Summary: Avalon Healthcare Solutions announced an expanded partnership with Sentara Health Plans to implement evidence-based genetic testing management services, enhancing patient care and reducing unnecessary lab spending.
Takeaways:
- Enhanced Genetic Testing Management: Avalon’s services will help Sentara Health Plans ensure members receive the right genetic tests at the right time through evidence-based policies, reducing testing overuse, misuse, and underuse.
- Proven Cost Savings and Care Improvements: Since 2021, Avalon’s collaboration with Sentara has lowered out-of-pocket lab spending and improved healthcare experiences for nearly one million members in Virginia and Florida.
- Future Expansion Plans: Genetic testing management will roll out to some Sentara commercial plans this December, with plans to expand to other offerings by early next year.
Avalon Healthcare Solutions, a lab insights company, announced the expansion of its partnership with Sentara Health Plans with the implementation of genetic testing management.
Sentara Health Plans is part of Sentara Health, an integrated and not-for-profit healthcare delivery system based in Virginia. Sentara Health Plans provides coverage for nearly one million members in Virginia and Florida and has worked with Avalon since 2021.
Genetic Testing Management
This expanded collaboration with genetic testing management will incorporate a suite of services to ensure members receive the appropriate tests at the optimal times, guided by evidence-based test policies developed with an independent clinical advisory board. These services aim to mitigate testing overuse, misuse, and underuse, thus providing valuable insights into patient care.
Given the rapid growth and importance of genetic testing in personalized medicine—marked by over 175,000 tests on the market and an average of 10 added daily—this move is poised to significantly enhance healthcare outcomes through more tailored and accessible lab services.
Avalon Healthcare Solutions and Sentara Health’s Partnership
In the first two years of this partnership, Avalon enabled significant reductions in out-of-pocket lab spending costs for Sentara members while enhancing their overall healthcare experiences.
“We’re proud of the results we’ve delivered for Sentara Health Plans and its members, and we look forward to expanding the relationship,” says Bill Kerr, MD, CEO of Avalon. “Lab benefits management is an often-overlooked part of healthcare, and we salute Sentara for its initiative and foresight in making it an integral part of its offerings.”
Sentara Health Plans is set to implement Avalon’s genetic testing management services for some commercial plans this December and is looking to extend these services to other plans by the first quarter of next year.
“Lab testing informs 70% of healthcare decisions, so it’s essential to have an expert partner to guide us in evaluating and managing testing in an ever more complicated healthcare landscape,” says Kristyn Greifer, MD, senior VP and chief medical officer of Sentara Health Plans. “Our collaboration with Avalon has allowed us to take a more comprehensive and informed approach to testing, which has proven beneficial for the plan, our members, and providers.”
Avalon’s technology-enabled solutions support health plans in effectively managing genetic testing, including utilization management, compliance enforcement, test quality assessment, and new lab technology evaluation, improving healthcare delivery and efficiency.