Charleston, S.C. – Nov. 17, 2008 – Benefitfocus, the largest healthcare benefits software provider in the U.S., announced today the newest addition to Benefitfocus Max™ Standard Solutions. This family of benefits communication technology solutions is aimed at standardizing the way data is formatted in the healthcare benefits industry. Benefitfocus payMax™ streamlines the integration of payroll and Human Resource Information System (HRIS) data by synchronizing transaction connections through a comprehensive data format.

The payMax file format exchanges data through Benefitfocus Payroll Connect™. By synchronizing the transmission of data, payMax simplifies the communication process between Benefitfocus and its employer clients. Payroll Connect bridges the Benefitfocus application with the employer’s payroll system to simplify the transmission of new hires and terminations, salary changes, demographic changes, benefit elections and deductions. By eliminating double data entry and reducing keying errors, the application allows employers to increase productivity and focus on the strategic, value-add aspects of the busy HR professional’s role.

"We are excited to release the newest member of the Benefitfocus Max Standard Solutions family," said Nancy Sansom, vice president of Product Management. "This new standard reduces the complexities typically found with payroll data and will help our partners maintain a competitive advantage in the ever-changing marketplace without having duplicate entries."

In order to process data effectively and efficiently, insurers and employers must migrate large volumes of users and associated data to new online platforms. Additionally, new applications and established systems are continuously synchronized in real-time. Prior to the Benefitfocus Max Standard Solutions, manual data loading was not scalable or cost-effective, especially with larger employer groups. The Max family was created to help carriers and employers increase adoption without dependency on manual processes. By defining data exchange standards, the Max family provides carriers and employers with a scalable solution for migrating large amounts of data onto the Benefitfocus platform and for the ongoing maintenance of that data within Benefitfocus applications.

Before the Benefitfocus Max standards, the transmission of data was labor-intensive. Now, following an initial one-time setup to synchronize transmissions, payMax enables carriers and employers to accurately communicate and transmit large amounts of data. This results in enhanced data integrity, reduced labor costs, and automated maintenance of change and renewal information. Through the Max standards and orchestrated automation, Benefitfocus significantly reduces processing time from weeks to minutes.

“Since payMax is platform agnostic, our customers and partners can now experience seamless Enterprise integration across multiple platforms without having to log onto multiple Web sites to rekey and synchronize data,” stated Sansom. “We are proud to continue developing and deploying technology that is transforming the administrative side of the healthcare benefits insurance industry.”

In addition to payMax, Benefitfocus Max™ Standard Solutions include: gMax for employer data, iMax for membership data, aMax for agent and agency data and hrMax for HR administrator data. The Max Family interfaces created by Benefitfocus, standardize the specific formats by which data is sent to and from Benefitfocus’ online applications. This allows Benefitfocus to realize significant operational efficiencies when it comes to deploying and maintaining new carrier and employer software implementations.