Patent ID: 8768796

Claim:
A method of tracking a financial status associated with a health care facility, the method comprising: receiving with a computer a first account receivable value; receiving with the computer an actual payment value associated with the first account receivable value; comparing the actual payment value and the first account receivable value using the computer to determine an actual realization amount; receiving with the computer a second account receivable value subsequent in time to receiving the first account receivable value; calculating with the computer a net receivable value for association with the second account receivable value, the net receivable value calculated using the second account receivable value and the actual realization amount; calculating an expected unrealized value with the computer, the expected unrealized value being a difference between the net receivable value and the second account receivable value; calculating an expected reserve amount for the health care facility with the computer by summation of a reserve value and the expected unrealized value, wherein the reserve comprises expected charity care and expected discounts, and the expected reserve amount forecasts a reserve shortfall or surplus for financial planning of the health care facility; generating a display with the computer that is indicative of the expected reserve amount; and communicating the display to an output device via an interface device included in the computer.