Patent ID: 8036962

Claim:
A computer implemented method for determining payers of cost events in a billing environment, the method comprising: storing, in a memory device, prior to the occurrence of a plurality of different types of cost events, payer definition data that defines payers related to the plurality of different types of cost events, wherein the payer definition data comprises identifiers representing different types of services or goods and a name of a payer for each specific type of service or good, wherein the name of the payer for each specific type of service or good is independently determined based on a role of a participant; providing cost event data that relates to a cost event, each unit of the cost event data comprising at least a name of a first participant, a name of a second participant, and an identifier representing a service or good relating to the cost event, wherein each participant is associated with a role included in the cost event data; providing additional data, wherein the additional data comprises at least one of geographical data, customer account data, and contract relationship data; analyzing, using a processor, the cost event data, the payer definition data, and the additional data according to a predetermined priority to identify, based on the role and the identifier included in the cost event data, the identifiers and the name of the payer for each specific type of service or good included in the payer definition data, and the additional data, a payer of the cost event to thereby determine which of the first and second participants is a payer of the cost event; and creating an invoice for the cost event to request payment from the identified payer.