the service provider administrators 120 the service provider senior managers 130 the self pay management system sales personnel 230 and the self pay management system managers 240 the reports 217 can be generated on time based or event based schedules depending on the nature and urgency of the report delivery can be effected by email 104 a ftp file transfer protocol or xmltp extensible markup language transfer protocol 104 b web posting 104 c or traditional postal services 104 d the flow diagrams of fig5 a 5d show areas in a service provider 39 s accounting and revenue processes in which the self pay management system can be used referring to fig5 a at registration 140 the registrar can submit the identification information of the patient or guarantor this information can be transmitted to the self pay management system which can u2014 in real time u2014 provide the registrar with guidance about whether to offer a payment plan tailored to the patient 39 s or guarantor 39 s financial profile or to refer the patient or guarantor to a medicaid qualification counselor or outside vendor in cases of registration for emergency services 141 a medical screening exam and initial treatment will often precede a complete acquisition of information and will generally precede payment collection procedures if the self pay management system has been tasked with coordinating insurance verification then any information on co pays or deductible amounts owed at the time of service can be obtained during treatment in the emergency department.