news release

SHPS Signs Agreements with First Data and UMB Bank Healthcare Services for New Spending Account Debit Card

Louisville, Ky. (February 7, 2006) – SHPS, one of the nation’s largest providers of healthcare spending accounts, announced today it has signed an agreement with First Data Healthcare Services, part of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions, and UMB Bank Healthcare Services, a division of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDQ: UMBF) and leader in financial services for consumer-directed healthcare products. The agreement delivers a multi-purse debit card and related transaction processing services for SHPS’ client’s spending account programs.
Under the agreement, First Data will process transactions for SHPS’ entire suite of spending accounts, including flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), as well as dependent care, retiree, mass transportation and parking card account-based programs on a single card. UMB Bank will serve as the sponsor bank, supporting debit card access and transaction processing.
“The strategic healthcare relationship established today offers employers and carriers a debit card solution that, when coupled with SHPS’ claims processing expertise, will redefine the way in which employees use their spending accounts,” said Rishabh Mehrotra, SHPS’ president, human resource solutions and chief technology officer. “It eliminates administrative hassles for employees, enabling them to use one card for all spending account transactions, while providing security measures to meet compliance concerns of employers.”
UMB Bank has offered medical savings accounts and flexible spending cards since 1996. First Data is renowned for helping businesses and consumers move money quickly and securely worldwide.
"Prepayments, or debits, are a fast growing segment of healthcare services," said Beverly Kennedy, president, First Data Healthcare Services. "First Data is committed to delivering innovative solutions to improve the state of healthcare transaction processing and we're very pleased that SHPS has selected us to help them increase the quality of service for their clients and their respective employees."
“UMB is pleased to provide an integrated card solution to SHPS, which gives them the ability to offer a highly customized product to their clients,” said Dennis Triplett, President of Healthcare Services, UMB Bank.
The agreements among SHPS, First Data and UMB Bank are effective immediately. First Data has begun processing services for SHPS, including issuing cards, authorizing transactions and verifying account balances.
The SHPS card will support enhanced features for spending accounts, including real-time pharmacy benefit management, co-pay and over-the-counter substantiation, eligibility verification, complex purse prioritization and a healthcare line of credit.
"First Data and UMB Bank’s unparalleled systems, along with our claims processing and adjudication technology, will give our clients a debit card solution with unmatched flexibility," added SHPS’ Mehrotra. “We’ll also benefit from their decades of experience in processing billions of transactions and moving trillions of dollars around the world."
SHPS provides spending account administration services as part of its Integrated Health Management stategy, which empowers employees to actively manage their health and assume greater responsibility for the management of their healthcare dollars.
“With the increased convenience provided by the multi-purse debit card, SHPS expects to see a significant increase in spending account programs,” said Jeffery Lanzet, senior vice president, human resource product management for SHPS. “Spending account participation correlates with an increased level of individual ownership of healthcare – which supports consumerism and results in reduced healthcare costs.”
About UMB
UMB Financial Corporation (NASDQ: UMBF) is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offering complete banking and related financial services to both individual and business customers. Its banking subsidiaries own and operate 140 banking centers throughout
Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Subsidiaries of the holding company and the lead bank, UMB Bank, n.a., include an investment services group based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a trust management company in South Dakota, and single-purpose companies that deal with brokerage services, consulting services and insurance.
UMB was named one of Business Week's "Web Smart 50" companies in 2005.
About SHPS
SHPS provides a broad range of innovative health management tools, resources and services that empower consumers to make wise healthcare decisions. With comprehensive services that transform consumer health behaviors, SHPS’ integrated delivery system maximizes the value of consumers’ and employers’ healthcare dollars. Among its many clients, SHPS serves large and mid-sized employers, health insurance carriers, third party administrators, Medicare Part D providers and government agencies. The company employs registered nurses and health professionals, employee benefit specialists and IT experts in facilities across the United States. Visit www.shps.com.
For More Information
Sarah Bovine
Director, Corporate Communications
sarah.bovine@shps.com
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