Avalon Healthcare Solutions to Team with Sentara Health Plans to Offer Genetic Testing Management

Insurer and lab benefits manager broadens programs to benefit members and providers

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Avalon Healthcare Solutions, the world's first Lab Insights company, is pleased to announce the expansion of its partnership with Sentara Health Plans with the implementation of Genetic Testing Management (GTM).

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.

This expanded collaboration with GTM 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.

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," stated 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 GTM services for some commercial plans this December and is looking to extend these services to other plans by the first quarter of next year.

Dr. Kristyn Greifer, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Sentara Health Plans, added, "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. 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.

About Avalon Healthcare Solutions
Avalon Healthcare Solutions is the world's first and only Lab Insights company, bringing together our proven Lab Benefit Management solutions, lab science expertise, digitized lab values, and proprietary analytics to help healthcare insurers proactively inform appropriate care, reduce costs, and improve clinical outcomes. Working with health plans nationwide, the company covers over 39+ million lives and delivers 10-20% outpatient lab benefit savings. Avalon is pioneering a new era of value-driven care with its Lab Insights Program that captures, digitizes, and analyzes lab results in real time to provide actionable insights for earlier disease detection, ensuring appropriate treatment protocols and driving down overall costs. For more information about Avalon, visit www.avalonhcs.com.

About Sentara Health
Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 130 years in pursuit of its mission - "we improve health every day." Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health's "Top 15 Health Systems" (2021, 2018) and was recognized by Forbes as a "Best Employer for New Grads" (2022), "Best Employer for Veterans" (2022, 2023), and "Best Employer for Women" (2020).

About Sentara Health Plans
Sentara Health Plans provides health plan coverage to nearly one million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara Health Plans offers a full suite of commercial products including employee-owned and employer-sponsored plans, as well as Individual & Family Health Plans, Employee Assistance Programs and plans serving Dual-Eligible, Medicare, and Medicaid enrollees. 

Media Contacts:
Michele Norton MS, RN
SVP Product Marketing, Avalon Healthcare Solutions
[email protected]

Janet Mordecai
Amendola Communications for Avalon Healthcare Solutions
[email protected] 

Sentara Corporate Communications & Public Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE Avalon Healthcare Solutions