About change:healthcare
Out of Tragedy, a Commitment to Change Healthcare is Born
When both of Christopher Parks’ parents passed away within a year of each other in 2006, he was left with more than just grief. He was left with piles of medical bills, EOBs, and insurance statements. He soon realized that despite having worked within the healthcare industry his entire career, sorting through piles of medical bills and related documents was more than frustrating. It was nearly impossible.
Christopher struggled just to fulfill the never-ending demands of the documents: “Pay this doctor this much, send insurance this much, pay this hospital this much.” While in the end he managed to complete all of the demands, he was left wondering if this was really how healthcare was supposed to work for consumers. Had he been properly reimbursed by his insurance? Had he paid too much? Was anything left outstanding? Christopher began to develop a deeper conviction that consumers shouldn’t be saddled with the entire burden. More so, consumers need access to much more information in order to make reasonably intelligent decisions about their healthcare. They were pawns in the healthcare paperwork game, but it was time for something different.
In early 2006, Christopher began turning his resolve of changing healthcare into reality. Using money out of his own pocket he began development of MedBillManager, a tool aimed at providing consumers the means to track, manage and organize their medical bills, while anonymously comparing costs with other users – attempting to put consumers back in the driver seat.
Christopher began seeking others — both individuals and companies — that shared his vision of changing healthcare and making it more manageable for consumers. Along the way, he met up with Robert Hendrick, a Nashville neighbor equally fed up with the existing healthcare system. They decided that, despite the risks and personal costs to themselves, MedBillManager was worth making a reality. And with that a partnership was formed, a partnership aimed at changing healthcare.
Much More Than Medical Bills
As the two co-founders continued pushing development of MedBillManager and explored the possibility of integrating it with services offered by various organizations, they came to a realization. This was about much, much more than medical bills. This was about a general lack of transparency across the healthcare system. Consumers had no reliable, easy-to-use information source for healthcare, whether it was needed services costs, doctor information, hospital statistics or comparable insurance reimbursement rates. They realized that something broader than MedBillManager was needed if they were truly going to change healthcare.
With that in mind, Robert and Christopher began exploring the possibility of providing other services to healthcare consumers, as well. The need for doctor and hospital data seemed particularly pressing and, thus, FindYourDoc was born. FindYourDoc aimed at providing a searchable directory of healthcare providers with all of the associated information available, from residency training and specialty certification of physicians to hospital’s top inpatient and outpatient service’s prices, negotiated discounts and costs; all of the obvious pieces of information that any consumer would want when paying for a TV, or car or service. In addition, they began planning for several other services to be offered. As development on FindYourDoc began, Christopher and Robert realized that an entity needed to be created to act as the source of all of these services. A company that embodied and reinforced the true purpose of its team and tools and so change:healthcare, inc. was established.
Both MedBillManager and FindYourDoc have evolved into today’s change:healthcare array of resources and services. The company is charged with developing and providing people with the tools and information they need to make the best decisions possible as a healthcare consumer. change:healthcare continues to offer a medical bill management tool, but their Helathcare Consumerism Index™ has grown into a device that is helping both companies and individuals more accurately pinpoint where they can save money in their healthcare choices.
Additionally, change:healthcare’s 2008 book My Healthcare is Killing Me: A Survival Guide for the American Healthcare Consumer, written by Christopher, Robert and Project Manager Katrina Welty, has offered millions a deeper look into the healthcare and health insurance industries, providing practical tips for navigating the complex system. Field Guides, short informational sheets about healthcare issues that have proven to be of concern by most consumers, have also blossomed from the book.
Today, the talented team of individuals who make up change:healthcare recognize that they are creating and supporting more than a web application, more than a service or company… they are reaching out and offering help and answers to a community of individuals (insured and uninsured) who are faced with the overwhelming confusion and frustration of dealing with the healthcare system. Our team, Users, and Partners realize that change:healthcare is focused on making a meaningful impact in healthcare. It is about stepping up and doing something different. It is about enabling a change when the vast majority said that change could not happen, that change would not happen.
