise defined in the healthcare community or by the insurance provider  16 . The patient  12  may or may not owe the healthcare provider  14  an out-of-pocket cost. As used herein, out-of-pocket costs, payments or expenses refers to payments or expenses not reimbursed by the insurance provider  16 , which include deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for services provided by the healthcare provider  14  covered by the insurance of the patient  12  or costs for all services not covered by the insurance of the patient  12 . The healthcare provider  14  is an individual or group of individuals providing preventative, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services or any other health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities. The healthcare provider  14  can be any healthcare provider as known to a person skilled in the art. The insurance provider  16  is an individual or group providing various health insurance plans to individuals and families as known to the person skilled in the art. The system administrator  18  is an individual, group, or system responsible for upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of the system  10 , wherein the system administrator  18  can make changes to the system  10  that will affect other users of the system such as the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , and/or the insurance provider  16 . The system administrator  18  is responsible for security settings of the system  10 , installing and updating software and hardware, access to information, and troubleshooting, for example. 
     The system  10  includes a host  20  having a memory  22  and a processor  24 . The system  10  further includes a patient interface  26 , a provider interface  28 , an insurance interface  30 , and an administrator interface  32 . In certain embodiments, the patient interface  26 , the provider interface  28 , the insurance interface  30 , and the administrator interface  32  are the same or similar interfaces. In other embodiments, the patient interface  26 , the provider interface  28 , the insurance interface  30 , and the administrator interface  32  are different interfaces customized as desired depending on the requirements or personalization of the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , the insurance provider  16 , and the system administrator  18 . 
     In certain embodiments, the interfaces  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  are a downloadable web application or software configured to allow a user to interact with a respective communication device  27 ,  29 ,  31 ,  33 . The communication devices  27 ,  29 ,  31 ,  33  can be a smartphone, such as an iPhone® smartphone, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a tablet such as an iPad® tablet, for example. However, those skilled in the art would appreciate that the invention can be practiced with other devices and configurations suitable for capturing, sending, and receiving media, including Internet appliances, hand-held devices, wearable computers, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, set-top boxes, PDAs, thin clients, and other devices and configurations as desired. The term “communication device” is intended to include all such devices. 
     The host  20  is a computer, network, or other device in communication with a network of communication devices and provides resources, services, applications, or other data to the network of communication devices. The host  20  is operated, controlled, and manipulated by the system administrator  18 . The host  20  can be a smartphone, such as an iPhone® smartphone, a laptop, a desktop, and a tablet, such as an iPad® tablet. However, those skilled in the art would appreciate that the invention can be practiced with other devices and configurations suitable for capturing, sending, and receiving information, including Internet appliances, web-based software or portals, hand-held devices, “smart” devices, wearable computers, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, set-top boxes, PDAs, cloud computing, thin clients, and other devices and configurations as desired. The term “host” is intended to include all such devices or computing services. It is understood that any number of hosts, databases, and servers may be included, as well as any other components necessary for operation of the system  10 . The memory  22  is configured for storing received information or data such as patient details such as contact details, payment accounts, and insurance details, for example. Although, it is understood the memory  22  can be configured to store other information as desired. 
     The patient interface  26  is configured to allow real-time communication between the patient  12  and the system  10  and thus between the healthcare provider  14  through the provider interface  28 , the insurance provider  16  through the insurance interface  30 , and the system administrator  18  through the administrator interface  32 . The patient interface  26  is in communication with the system  10 , wherein the patient  12  can view and edit a plurality of the information such as the patient details stored in the memory  22  in an HIPAA-compliant (i.e. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability compliant) and HTTPS-secured (i.e. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) format which is also PCI DSS (i.e. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant. The patient details include insurance details of the patient  12  such as effective date of insurance, insurance group identification number, patient identification number, insurance company name, patient name and date of birth, and dependent name(s) and date(s) of birth, for example. The patient details also include the patient contact details such as phone numbers, mailing and billing address, and email address, for example. 
     The patient details will also include the payment account information. For example, the payment account information will identify at least one of a checking account, a savings account, a debit card, a credit card, a health savings account, a flex spending account, or similar type accounts now known or later employed. The payment account information will include account identification numbers, bank routing numbers, account expiration dates, and card verification values, wherein the system  10  is configured to authorize and process a payment from one of the respective payment accounts to the healthcare provider  14 . The system  10  will also be synchronized with at least one of the payment accounts, wherein the system  10  is in real-time communication with the synchronized payment accounts. For example, the system  10  may be synchronized with a health savings account and a flex spending account, wherein the patient  12  can view a current status of each account. Accordingly, the payment account information may include login credentials for an on-line portal for each synchronized payment account, allowing the system  10  to continuously monitor the on-line portal. 
     Similarly, the system  10  is in communication with the insurance provider  16  and the insurance interface  30  through the host  20  such as through the user portal, for example, wherein the system  10  allows the patient  12  to view benefits, claim status, deductibles, and/or explanations of benefits through the patient interface  26 . 
     Additionally, the patient interface  26  may include a means for providing patient feedback with respect to the services or goods offered by the healthcare provider  14 . The feedback may be provided directly to the healthcare provider  14 , or may be collected by the system administrator  18 , wherein the system administrator  18  provides feedback to other patients  12  regarding the healthcare provider  14  via the patient interface  26 . 
     The system  10  further includes the provider interface  28  configured to facilitate real-time communication between the healthcare provider  14  and the system  10  and thus between the patient  12  through the patient interface  26 , the insurance provider  16  through the insurance interface  30 , and the system administrator  18  through the administrator interface  32 . The provider interface  28  allows the healthcare provider  14  to access the payment details provided by the patient  12  to the system  10 . The provider interface  28  can be set up as a standalone system or can be integrated into a revenue cycle management (RCM) program, electronic medical record (EMR) system, or other system employed by the healthcare provider  14 . Through the provider interface  28 , the healthcare provider  28  can also access the insurance details of the patient  12 , estimate or calculate the out-of-pocket costs of the patient  12 , and other information such as contact details or medical or accounting history. 
     The provider interface  28  of the system  10  may be customizable to accommodate various types of healthcare providers  14 , including but not limited to: health systems, multi-specialty medical practices, individual practitioner practices, free standing surgery centers, free standing radiology and laboratory centers, dental practices, therapists, optometry practices, chiropractors, mental health providers, and any other healthcare providers collecting out-of-pocket expenses of the patient  12 . 
     The system  10  further includes the insurance interface  30  configured to facilitate real-time communication between the insurance provider  16  and the system  10  and thus between the patient  12  through the patient interface  26 , the healthcare provider  14  through the provider interface  28 , and the system administrator  18  through the administrator interface  32 . Through the insurance interface  30 , the insurance provider  16  can provide, update, and edit the insurance details of the patient  12  such as services covered by the insurance for the healthcare provider  14  and deductible amounts, out-of-pocket costs, and other details as desired. 
     The system  10  further includes the administrator interface  32  configured to facilitate real-time communication between the system administrator  18  and the system  10  and thus between the patient  12  through the patient interface  26 , the healthcare provider  14  through the provider interface  28 , and the insurance provider  16  and through the insurance interface  30 . Through the administrator interface  32 , the system administrator  18  can configure, edit, troubleshoot, customize, or otherwise manipulate the system  10  that will affect other users of the system  10  such as the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , and/or the insurance provider  16 . 
     Accordingly, each of the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , and the insurance provider  16  may be in simultaneous real-time communication with the system  10 , thereby providing indirect real-time communication between each of the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , and the insurance provider  16  wherein information stored in the memory  22  is instantly available to any one of the parties. However, the system  10  may also include a real-time messaging application, such as instant messaging means or a video messaging application, or other messaging means, such as e-mail, wherein the patient  12  can communicate with any one of the healthcare provider  14 , the insurance provider  16 , and the system administrator  18  through the system  10 . 
     The method of providing payment from the patient  12  to the healthcare provider  14  is shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . Since the system  10  provides real-time, instantaneous communication between the communication devices  27 ,  29 ,  31 ,  33  through the respective interfaces  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , the order of the steps are exemplary in nature and many of the steps can occur in any order as desired or at a substantially simultaneous or instantaneous period of time. 
     Initially, in step  100 , each of the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , and the insurance provider  16  will place themselves in communication with the system  10  via the respective interfaces  26 ,  28 ,  30  by downloading and/or registering with the system  10 . As the patient  12  initially registers with the system  10 , the patient  12  will agree to terms in a consent form which will authorize payment contemporaneously to the time of service by a previous designated means. The consent form will be very similar to those consent forms currently being used in the healthcare market today. 
     In step  200 , the patient  12  contacts the healthcare provider  14  to schedule an appointment. The patient  12  may contact the healthcare provider  14  directly, via telephone or other conventional methods, or may contact the healthcare provider  14  through the instant messaging feature of the system  10 . In alternate embodiments, the healthcare provider  14  may synchronize one of the RCM program or the EMR system with the system  10 , wherein the patient  12  can view and schedule appointments via the patient interface  26 . 
     Once the appointment is scheduled, in step  300 , the healthcare provider  14  sends a notification of the upcoming appointment to the system  10 . In step  350 , the insurance provider  16  is notified from the system  10  of the scheduled appointment and verifies the benefits of the patient  12  through the insurance interface  30 . The verification is then sent back to the system  10 . 
     In step  400 , the system administrator  18  confirms that the patient  12  is in communication with the system  10 . If the patient  12  is not in communication with the system  10 , in step  450 , either one of the system administrator  18  and the healthcare provider  14  will contact the patient  12 , and request the patient  12  register with the system  10  and follow step  100 , wherein the patient  12  signs up with the system  10 . Once signed up, in step  500 , the services are then rendered to the patient  12 . In step  600 , the healthcare provider  14  notifies the system administrator  18  that the appointment has been completed through the system  10 , which may occur automatically by the entering of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code by the healthcare provider  14 . It is understood, the healthcare provider  14  may notify the system administrator  18  through the system  10  before or during the rendering of services by the healthcare provider  14 . 
     In step  700 , the system  10  then automatically draws an out-of-pocket payment amount of the patient from one of the payment accounts stored in the system  10  by the patient  12  and transfers the payment amount to the healthcare provider  14 , in step  800 . In step  800 , if the healthcare provider  14  collects an excessive payment amount from the patient  12 , the system  10  provides the ability for the healthcare provider  14  to credit back the over collected payment amount to one of the payment accounts stored in the system  10 . 
     In one embodiment, the system  10  may deduct a service fee from the payment amount. The system  10  may charge the service fee to the healthcare provider  14  based on a percentage of the total payment amount collected from the patient  12 . Alternatively, the service fee may be a flat transaction fee. This service fee covers the ongoing cost of healthcare providers  14  using the system  10 . 
     The initial set-up costs associated with the system  10  the system administrator  18  charges the healthcare providers  14 , the insurance providers  16 , and/or the patients  12  will be determined based on whichever organization uses the system  10 . The system administrator  18  then collects a percentage, to be determined, of the initial set-up fees on a continuing basis. 
     Upon completion of the transfer of the payment amount, a receipt may be provided to the patient  12  from the system  10 . In one embodiment, the receipt is posted electronically to the patient interface  26 , wherein the patient  12  can view and/or download the receipt directly from the patient interface  26 . In alternate embodiments, the system administrator  18  may send a paper receipt to the patient  12  via mail or electronically via email. The receipt includes a date and time of the appointment and payment and identification of the payment account that the payment amount was drawn from. 
     The system  10  also allows healthcare providers  14  to set limits on the payment amount, and the ability to set payment options for the patients  12 , such as selecting which payment account the payment amount will be drawn from, for example. Payment options may or may not include service fees to be charged to the patient  12 . 
     The system  10  will allow multiple healthcare providers  14 , each using different accounting platforms, to access the patient details stored on the memory  22  of the system  10 . The system  10  will also allow the patient  12  to track how much was paid to each of the healthcare providers  14 . Payment history can then be viewed through the patient interface  26 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the patient interface  26  according to an embodiment of the disclosure. It is understood the provider interface  18 , the insurance interface  30 , and the administrator interface  32  can be similar, if desired, or can include other features, action controls, or displays pertinent or desired to the respective one of the healthcare provider  14 , the insurance provider  16 , or the system administrator  18 . It is also understood, the patient interface  26  of  FIG. 4  is exemplary and can include other information, action controls, and displays, as desired. 
     According to the embodiment shown, the patient interface  26  includes a main screen  900  that appears when the patient interface  26  is launched. The main screen  900  includes a user indicia  910 . The user indicia  910  can be a user identifier or visual identifier of the patient  12 , a name of the patient  12 , a username of the patient  12 , a media such as a picture of the patient  12  or other image chosen by or for the patient  12 , and/or other identifying indicia of the patient  12 . For example, the user indicia  910  can be the name of the patient  12 , an image of the patient, and a patient account number associated with the patient  12  such as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The patient interface  26  further includes a balance amount action control  920 . The balance amount action control  920  can display a balance available in the payment account for payment to the healthcare provider  14 . When the balance amount action control  920  is selected by the patient  12 , the patient  12  can manage the payment account such as increasing or decreasing an amount of the balance available for payment to the healthcare provider  14  or the account information. 
     The patient interface  26  can further include an activity action control  930  which, upon selection by the patient  12 , can include past activity such as past payments to the healthcare providers  14  and healthcare information or future potential/estimated costs and healthcare information to and of the healthcare provider  14 . For example, upon selection of the activity action control  930 , a screen (not shown) may appear displaying past services, an amount covered by the insurance of the patient  12 , the copayment amount, the coinsurance amount, the deductible amount, any other out-of-pocket amounts, and similar type information. Also, the screen displayed upon selection of the activity action control  930  may display the services rendered by the healthcare provider  14 , the name of the healthcare provider  14 , and other information as desired. 
     Additionally, the main screen  900  can include a provider action control  940 , wherein upon selection of the provider action control  940 , a screen (not shown) is displayed permitting the patient  12  to enter or select identifying information about the scheduled appointment such as the name of the healthcare provider  14  and the services that will be rendered at the appointment. It is understood, the provider action control  940  can be on the screen provided when selecting the activity action control  940 . 
     Once the healthcare provider  14  information is entered or selected an estimate action control  950  and an approve action control  960  can be selected from the main screen  900 . According to one embodiment, the estimate action control  950  can estimate the out-of-pocket amount that is required for the specific healthcare provider  14  selected from the provider action control  940 . In another embodiment, the estimate action control  950  displays the estimate on a separate screen (not shown). Once the estimate is provided, the patient  12  can choose to approve the amount through the approve action control  960 , wherein the estimated amount is provided to the healthcare provider  14  from the account of the patient  12  through the system  10 . The payment and remaining balance is communicated to the patient interface  26 , the insurance interface  30  and the administrator interface  32 , and if required or desired, the provider interface  28 . 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, as shown, the main screen  900  can include a deductible action control  970 , a provider list action control  980 , and a reminder action control  990 . The deductible action control  970 , when selected, displays a screen (not shown) or on the main screen  900  displaying the deductible amount of the patient  12  so the patient  12  is aware of the deductible expenses required for each visit to the healthcare provider  14 . The provider list action control  980 , upon selection by the patient  12 , permits the patient  12  to view on a display screen (not shown) or the main screen  900 , in-network providers or out-of-network providers. The display screen or the main screen  900  will obtain costs associated with the healthcare provider  14  and services rendered by the healthcare provider  14  so out-of-pocket costs can be accessed by both the system  10  and the patient  12 . In an example, the provider list action control  980  may give contact information to the patient  12  for scheduling or otherwise information on services provided by the healthcare provider  14 . The reminder action control  990 , upon selection by the patient  12 , may alert the patient  12 , on a display screen (not shown) or the main screen  900 , of upcoming appointments or the need to schedule an appointment based on the health history, age, or recommendations from the healthcare providers  14 . 
     It is understood the patient interface  26  may include a login information, wherein the patient  12  must login to their account with a username and password, for example. It is also understood, the provider interface  28 , the insurance interface  30 , and the administrator interface  32  may also include login information, if desired. 
     The system  10  allows the healthcare provider  14  to collect out-of-pocket costs instantaneously at the time of service provided by the healthcare provider  14  to the patient  12 , thereby minimizing post-appointment collection efforts and dramatically increasing cash flow to the healthcare provider  14 . In most scenarios, the healthcare providers  14  want to collect more out-of-pocket costs such as copayments, especially. The system  10  solves the problem of the patients  12  not paying when payment is due. The system  10  guarantees a payment will be made if a payment is due immediately. Also, certain healthcare providers  14  outsource payment facilities and do not have the resources or time to deal with finances so this system  10  permits the payments to be received at the time of service without burdening the healthcare providers  14 . This also advantageously eliminates the need for staff of the healthcare provider  14  to attempt to collect money from the patients  12 , and drastically minimizes the collection process after the patient  12  leaves the facility of the healthcare provider  14 . Instantaneous collection of payments at the time of service cannot be accomplished with known systems and methods without undesired burden. In known methods and systems, the patient  12 , the healthcare provider  14 , the insurance provider  16 , and the system administrator  18  are not in instant real-time communication. Therefore, it takes a longer amount of time to obtain insurance information, to calculate out-of-pocket costs, to obtain payment. With the system  10  according to the instant disclosure, the obtaining insurance information, calculating out-of-pocket costs, and obtaining payment is instantaneous. Post-service processes and costs are minimized due to the system  10 . For example, the system  10  minimizes invoices being sent through mail or email and insurance processing at a time after the services are rendered 
     From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.