| 摘要 |
An inventory management system provided by an inventory management service provider senses removal of medical items from inventory to be dispensed to a patient. The system processes billing information to identify the patient's medical insurance provider, to identify a medical item supplier that is the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider, and to determine whether the inventory management service provider is the identified preferred biller. If the inventory management service provider is the preferred biller, the system generates an invoice from the inventory management service provider to bill the patient's medical insurance provider. If the inventory management service provider is not the preferred biller, the system sends the billing information to the medical item supplier identified as the preferred biller, and generates a billing-only invoice directed to the medical item supplier identified as the preferred biller, which invoice is remit to the inventory management service provider. |
| 主权项 |
1. An inventory management system for managing information regarding medical items dispensed in conjunction with medical treatment of patients of a medical facility, the inventory management system provided by an inventory management service provider that is also a medical item supplier, the inventory management system comprising:
one or more inventory sensors for sensing removal of one or more medical items from an inventory space of the medical facility to be dispensed to a patient, and for generating item usage information indicative of an identity and quantity of the one or more medical items removed; one or more computers in communication with the one or more inventory sensors, the one or more computers configured to store and manage the item usage information and billing information for medical items dispensed to patients, the billing information including information regarding the patients, medical insurance providers and medical item suppliers, the billing information also including information that associates each of the patients with a medical insurance provider to which medical expenses incurred by the patent are to be billed, the billing information further including information that associates each medical insurance provider with a medical item supplier that is a preferred biller for the medical insurance provider; and one or more software applications executed on the one or more computers associated with the medical facility, the one or more software applications including:
computer-executable instructions which, when executed, associate the item usage information with patient information that identifies the patient to which the one or more medical items are dispensed;computer-executable instructions which, when executed, process the billing information to identify the patient's medical insurance provider;computer-executable instructions which, when executed, process the billing information to identify the medical item supplier that is the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider;computer-executable instructions which, when executed, determine whether the inventory management service provider is the medical item supplier identified as the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider;computer-executable instructions which, when executed, generate an invoice from the inventory management service provider to bill the patient's medical insurance provider when it is determined that the inventory management service provider is the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider; andcomputer-executable instructions which, when executed, send the billing information to the medical item supplier identified as the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider when it is determined that the inventory management service provider is not the preferred biller for the patient's medical insurance provider. |
