Patent ID: 7434729

Claim:
A method to facilitate a purchase from a healthcare provider by a purchaser via a financial institution, comprising: receiving, at a host computer controlled by the financial institution, a request from the provider for payment for a charge incurred by the purchaser for the purchase; placing a hold on funds in an amount of the charge in at least one funding source selected from the group consisting of a consumer-directed healthcare plan (CDHP) account and a non-CDHP account, wherein the at least one funding source is maintained by the financial institution; adjudicating the amount of the charge to determine an amount payable to the provider; releasing, after adjudication is complete, the hold on the funds and settling with the provider in the amount payable to the provider; determining what portion of the amount payable to the provider is payable by an insurer; determining, at a host computer controlled by the financial institution, what portion of the amount payable to the provider is payable by the purchaser; and withdrawing the purchaser payable portion from the at least one funding source, wherein the withdrawing comprises: if the purchase qualifies as a healthcare related expense, then withdrawing at least a portion of the purchaser payable portion from the CDHP account, if the CDHP account has insufficient funds to cover the purchaser payable portion, then withdrawing any required additional funds from the non-CDHP account, and if the purchase does not qualify as a healthcare related expense, then withdrawing all of the purchaser payable amount from the non-CDHP account.