While the nation’s largest insurance providers have secured long-term agreements with national reference laboratories, many smaller labs are finding themselves shut out of local and regional managed care contracts. In fact, preliminary results from a recent Washington G-2 Reports survey found that over 79% of respondents reported being excluded from these contracts. Pricing also continues to take a hit, with the current pricing of some contracts with independent laboratories estimated to range between 50% and 75% of Medicare.

To confront this new reality of the managed care contracting environment, labs need to employ new competitive strategies—in particular joining networks to leverage more contract negotiating power—industry leaders advised at the recent LabCompete 2008, held February 6-8 in Tucson, Arizona.

March 2008 - Table of Contents

LIR March 2008 (full PDF issue)

More Labs Turn to Alternative Competitive Strategies as Contract Prices Decline

Quest Projects 9% Growth in 2008 Revenues, LabCorp Sees 13%

Physicians Name Insurance, Billing Woes as Top Nat’l Lab Complaints

Benchmarking the National Labs—Quest and LabCorp Post Gains in Revenue per FTE

As Managed Care Upheavals Subside, It’s Time for Labs to Strategize

San Diego Labs Hope for Injunction to Halt Comp Bidding Demo

Symbion Deal Consolidates Australia’s Pathology Market

As Quest Boosts Sales Efforts, Here’s How to Compete

Lab Index Down 7% Over 5 Wks; Quest Down 5%, LabCorp Up 8% in February

UnitedHealth in NY AG Cuomo’s Crosshairs for Reimbursement Fraud