Abstract: This invention includes a health savings and financial application that analyzes an electronic medical record with patient data and with protocol and complexity data to determine if there is a new insurable event. If no, then the patient pays for discretionary care. However, if there is a nondiscretionary insurable event, then the medical record is used to relate the actual severity of the primary morbidity, co-morbidities, specific diagnosis and treatment, and local market factors matched with the complexity levels developed by specialists and matched for the subject patient to create an appropriate protocol at the appropriate complexity level by a matching algorithm. This match is communicated to the insurer or a healthcare manager and triggers payment by the selected complexity level of a particular protocol as a lump sum into the patient's health savings account.

Abstract: A health care finance system according to the invention features an expanded health care savings and asset account that may be funded in a variety of ways. An insurance carrier is paid a premium out of the account. When a patient sees a health care provider, the health care provider generates an electronic medical work-up. The work-up is analyzed by software, which determines an appropriate protocol and complexity level associated with the patient's condition. The protocol and complexity level are then transmitted to the insurance carrier, and the insurance carrier makes a global payment directly into the patient's health care asset account based on the determined protocol and complexity level. The patient accesses those funds directly, e.g., using an electronic debit card, to pay the health care provider.