Patent ID: 8639579

Claim:
An apparatus for managing requests for medical transportation, comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions stored in computer-readable media; at least one non-transitory computer readable media having stored thereupon a plurality of service level rules, the service level rules expressing associations between service levels of medical transportation and patient diagnoses, patient equipment needs during transportation, and patient medication needs during transportation; the at least one non-transitory computer readable media further having stored thereupon a plurality of business rules, the business rules including rules expressing associations between locations of transportation, rules representing contractual provisions governing responsibility for a cost of requested transportation, and contractual transportation performance standards comprising response times for providing requested transportation; an interface, running on the processor, for receiving, at the apparatus, a first request for transportation; a rules engine, running on the processor and configured to receive the first request from the interface and to access the at least one non-transitory computer readable media, the rules engine being configured to, prior to a dispatch of transportation associated with the received first request, cause the processor to: (1) apply said service level rules to details of the received first request for transportation, to determine a service level for said requested transportation, (2) apply said business rules to the details of the received first request to determine performance standards for the requested transportation, and (3) apply said business rules to details of the received first request to determine responsibility for a cost of the requested transportation; and wherein the apparatus further comprises a module configured to cause a second request for transportation to be dispatched from the apparatus based on the service level and performance standards determined by the rules engine.