Patent ID: 8548830

Claim:
A method for assisting a patient with selection of a one of a provider and a facility for an identified medical procedure comprising: accessing via an online server medical profile information of the patient and a family of the patient; accessing via an online server medical plan information of the patient and the family of the patient; obtaining via an online server responses to one or more questions about the patient, including indication of at least one medical procedure for the patient; evaluating by a processor the medical profile information, the medical plan information, and the responses to one or more questions to compile a patient profile; determining by a processor combinations of providers and facilities to handle the at least one medical procedure for the patient using information obtained from healthcare providers, healthcare facilities serviced by a medical plan available to the patient, and the patient profile; providing by the processor a list of options for handling the at least one medical procedure for the patient, the options include both in-network and out-of-network options and the options are ranked according to least cost over a predetermined period of time, wherein each option includes one or more providers and one or more facilities for performing the at least one medical procedure and further wherein at least one out-of-network option costs less over the predetermined period of time than one or more in-network options.