Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) announced today that it will be adding more convenience, choice and ease to the comprehensive laboratory services it offers and manages for its 3.8 million members. Through a new preferred national lab expansion strategy, Horizon BCBSNJ will ensure that its members can continue to use LabCorp on an in-network basis, while bringing an additional lab to its network – Quest Diagnostics – and retaining BioReference as an in-network lab option.

Effective January 1, all 3.8 million Horizon BCBSNJ members will continue to access LabCorp for in-network lab services; Quest Diagnostics will be in-network for Horizon BCBSNJ members with the exception of BCBSNJ Medicaid members; and BioReference labs will remain an in-network option for Horizon BCBSNJ members with PPO and Traditional plans.

“Lab testing is an integral part of the patient health care experience, as physicians rely on timely and accurate results to make important diagnostic and treatment decisions,” said Allen Karp, Executive Vice President for Healthcare and Transformation Management for Horizon BCBSNJ. “Adding more choices to our lab network will benefit Horizon members because an expanded network can mean quicker and easier access to the lab of their choice. The increased access will also reduce the number of ‘out of network’ claims which will lower costs,” Karp said.

“We look forward to serving Horizon BCBS and its members and providers,” said Steve Rusckowski, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quest Diagnostics. “New Jersey is our home, and it’s great that two of the state’s healthcare leaders and major employers are partnering to improve health outcomes and reduce costs for New Jerseyans.”

“We are pleased with the agreement to extend our long-standing partnership with Horizon BCBSNJ,” said David P. King, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LabCorp. “As the established in-network laboratory for all Horizon BCBSNJ members, and the exclusive lab for Medicaid members, we have a strong foundation to work closely with Horizon BCBSNJ to help advance value-base care programs and enhance the patient and physician experience, furthering LabCorp’s mission to improve health and improve lives.”

"We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Horizon, and proud to remain a preferred laboratory in the Horizon network," said BioReference General Manager Geoff Monk. “We look forward to continuing to provide services to Horizon members in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York." Horizon BCBSNJ’s new lab network strategy means members will have the choice of accessing approximately 574 geographically-convenient and state-of-the art locations for their lab services beginning January 1, 2019.

The new alignment was informed by recommendations from Kentmere Healthcare Consulting Corporation of Wilmington DE, which Horizon BCSBNJ retained for outpatient laboratory procurement and ongoing lab network support.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New JerseyHorizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at www.horizonblue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.8 million members.

About Quest DiagnosticsQuest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from a robust research and development program and the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 45,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. For more information, please visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About LabCorpLabCorp (NYSE: LH), an S&P 500 company, is a leading global life sciences company that is deeply integrated in guiding patient care, providing comprehensive clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services. With a mission to improve health and improve lives, LabCorp delivers world-class diagnostic solutions, brings innovative medicines to patients faster, and uses technology to improve the delivery of care. LabCorp reported net revenues of over $10 billion in 2017. To learn more about LabCorp, visit www.labcorp.com, and to learn more about Covance Drug Development, visit www.covance.com.

About BioReference Laboratories, Inc.BioReference Laboratories is the nation’s third largest clinical laboratory offering a comprehensive list of laboratory testing services utilized by to physicians, clinics, and hospitals in the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring and treatment of disease. The company operates a network of 11 laboratory locations across the U.S., nearly 200 Patient Service Centers and a courier dispatch service to manage specimen pickup. BioReference provides state-of-the-art connectivity solutions including the ability to interface with all EMRs, and data analytics to help improve office efficiency. For more information, visit www.bioreference.com.

About Kentmere Healthcare Consulting CorporationSince 2000, Kentmere Healthcare Consulting Corporation, Wilmington DE has provided its proprietary outpatient Kentmere Laboratory Benefit Management Program™ for the managed care industry. Kentmere Healthcare Consulting – an independent firm – serves national and regional health plans; is not a laboratory; and does not work for or with laboratory providers.

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