Quest No Longer Empire Plan Par Provider

Effective 1/1/07, Quest Diagnostics will no longer be an Empire Plan par provider of lab services. As of 1/1/07, LabCorp will be the sole national Empire Plan par provider of lab services.  In addition to LabCorp, other regional and local lab providers continue to participate in the Empire Plan.

On 12/19/06, UHC sent letters to all Empire Plan enrollees who received lab services from Quest during the past 12 months notifying them that Quest will no longer be a par provider effective 1/1/07.  Enclosed with the letter will be a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and a listing of par providers of lab services including locations of LabCorp drawing stations.

Additionally, UHC will be sending letters to all Empire Plan enrollees announcing the change in Empire Plan par providers of lab services.  Enclosed with the letter will be FAQs, and a listing of par providers of lab services including locations of LabCorp drawing stations.

United Health Care (UHC) has also notified Empire Plan par physicians of the change.  UHC has identified the Empire Plan par physicians who currently use Quest and are encouraging them to switch to LabCorp or one of the other regional and local Empire Plan par providers of lab services.  UHC will be meeting individually with those Empire Plan par physicians who express any concerns about using a lab other than Quest.   

Both UHC and LabCorp are working to ensure Empire Plan enrollees continue to have reasonable access to par lab services.  UHC continues to add regional and local labs as par providers, particularly in areas where, in the past, Quest has provided a higher volume of lab services, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. LabCorp is also working to increase its presence in these markets.

For the most current list of Empire Plan par providers of lab services, members may access the NYS Department of Civil Service website at www.cs.state.ny.us and link to the UHC lab locator.  From the NYSHIP OnLine screen, members should click on “Find a Provider”, scroll down to “United HealthCare” and select, “Laboratories (Independent)”.  As new regional and local labs, as well as LabCorp drawing station locations, are added to the panel of par providers, UHC will update the lab locator.  Members may also call the Empire Plan at 1-877-7NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447); select UHC from the main menu and then the option for “Plan Benefits”.  UHC is routing calls regarding the change in par providers of lab services to a dedicated unit.

We will be monitoring this situation closely to determine the impact this change has on our members, and will work with GOER and Civil Service to identify and resolve any problems experienced by our members.  Members who have questions or concerns should first call UHC.  If they need additional assistance after speaking to a UHC representative, they may call Lorraine Simpkins or Deborah Stayman at PEF headquarters 518-785-1900 or 1-800-342-4306, ext. 283.