TAG:
laboratory tests
Cigna Sues HDL, Alleges Unlawful Fee Scheme
CEO SUMMARY: In court papers, Cigna alleged that HDL misrepresented patients’ responsibilities by promising not to collect co-payments, co-insurance, or deductibles. Also, HDL promised not to seek reimbursement from patients for any portion of its bills that the health insurer did not c…
Florida Ob-Gyns Call for UHC to End BeaconLBS
CEO SUMMARY: In Florida, obstetricians and gynecologists are complaining about the burdensome nature of the new lab test management system introduced by UnitedHealthcare. In addition to calling for an end to the program, some ob-gyns plan not to use the system, a process that could lead U…
FL Docs Say: ‘No Thanks’ to UHC and BeaconLBS
CEO SUMMARY: Some Florida physicians are declaring their intent to leave UnitedHealthcare’s network because they find the insurer’s new BeaconLBS laboratory benefit management system to be time consuming and onerous. The defections come as the program goes through a soft launch that b…
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Improve Lab Test Utilization
CEO SUMMARY: Efforts to help physicians improve their utilization of clinical lab tests paid big dividends at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Working collaboratively, physicians and the clinical lab team identified overused or needless cardiac biomarker te…
Humana Reduces Number of Labs in its Networks
CEO SUMMARY: In Ohio, a lab director said his lab was not informed directly about its exclusion from the Humana lab network. Lab officials got the word from their client physicians. In Texas, another lab director said Humana cut 35 lab contracts, reportedly because the insurer wanted to s…
Pathologist Raises Questions about Theranos’ Business Model
Dear Editor: I read your two articles on Theranos in the August 11 issue of THE DARK REPORT, and concur in large part with your thoughtful conclusions. For several years, I have closely followed Theranos and have been quoted in trade publications speaking favorably…
Florida Doctor Questions Lab Test Pre-notification
CEO SUMMARY: An interesting tug-of-war may develop in Florida between a major health insurer and physicians. UnitedHealthcare will require physicians to obtain a pre-notification number for 81 lab tests by using the BeaconLBS system (developed by a subsidiary of LabCorp). One family pract…
My Visit to Walgreens for Theranos Lab Tests
CEO SUMMARY: One of the biggest unknowns in the lab testing industry today is Theranos, the lab testing company based in Palo Alto, California. It says its proprietary technology is poised to transform the lab testing experience for patients and physicians. It says it can perform hundreds…
Labs Wary of BeaconLBS, Express Major Concerns
CEO SUMMARY: Lab executives asked to join UnitedHealth’s new BeaconLBS lab benefit management system soon to launch in Florida have multiple and serious concerns. The primary issue is that BeaconLBS is a subsidiary of LabCorp—their major competitor. These executives understand why a p…
Test Utilization Targeted by UnitedHealth, LabCorp
CEO SUMMARY: Many independent laboratories serving patients in Florida are unhappy about the decision by UnitedHealth (UNH) to initiate a pilot program that calls for LabCorp’s BeaconLBS subsidiary to handle prior authorization for certain lab tests. UNH’s laboratory benefit managemen…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
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