Method and system for managing consumer-directed accounts

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method and a system for substantiating claims prior to payment from consumer-directed accounts. A computer implemented method for providing consumer-directed account management comprising the steps of receiving a request for payment for a transaction wherein the request comprises claim data identifying the transaction and a payment amount; adjudicating the request to determine claim eligibility; requesting a validation of available funds in a consumer-directed account associated with a participant for the payment amount, wherein a party contributes a predetermined amount of funds to the consumer-directed account; receiving a confirmation indicating whether the consumer-directed account contains sufficient funds to cover the payment amount; and transmitting a validation message indicating payment validation and claim eligibility.

Claims

1-34. (canceled)

35. A computer implemented method for providing consumer-directed account management, the computer implemented method comprising the steps of: an interface at an account manager receiving a first electronic message comprising a request for payment from a healthcare provider for a transaction, the request comprising claim data identifying a type of transaction and a payment amount; a computer processor at the account manager adjudicating the request and determining that the type of transaction is for a valid medical purpose; the computer processor at the account manager communicating a second electronic message to a payment processor comprising a request for confirmation that a consumer-directed account contains sufficient funds to cover the payment amount from a payment processor; the computer processor at the account manager receiving a third electronic message from the payment processor comprising confirmation that the consumer-directed account contains sufficient funds; and the computer processor at the account manager settling the transaction by electronically sending a payment for the payment amount from the consumer-directed account to the healthcare provider.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the healthcare provider is one of a pharmacy and a merchant of healthcare products.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the type of transaction comprises a drug transaction.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the type of transaction comprises a medical procedure transaction.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the type of transaction comprises a medical device transaction.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the consumer-directed account is one of a FSA account, a MSA account, and an HRA account.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the appended drawings. These drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention, but are intended to be exemplary only.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a system for managing consumer-directed accounts, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for managing consumer-directed accounts, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 3 is another exemplary flowchart of a method for facilitating a card transaction, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 4 is another exemplary flowchart of a method for facilitating manual claim submission, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

[0026] An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method and system for electronically substantiating claims prior to payment from consumer-directed accounts, such as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). An embodiment of the present invention may substantiate expenses by using direct links to participants in healthcare and other transactions to receive and adjudicate transaction-level claims information. Electronically substantiating claims prior to payment eliminates or reduces the problems associated with migrating from the current manual processes to stored value programs. Exemplary spending categories may include but are not limited to pharmaceuticals, co-payments (co-pays), dental expenses and eye care services, for example. An embodiment of the present invention may also relate to Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, or other consumer-directed accounts, including consumer-directed savings accounts. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to facilitating settlement and messaging throughout a transaction cycle.

[0027] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a system for managing consumer-directed accounts, according to an embodiment of the present invention. A participant (e.g., employee, etc.) may engage in a transaction for healthcare products and/or services (e.g., prescription drugs) through an entity, such as Pharmacy 110. Pharmacy 110 may be a retail store, a mail order facility, a physician affiliated store or other entity providing products and/or services. In response to the participant's request for one or more products and/or services, Pharmacy 110 may transmit claim data to a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) 112, as shown by 150. This transmission may be in electronic, paper, or other format. In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, communication may be established via Internet, Ethernet, Intranet, wireless communication and/or other modes of electronic communication or other form of communication. Claim data may include information associated with the one or more products and/or services requested by the participant. For example, claim data may include participant name, social security number (or other identifier), insurance provider data, prescription code data, payment amount due data, transaction data and/or other information.

[0028] PBM 112 may manage claims from one or more pharmacies and perform claim adjudication. For example, Pharmacy 110 may verify claim or prescription eligibility and determine a participant co-pay amount through PBM 112. More specifically, PBM 112 may adjudicate the claim, which may involve determining whether the transaction is covered by insurance (or other entity) and the amount owed by the participant (e.g., the self-pay due). PBM 112 may transmit claim data with self-pay due information to Account Manager 120, as shown by 152. Self-pay due may represent the remaining balance due or the amount due by the participant. For example, a participant may purchase a prescription drug from Pharmacy 110. Based at least in part on information provided by Pharmacy 110, PBM 112 may determine that the prescription drug will cost $100, where $80 will be covered by insurance and the participant will be liable for $20 (e.g., the self-pay due). Thus, PBM 112 may determine the amount owed by the participant and payable by the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), if funds are available and if the claim is eligible for payment.

[0029] PBM 112 may implement an internal process for determining which transmissions (e.g., claim data with self-pay due information) are to be sent to Account Manager 120. In addition, PBM 112 may also determine a preferred method of communication with Account Manager 120. According to another example, PBM 112 may receive a list of participants (or other identifiers) from Account Manager 120 (or other source) indicating which transmissions are to be forwarded to Account Manager 120 for further processing, including claim eligibility determination, funds availability determination and other determinations.

[0030] Account Manager 120 may adjudicate the claim, which may involve substantiation of the claim based on eligibility requirements (e.g., FSA or other requirements). Account Manager 120 may provide management functionality associated with consumer-directed accounts. For example, Account Manager 120 may include functionality associated with claim eligibility determination, funds availability determination and other determinations. More specifically, Account Manager 120 may determine whether the claim is eligible for FSA (or other) payment (e.g., whether the transaction is for a valid medical purpose) and whether the account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) associated with the participant has available funds to cover the self-pay due. In addition, other determinations may be performed by Account Manager 120.

[0031] Claim eligibility module 122 may determine whether the transaction qualifies for payment. For example, FSA (or other) payment may be restricted for certain types of transactions. For example, if the claim is associated with valid prescription drugs, such as antibiotics for an illness or other infection, the claim may be considered a valid medical expense. However, if the claim is for cosmetic purposes or other enhancements, such as certain anti-aging products, the claim may not be eligible for payment s from the consumer-directed account. Account Manager 120 may adjudicate individual expenses against established guidelines (e.g., IRS guidelines) to determine eligibility. In addition, Account Manager 120 may provide a mechanism for FSA (or other) sponsors, such as employers or Third Party Administrators, to add additional eligibility restrictions based on specific requirements of a particular FSA (or other consumer directed account) program. In addition, other restrictions may be applied in determining claim eligibility.

[0032] Once claim eligibility is determined, Funds Availability Module 124 may determine whether the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account) has sufficient funds to cover the self-pay due. Account Manager 120 may send an authorization request to Processor 130 to validate the available funds in the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account), as shown by 154. PBM 112, Account Manager 120 and/or Processor 130 may or may not be the same entity. For example, Account Manager 120 and Processor 130 may be separately operated, associated with each other or operated by the same entity. Other arrangements and/or associations may be implemented. The authorization request may be received by Validate Funds Module 142. If funds are available, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a confirmation to Account Manager 120 indicating that sufficient funds are available in the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account), as shown by 156. If funds are unavailable, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a message to Account Manager 120 indicating that the participant is unable to finance the purchase through the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account), and may therefore remit a different form of payment to Pharmacy 110. In addition, the consumer-directed account may have funds to cover a portion of the self-pay due amount. In this case, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a message to Account Manager 120 indicating that a portion of the self-pay due may be payable through the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account) with the remaining amount due by the participant. Other functionality may be provided as shown by Other Modules 126 and 146.

[0033] Once claim eligibility and funds availability are determined, Account Manager 120 may send a validation message to PBM 112 indicating status of claim eligibility and availability of consumer-directed account funds, as shown by 158. In response, PBM 112 may send a claim response to Pharmacy 110 with data related to an amount payable by insurance, PBM or other entity, amount payable by consumer-directed account and self-pay due, if any, as shown by 160. This response may be in electronic, paper, or other format. For example, the claim response may indicate that insurance will cover $80 of the prescription and $20 has been paid from the consumer-directed account. As such, the participant does not need to remit payment to Pharmacy 110. In another example, if the consumer-directed account does not have sufficient funds to cover the participant's portion of the prescription cost, the participant will have to pay the remaining balance. For example, the claim response may indicate that insurance will cover $80 of the prescription, the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) will cover $10 and the participant will be responsible for the remaining $10.

[0034] The participant may then receive the requested services and/or products from Pharmacy 110. An embodiment of the present invention provides real time or batch claim substantiation to validate that a claim is for a valid purpose and remits the payment due by the participant from the consumer-directed account, if funds are available. Therefore, granted the participant has available funds in the consumer-directed account, the participant incurs no out of pocket costs and manual claim submission is unnecessary. Moreover, because authorization may be based on specific transaction-level data, there is no or minimal risk of non-compliance with guidelines (e.g., IRS guidelines) for the types of purchases that may be made through a consumer-directed account.

[0035] To finalize the settlement, Account Manager 120 may make a payment to PBM 112 for the amount payable by the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account). In response, PBM 112 may make a payment to Pharmacy 110 for the amount payable by the consumer-directed account. In another example, PBM 112 may make a payment to Pharmacy 110 and receive subsequent payment from Account Manager 120. Other payment arrangements and sequences may be implemented. Payment from Account Manager 120 to PBM 112 may be made through an impress or other account.

[0036] According to another example, Pharmacy 110 may communicate directly with Account Manager 120, as shown by 192. In this example, Pharmacy 110 may transmit claim data with prescription drug identifiers as well as other information to Account Manager 120. Account Manager 120 may then substantiate the claim and debit the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) accordingly, as discussed above.

[0037] In another example, a participant (e.g., employee, etc.) may receive services and/or products from a Healthcare Provider 114. For example, a participant may visit a doctor or hospital (or other healthcare provider) to receive treatment, advice or other services and/or products. Healthcare Provider 114 may include a physician, hospital, specialist, psychologist, physical therapist, optometrist, dentist or other provider. In response to the participant's visit, Healthcare Provider 114 may transmit claim data to an Insurer 116, as shown by 162. This transmission may be in electronic, paper, or other format. In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, communication may be established via Internet, Ethernet, Intranet, wireless communication and/or other modes of electronic communication or other form of communication. Claim data may include information associated with the visit, such as treatment type and other services performed by the healthcare provider. For example, claim data may include participant name, social security number (or other identifier), insurance provider data, payment amount due data, transaction data and/or other information.

[0038] Insurer 116 may manage claims from one or more healthcare providers and perform claim adjudication. For example, Healthcare Provider 114 may verify insurance eligibility and determine a participant co-pay amount through Insurer 116. More specifically, Insurer 116 may adjudicate the claim, which may involve determining whether the transaction is covered by insurance (or other entity) and the amount owed by the participant (e.g., the self-pay due). Insurer 116 may transmit claim data with self-pay due information to Account Manager 120, as shown by 164. Self-pay due may represent the remaining balance due or the amount due by the participant. For example, a participant may visit a doctor to receive treatment or other services (e.g., x-rays, blood tests, etc.) from Healthcare Provider 114. Based at least in part on information provided by Healthcare Provider 114, Insurer 116 may determine that the treatment will cost $100, where $80 will be covered by insurance and the participant will be liable for $20 (e.g., the self-pay due). Thus, Insurer 116 may determine the amount owed by the participant and payable by the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), if funds are available and if the claim is eligible for payment.

[0039] Insurer 116 may implement an internal process for determining which transmissions (e.g., claim data with self-pay due information) are to be sent to Account Manager 120. In addition, Insurer 116 may also determine a preferred method of communication with Account Manager 120. According to another example, Insurer 116 may receive a list of participants (or other identifiers) from Account Manager 120 (or other source) indicating which transmissions are to be forwarded to Account Manager 120 for further processing, including claim eligibility determination, funds availability determination and other determinations.

[0040] Account Manager 120 may adjudicate the claim, which may involve substantiation of the claim based on eligibility requirements (e.g., FSA or other requirements). Account Manager 120 may provide management functionality associated with consumer-directed accounts. For example, Account Manager 120 may include functionality associated with claim eligibility determination, funds availability determination and other determinations. More specifically, Account Manager 120 may determine whether the claim is eligible for FSA (or other) payment (e.g., whether the transaction is for a valid medical purpose) and whether the account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) associated with the participant has available funds to cover the self-pay due. In addition, other determinations may be performed by Account Manager 120.

[0041] Claim eligibility module 122 may determine whether the transaction qualifies for payment. For example, FSA (or other) payment may be restricted for certain types of transactions. For example, if the claim is associated with a medical visit, such as a check-up or other treatment, the claim may be considered a valid medical purpose. However, if the claim is for cosmetic purposes, such as teeth whitening or anti-aging treatments, the claim may not be eligible for payment from the consumer-directed account. Account Manager 120 may adjudicate individual expenses against established guidelines (e.g., IRS guidelines) to determine eligibility. In addition, Account Manager 120 may provide a mechanism for FSA (or other) sponsors, such as employers or Third Party Administrators, to add additional eligibility restrictions based on specific requirements of a particular FSA (or other consumer-directed account) program. In addition, other restrictions may be applied in determining claim eligibility.

[0042] Once claim eligibility is determined, Funds Availability Module 124 may determine whether the participant's consumer-directed account has sufficient funds to cover the self-pay due. Account Manager 120 may send an authorization request to Processor 130 to validate the available funds in the participant's consumer-directed account, as shown by 154. Insurer 116, Account Manager 120 and/or Processor 130 may or may not be the same entity. For example, Account Manager 120 and Processor 130 may be separately operated, associated with each other or operated by the same entity. Other arrangements and/or associations may be implemented. The authorization request may be received by Validate Funds Module 142. If funds are available, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a confirmation to Account Manager 120 indicating that sufficient funds are available in the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account), as shown by 156. If funds are unavailable, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a message to Account Manager 120 indicating that the participant is unable to finance the purchase through the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account) and may therefore remit a different form of payment to Healthcare Provider 114. In addition, the consumer-directed account may have funds to cover a portion of the self-pay due amount. In this case, Confirm Funds Module 144 may send a message to Account Manager 120 indicating that a portion of the self-pay due may be payable through the participant's consumer-directed account with the remaining amount due by the participant. Other functionality may be provided as shown by Other Modules 126 and 146.

[0043] Once claim eligibility and funds availability are determined, Account Manager 120 may send a validation message to Insurer 116 indicating status of claim eligibility and availability of consumer-directed account funds, as shown by 166. Insurer 116, Account Manager 120 and/or Processor 130 may or may not be the same entity. For example, for HRA, Insurer 116 and Account Manager 120 may be operated by the same entity. Other combinations may be implemented. In response, Insurer 116 may send a claim response to Healthcare Provider 114 with data related to an amount payable by insurance or other entity, amount payable by consumer-directed account and self-pay due, if any, as shown by 168. This response may be in electronic, paper, or other format. For example, the claim response may indicate that insurance will cover $80 of the treatment and $20 has been paid from the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account). As such, the participant does not need to remit payment to Healthcare Provider 114 directly. In another example, if the participant's account (e.g., consumer-directed account) does not have sufficient funds to cover the participant's portion of the cost, the participant will have to pay the remaining balance. For example, the claim response may indicate that insurance will cover $80 of the treatment, the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) will cover $10 and the participant will be responsible for the remaining $10.

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention provides real time or batch claim substantiation to validate that a claim is for a valid purpose and remits the payment due by the participant from the consumer-directed account, if funds are available. Therefore, granted the participant has available funds in the consumer-directed account, the participant incurs no out of pocket costs and manual claim submission is unnecessary. Moreover, because authorization may be based on specific transaction-level data, there is no or minimal risk of non-compliance with guidelines (e.g., IRS guidelines) for the types of purchases that may be made through a consumer-directed account.

[0045] To finalize the settlement, Account Manager 120 may make a payment to Insurer 116 for the amount payable by the participant account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account). In response, Insurer 116 may make a payment to Healthcare Provider 114 for the amount payable by the participant FSA account. In another example, Insurer 116 may make a payment to Healthcare Provider 114 and receive subsequent payment from Account Manager 120. Other payment arrangements and sequences may be implemented. Payment may be made through an impress or other account.

[0046] According to another example, Healthcare Provider 114 may communicate directly with Account Manager 120, as shown by 194. In this example, Healthcare Provider 114 may transmit claim data with treatment codes or identifiers, payment amount, as well as other information to Account Manager 120. Account Manager 120 may then substantiate the claim and debit the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account) accordingly, as discussed above.

[0047] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, Pharmacy 110 and Healthcare Provider 114 may represent any entity providing services and/or products to a participant. In addition, PBM 112, Insurer 116, Account Manager 120, Processor 130 and/or TPA 134 may operate in various combinations or separately. Further, various connections may also be implemented. For example, TPA 134 may establish a direct (or other) connectivity program between TPA 134 and PBM 112 and/or Insurer 116. Other variations may be implemented.

[0048] An embodiment of the present invention may also support other transaction environments. For example, a participant may purchase one or more products and/or services through Merchant Provider 132. Merchant Provider 132 may include any retail store, website, telephone contact or other point of sale. The participant may engage in a transaction using a card (or other identifier). In addition, the participant may purchase the one or more products and/or services via the Internet, phone order or other point of sale by providing an identifier (e.g., account number, password, PIN, etc.) associated with a participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account). Merchant Provider 132 may send an authorization/payment request to Processor 130, as shown by 170, in response to a card swipe at a Point of Sale terminal, for example, or other transaction (e.g., Internet, phone order, or other point of sale transaction), which may or may not involve an actual card. In response, Processor 130 may send a confirmation to Merchant Provider 132 indicating that the transaction is or is not approved. Processor 130 may request a debit from an employer impress account 140 associated with the participant for the card transaction amount. Impress Account 140 may be a reserve account providing an aggregate representation of a plurality of participants participating in the FSA (or other consumer-directed account) program for a particular employer (or other entity). A fraction of the impress account may be set aside to cover a particular participant's FSA (or other consumer-directed account) plan. Impress Account 140 may be replenished periodically, when the balance is below a predetermined amount or based on other criteria. The PBM and/or Insurer payments discussed above may be made from Impress Account 140 or other account, such as a fully funded account, partially funded account, etc.

[0049] According to another example, Account Manager 120 may communicate directly with Merchant Provider 132, as shown by 196. For example, Merchant Provider 132 may support a Point of Sale (POS) System 133 for communication with Account Manager 120. POS System 133 may represent any electronic system used by a merchant (or other entity) to manage and track the sale of products and/or services, such as an accounting system, an inventory management system or other system. In this example, Merchant Provider 132 may send claim data to Account Manager 120 through POS System 133. Account Manager 120 may substantiate the claim and debit the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), if the claim is eligible and if funds are available. POS System 133 may be separate from or part of Merchant Provider 132.

[0050] An embodiment of the present invention may also support manual claim submissions. Employee 136 (or other participant) may manually submit one or more paper claims to a Third Party Administrator (TPA) 134 for reimbursement of expenses, such as healthcare expenses (or other transactions) from a participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), as shown by 180. TPA 134 may determine or confirm whether the claims are eligible for reimbursement (or other payment). TPA 134 may send a claim batch which may include transfer of data to Processor 130 for claim approval, via 182. The claim batch may include a plurality of claim data for one or more participants received by TPA 134 during a predetermined time (e.g., a number of hours, a day, etc.). Processor 130 may determine whether sufficient funds are available. In response, Processor 130 may provide a confirmation to TPA 134 that sufficient funds are available or unavailable in a participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), via 184. If funds are available for full or partial reimbursement, TPA 134 may then forward a payment to employee 136 (or other participant) for an approved reimbursement, as shown by 186.

[0051] In addition, Processor 130 may also generate a data report which may include account balance data, claim status and/or other information. The data report may be generated and transmitted to TPA 134 daily or at other time intervals. TPA 134 may also transmit a funding request to Employer 138, as shown by 188, which may include a request to replenish Impress Account 140. The funding request may be based on various factors, such as a disbursement exceeding a threshold amount and/or other triggers. In response, Employer 138 may replenish Impress Account 140 for a predetermined or variable amount, as shown by 190. For example, if the consumer-directed account is fully funded and does not draw on a partially-funded Impress Account, TPA 134 may not be required to submit a funding request to Employer 138.

[0052] FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for managing consumer-directed accounts, according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step 210, a provider may transmit claim data to PBM, Insurer or other entity. At step 212, the PBM, Insurer or other entity may transmit claim data with a self-pay due to an Account Manager. The Account Manager may provide management functionality for consumer-directed accounts, such as FSA, MSA, HRA, etc. At step 214, the Account Manager may adjudicate the claim, which may involve determining claim eligibility and funds availability. At step 216, Account Manager may send an authorization request to the Processor for funds availability validation. At step 218, the Processor may verify funds availability. At step 220, the Processor may send a confirmation to Account Manager in response. Based on the funds available in the participant's account (e.g., FSA, MSA, HRA or other consumer-directed account), the confirmation may indicate that funds are available, unavailable or partially available. At step 222, Account Manager may send a validation message to the PBM, Insurer or other entity. At step 224, the PBM, Insurer or other entity may transmit a claim response to the provider who initiated the transaction. At step 226, the Account Manager may send a payment to the PBM, Insurer or other entity. At step 228, the PBM, Insurer or other entity may send the payment to the Provider. In another example, step 228 may occur before step 226. Other variations in sequence may be implemented.

[0053] FIG. 3 is another exemplary flowchart of a method for facilitating a card transaction, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In connection with the functionality associated with the Account Manager, card transaction functionality may also be provided by an embodiment of the present invention. At step 310, a Merchant Provider may send an authorization or payment request to a Processor. At step 312, the Processor may send a confirmation to the Merchant Provider that the card transaction has been approved. At step 314, the Processor may send a request to debit an employer Impress Account. Settlement may take place through an Impress Account or other account.

[0054] FIG. 4 is another exemplary flowchart of a method for facilitating manual claim submission, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In connection with the functionality associated with the Account Manager, manual claim submission functionality may also be provided by an embodiment of the present invention. At step 410, a participant (e.g., employee) may submit one or more claim forms for reimbursement to a TPA. In addition, the TPA may determine claim eligibility. At step 412, a TPA may send a claim batch for claim approval to a Processor. At step 414, the Processor may confirm that sufficient funds are available or not. At step 416, the participant may receive payment for approved reimbursement. At step 418, the Processor may send a data report to the TPA. At step 420, the TPA may send a funding request to replenish an impress account. At step 422, the employer may execute the account replenishment.

[0055] The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of the present invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the following appended claims. Further, although the present invention has been described herein in the context of a particular implementation in a particular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the present invention can be beneficially implemented in any number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breath and spirit of the present invention as disclosed herein.