United WestLabs

Outreach Program

United WestLabs currently operates numerous programs in California, Texas, New York and Virginia that are considered some of the most successful hospital-based outreach lab Programs in the country. UWL and its Affiliates are currently leveraging its management team and resources to expand these Programs on a national basis.

UWL will manage the operations and handle all pre-analytical and post-analytical functions such as marketing and client service support, IT connectivity, phlebotomy, specimen handling, processing, order entry, pick-up, delivery, billing, compliance and all non-testing functions.

 

Turn-Key Outreach Program Benefits

To Hospitals

Hospital laboratories are often considered one of the Hospital’s more significant cost centers. As part of a Hospital’s commitment to quality patient care, it must maintain its laboratory operations 24 hours per day, seven days a week to perform the necessary testing for the Hospital’s inpatient population. The capital cost to equip, staff and maintain these clinical laboratory facilities is exceedingly high; and at most Hospitals, these facilities are an underutilized resource. Most Hospitals have excess capacity and the incremental costs to run additional tests are minimal, primarily involving the additional costs for reagents and supplies.

• UWL has demonstrated that Hospitals can generate substantial profits utilizing their lab facilities during the “non-peak” periods.
• In collaboration with UWL, a typical Hospital can turn its traditional laboratory from a cost center into a significant revenue center within its first year of operation.
• UWL Outreach Programs not only generate significant revenue and profits for the Hospital but also create operational efficiencies and improve inpatient testing as well.
• The UWL management team has already been through the difficult “learning curve”, which greatly improves the opportunity for success of these outreach initiatives.

 

To Doctors

From the perspective of a community physician, who regularly contracts for lab services, the advantages of the program are as follows:

• A program enables physicians to deal with “their Hospital”, in which they already have confidence, with a “known” pathologist, who is likely to be a personal friend or a professional colleague.
• It allows physicians to support the Hospital with which they are affiliated rather than contribute additional profits to an outside commercial vendor.
• In most cases, physicians have on-line access from their office to all test results performed at the Hospital lab for the patient, thereby consolidating that patient’s test results.
• Physicians are able to maintain consistency in correlating results between inpatients and outpatients, using the same set of reference ranges.

 

Why Hospital Laboratory Outreach Works for Hospitals

• UWL programs leverage the underutilized but significant hospital laboratory assets.
• Increased volume from UWL programs improves lab efficiency & performance to often exceed productivity standards (RVU’s).
• Lab outreach programs establish a significant, sustainable, and profitable new line of business.
• There is a significant opportunity to improve physician relations as well as exposure to potential attendings with lab outreach.

UWL’s Solutions for Successful Lab Outreach Programs

Business Development	Operations	Customer Service	Billing	Compliance
Sales Force Management	Program Management	MD Relationship Management	Lab Specific UB04 Billing System	Compliance Officer and Team
MD Practice Inservice	Phlebotomy	Supply Ordering	Claims Review and Submission	Claims Review and Audit
Compliance Guides and Monitoring	Specimen Processing and Order Entry	Billing Support: Doctors and Patients	Compliance Review and Audit	Maintain and Update Compliance Plan
Field Reps Support	Logistics: Couriers and Vehicles	Test Support and Problem Resolution	Payment Posting	Specialized Medicare Medicaid unit
Maintain Customer Info Data Base	EMR IT Training, Implementation and Support	In-Service Training – Recurring	Electronic Claims Submission	Dx Confirmation and Screening
Market Pricing and Contracting	Draw Stations Leasing and Staffing	STAT Testing Service	Financial Review Cost/Revenue Analysis	Eligibility and Identity Verification
Marketing Plan	Site Audits and Staff Competencies	Technical Support	Document Collection and Assembly	Sales and Marketing Compliance

UWL Employs, Implements and Manages Lab Outreach Operations

Centralized Operations

Local Operations

Outreach Program Stuctures

Management Services Agreement Comprehensive, “hands-on” solution provides: Program management Staffing of pre- and post-analytical functions IT and operations infrastructure Operational leadership of lab outreach with hospital oversight

Outreach Program Joint Venture Entity (LLC, Partnership, etc.) jointly formed and owned and operated on a pro-rata basis by Hospital & UWL Invests capital for expansion, and both parties contribute certain tangible and intangible assets Profits and losses shared on a pro-rata basis