UnitedHealthcare has delayed the start date of its designated diagnostic provider program for laboratory services in California until Jan. 1, 2022, due to concerns from the state's medical association and other stakeholders.
The program, initially scheduled to begin July 1, intends to limit outpatient laboratory service coverage to designated diagnostic provider labs — hospital outpatient labs that have met certain quality standards.
Concerns included how physicians and patients will identify the specified labs in UnitedHealthcare's provider directory, timely access to lab services for members and increased out-of-pocket costs when patients accidentally receive services from a lab provider that is out of network, according to a July 15 news release from the California Medical Association.