Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma (DLO), as a joint venture of Quest Diagnostics, is pleased to let you know that the following UnitedHealthcare Newsroom announcement was published on April 22, 2019.

UnitedHealthcare’s Triple Aim Focus Adding More Value for Lab Services

April 22, 2019

More affordable procedure costs, shorter wait times, higher quality – everyone wants these things from their health care experience. UnitedHealthcare’s Triple Aim focus – improving health care affordability, outcomes and the patient experience – is now adding more value for lab services.

Consider this. Laboratory services are often the starting point to any medical procedure. During a doctor’s visit, a physician will recommend lab work about 50 percent of the time. These tests might include blood work like a complete blood count (CBC) or a thyroid panel. It may also include biopsy results or a genetic test which also happen in a lab. When a physician orders these tests, labs are often chosen based on habit or historical practice and the physician may not realize there could be a more affordable, higher quality option to offer to their patients.

UnitedHealthcare is working to make it easier to identify and choose lab providers who have committed to the Triple Aim within its broad network of more than 300 labs nationwide. Through the newly established Preferred Laboratory Network (PLN), physicians and their patients are likely to receive better health care value through improved access, quality and service at a lower cost. The creation of the PLN is an advanced way to work with selected lab providers to deliver care that places a greater emphasis on patient outcomes and the total cost of a person’s care.

Launching on July 1, 2019, UnitedHealthcare has selected the following labs to participate in its PLN: AmeriPath/DermPath, BioReference, GeneDx, Invitae, LabCorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories and Quest Diagnostics. These labs were selected based on a rigorous quality review process.

How it impacts UnitedHealthcare consumers:

There is no change in lab access for consumers – consumers can still use a lab that is not in the PLN. However, choosing a lab in the PLN may lead to shorter wait times for services, online scheduling for patient service centers, higher quality of care and lower cost.

Services accessed through the PLN are at a lower average cost than other lab providers. For example, pathology services for a biopsy in the PLN would cost about $90. Consumers could still choose a lab not in the PLN, but the cost would increase to about $150. An out-of-network lab would cost more.

How it impacts physicians:

We expect physicians who refer to labs in the PLN to notice prompt turn-around times for lab results, ease-of-use when ordering labs electronically as well as easy access to physician-to-lab medical director consultations to support patient care. They will not need to do anything different to access services from these providers. Those participating in the PLN will be designated in UnitedHealthcare’s provider directories.

All of the participants in the PLN will be measured quarterly on their performance to ensure our doctors and patients receive the best care at the lowest cost.

Visit https://newsroom.uhc.com/experience/preferred-lab-network.html to view this release on the UnitedHealthcare website.

Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma (DLO) has been ranked as the No. 5 large company in the 2018 Best Places to Work in Oklahoma program, up one spot from 2017. DLO has been selected to the Best Places to Work in Oklahoma list for 13 straight years.

Each year, the Journal Record, the state’s oldest business publication, identifies and honors 40 companies as Oklahoma’s best employers. Of the 40 companies, 17 businesses were in the large category with 250 or more employees, while 23 companies were in the small/medium category. The final rankings were revealed on November 1 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

“The employees of DLO take pride is serving the citizens of Oklahoma, and this recognition only reinforces that commitment to the work we do," said Dennis Hogle, DLO’s Chief Executive Officer. "DLO plays a vital role in providing innovative, timely and quality medical laboratory services to help our clients make the proper medical decisions. It is truly an honor for DLO to be recognized for 13 years in a row and look forward to continuing to serve as Oklahoma's trusted laboratory partner."

The Journal Record teamed up with Best Companies Group to honor Oklahoma business and organizations excelling in creating quality workplaces. Companies are selected based on employee interviews and a look at their workplace policies, practices and demographics. Categories studied include: Leadership and Planning, Corporate Culture and Communications, Role Satisfaction, Work Environment and Relationship with Supervisor.

Below are the final rankings for both categories.

Large category (250 or more U.S. employees)

1. Edward Jones
2. Eide Bailly LLP
3. Burns & McDonnell
4. Heartland Payment Systems
5. Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma
6. 180 Medical
7. JE Dunn Construction
8. Insurica
9. Gallagher
10. Capital One Auto Finance
11. First United Bank
12. CoreLogic
13. CompSource Mutual Insurance Co.
14. Alert 360 by Guardian Security Systems
15. First Fidelity Bank
16. Webco Industries
17. Arvest Bank

Small/medium category (25-249 U.S. employees)

1. Foundation Medical Staffing
2. Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies
3. Delta Dental of Oklahoma
4. TBS Factoring Service
5. Price Edwards & Company LLC
6. Regent Bank
7. Nextep Inc.
8. Oseberg
9. SafetySkills
10. Northwest Technology Center
11. Allegiance Credit Union
12. Koch Communications
13. Industrial Controls of Oklahoma
14. InterWorks
15. Daybreak Family Services
16. Polston Tax Resolution and Accounting
17. Cory’s Audio Visual
18. Vox Printing
19. Sunbeam Family Services
20. BIS
21. Republic Bank & Trust
22. Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
23. Public Strategies