As previously communicated, IBC has selected Laboratory Corporation of America^® Holdings (LabCorp) as our exclusive national outpatient laboratory provider effective July 1, 2014. IBC's contract with Quest Diagnostics^® laboratories will end on July 1, 2014. This change covers all Blue-branded product lines and members (i.e., Personal Choice^®, Keystone Health Plan East, and Independence Administrators), including individual, group commercial, and Medicare Advantage members, for services rendered in the Philadelphia five-county region and contiguous counties (i.e., the counties that surround the five-county IBC service area).

Patient access for laboratory services

IBC's laboratory network will provide access that is generally equivalent to or better than the access members have with IBC's current laboratory network (including Quest Diagnostics). Prior to July 1, 2014, LabCorp will significantly expand the number of patient service centers (PSC) in the IBC service area to provide convenient member access. With the addition of newly built PSCs, LabCorp will have approximately 169 access points, including an estimated 50 new sites, in the IBC service area. LabCorp will also provide lab specimen courier pick-up services for all applicable participating physician offices effective July 1, 2014, and will significantly increase their support staff for physician offices.

New LabCorp PSCs

Physicians and members can search for currently open and "coming soon" LabCorp PSCs by going to the LabCorp website and selecting Find a Lab. Physicians and members can find other participating local and regional laboratories by using the Find a Doctor tool. For your reference, we have published a list of LabCorp PSCs that are new or under construction in the LabCorp-dedicated section of our Provider News Center. Please note that this list is subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Additional resources

We encourage providers and their office staff to visit www.ibx.com/pnc/lab for additional resources related to this change, including frequently asked questions (FAQ) and a list of other currently contracted laboratories that will remain in the IBC network in addition to LabCorp. If your office does not already have an account with LabCorp or you would like a local LabCorp representative to help you set up your account, please email LabCorp or call 1-888-295-5915.