Company simplifies health records for MMA fighters

Fifty states means 50 health regulations to abide by when it comes to Mixed Martial Arts. When Jan Hubbard became an administrative office assistant for the International Fight League, an MMA fight group, in 2006, she had no idea it would require forging her way through a maze of required medical forms to ensure that the athletes could enter the ring.

Now, the Las Vegas resident is the CEO of her own company, MedLic LLC. She is the go-to person for health records and licensing requirements when a major fight is planned.

She said that when she began with the IFL, it was "learn as you go" when the promoter asked her to ensure that all the medical paperwork was filed. Hubbard found herself dealing with doctors, blood test companies, commissions and medical facilities, plus paperwork from each state.

"It can be as extreme as California wanting eight different exams all the way down to another commission that only wants two," she said. "When that happens, you have to make sure the information is submitted quickly."

She learned that the commissions faxed each other the fighters' medical records, an inefficient way of doing things. Papers were getting lost and not being filed.

Hubbard made it a priority to figure out a way to have the information all in one place. Rather than reinvent the wheel, she organized a filing system to ensure that all bases were covered so fights could take place as planned. Soon she determined that things would be even easier if there were software with all the records available at a glance on a single database.

That's when the idea for MedLic came about. About the same time, the IFL was going out of business, but she was about to start one. That also was a "learn as you go" process, she said.

She researched how to start a business, determined licensing requirements and began to proceed. She hired a lawyer who ensured she was compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws, which protect a person's medical privacy. Her timing could not have been worse.

It was early 2008, and the economy was spiraling to rock bottom.

She needed a $10,000 loan, but no bank would give her one. Hubbard ended up digging into her bank account and using her credit cards for the rest. She located a company that wrote the software to fit her needs. By 2009 she was in operation.

Ryan Stoddard is a promoter with Victory Fighting Championships of Omaha, Neb. He said every athletic commission differs in the way it likes to do medicals.

"I do shows in Iowa, and each event, I have to get all the medicals, every time, and resubmit them," he said. "So, even though the blood work's good for six months, they don't keep that stuff. They get it, they look through it, and they dispose of it. ... That first show was kind of rough, to get all the fighters and get all their stuff done on time and everything. That second show, when I went back and the same fighters were on the same card, I didn't have to do anything. Jan had all that stuff on file, and everything was good for the rest of the year. It's a convenience factor, one less headache that I have to deal with."

More athletic commissions are acknowledging her company.

In Kansas, all fighters are required to sign up with MedLic. Two other states - Nebraska and Iowa - are considering the same. The annual cost of MedLic is $24.95. It's borne by either the fighter or the promoter. Hubbard has 2,000 combative fighters in her database, including MMA fighters, boxers, wrestlers and kickboxers. The company is responsible for learning what paperwork is required for the location of the event and supplying it. All athletic commissions have free access to the database.

The business is also branching out to help athletes connect with the right kind of doctor when extra paperwork is needed to satisfy commission rules. Although the company is barely 4 years old, Hubbard said she is looking to go international.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.