National Multiple Sclerosis Society Partners with MedBillManager

July 18, 2007 Nashville, Tennessee- change:healthcare and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Mid South Chapter, are proud to announce the launch of a new and innovative co-branded pilot program MedBillManager, an online tool for consumers to more effectively manage and evaluate their healthcare expenses.

MedBillManager, www.medbillmanager.com, is the first tool developed and launched by change:healthcare. This easy-to-use online program provides individuals with a secure and inexpensive method for managing healthcare expenses. Specifically, the program helps consumers organize their medical expenditures, simplifying everything from provider bills and insurance statements to payment status and calculations of tax-deductible medical expenses.

“Non-profit health organizations, and the people they serve, are at the heart of change:healthcare’s business goals,” said Christopher Parks, change:healthcare. “By launching this pilot program with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Mid South Chapter, change:healthcare intends to provide a program for individuals to gain more control over their healthcare options.”
Cutting through the clutter
By accessing resources on MedBillManager, a person with MS and their care partners would be able to anonymously compare their medical expenses to those of individuals in their area receiving comparable services and capitalize on opportunities for cost effective healthcare alternatives.
Annual subscription for members of the Mid South Chapter of the National MS Society is $19.95 for up to twelve users on one account, a special rate for the National MS Society’s Mid South Chapter. A significant portion of the profits will be contributed to the Mid South Chapter in support of local programs and services for people with MS.

Serving as the pilot organization for MedBillManager is very exciting. Through this partnership we are one of the first non-profit organizations in our area to have a unique solution to offer membership. We know the many challenges people with MS and their care partners face in managing the sometimes confusing medical paperwork and information and having a solution that is easy to use and can be accessed virtually anywhere will make a difference.”

A Solution from someone who knows
Christopher Parks, co-founder of change:healthcare, started the company in 2006 after both of his parents passed away within a year of one another. They each suffered lengthy and costly illnesses. According to Parks, “My entire professional career has been spent in the healthcare industry, and still I was overwhelmed by the bills, EOBs, statements, and denials of claims ― not to mention having to deal with the emotional weight of losing my parents. That experience inspired me to do something that would give those who need it more confidence to deal with the healthcare system – something that would help people figure out who they owe, what they owe and what constitutes a fair price. I can only imagine what it’s like to live with a chronic health issue like MS and the paperwork associated with it. It’s intimidating to say the least.”

The program was developed to accommodate America’s healthcare versatility. “Portions of MedBillManager have been customized to the needs of people with MS, but the software is built to support the full range of healthcare issues,” said Christopher Parks, co-founder of change:healthcare. “For a nation that spends $2.2 trillion on healthcare, MedBillManger is a unique tool for improving the way any individual with medical expenses manages their healthcare.”

About change:healthcare
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, change:healthcare (www.changehealthcare.com) was founded by Christopher Parks in 2006 after the loss of both of his parents to lengthy illnesses. With a mission to make healthcare easier, the company produces web applications that are user friendly, and make navigating the healthcare system easier while additionally promoting transparency in the healthcare market. The change:healthcare product line includes MedBillManager (MedBillManager.com) and FindYourDoc (FindYourDoc.com). Please visit www.medbillmanager.com and click on the link for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for more information.

About the Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. We fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.

Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society’s Mid South Chapter at www.msmidsouth.org or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

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