July 8, 2025
In today’s dynamic healthcare landscape, clinical laboratories face a pivotal question: should they divest their outreach volume or strategically invest to transform the lab from a cost center into a significant revenue driver? This decision is critical, especially with rising supply expenses, labor shortages, and declining reimbursement rates making profitability challenging.
A recent webinar hosted by hc1, featuring Michelle Coovert, VP of Laboratory Growth, John Moyer, Senior Product Director, and Susan Dougherty, Client Engagement Executive, delved into the complexities of laboratory outreach programs and offered actionable strategies for growth and profitability.
Navigating the Build vs. Sell Conundrum
The choice between selling outreach volume and investing in laboratory growth is often driven by an organization’s strategic plan and financial position. Selling can provide an immediate infusion of capital and serve as an exit strategy, especially when the market offers a considerable premium for outreach businesses.
However, as Michelle Coovert noted, “the forward looking impact of maybe selling that business and what you lose in terms of marketing and sales, provider satisfaction, and kind of controlling the results portion of laboratory testing can play an impact, too.” Investing in growth, conversely, allows for lowered overall costs and sustained profitability, turning the laboratory into a revenue-generating asset for the healthcare system.
The hc1 Approach: People, Process, and Technology
hc1 advocates for a multi-pronged approach to laboratory growth, integrating people, process, and technology to inform strategic decisions. Program management, by definition, involves coordinating, monitoring, and controlling the various projects that constitute a successful laboratory outreach strategy. Key critical success factors include market assessment, sales management, connectivity, and technology.
Susan Dougherty emphasized this, stating, “you need to be successful in all of those areas if you’re going to be able to meet whatever the organizational goals are related to the program.” This holistic view ensures that all facets of the outreach program are aligned and optimized for success, from identifying market opportunities to developing a strategic plan and executing it effectively.
Data-Driven Decisions and Advanced Technology
Capturing expected volume, especially from affiliated physicians who may not be sending all their lab work in-house, is a significant growth opportunity. This is where technology plays a crucial role. hc1’s ProviderView solution empowers laboratories to identify and target specific providers and locations for business growth. This tool leverages data points such as specialty breakdown, payer mix, diagnosis codes, and CPT codes to ensure targeting the right fit for the lab’s services.
John Moyer highlighted the importance of actionable data: “We want to make the news and make a difference. And part of that is real-time data.” By providing real-time, data-driven insights, hc1 enables proactive decision-making, allowing sales and growth teams to have intelligent conversations with physician groups and ensure testing aligns with business profitability and patient interests.
Seamless Operations and Interoperability
Effective growth extends beyond sales to encompass seamless service operations and robust data interoperability. A successful outreach program requires coordination across multiple departments, including billing, compliance, and logistics. hc1’s platform integrates these functions, providing a holistic view of operations and ensuring that all teams are synchronized. This prevents issues like the laboratory being overwhelmed by unexpected volume increases or types of testing, as the lab has a heads-up of what’s coming.
Furthermore, the platform helps identify “leakage” – when physicians send work elsewhere – allowing health systems to capture more volume. As Moyer explained, the platform acts as a “command center” that breaks down data silos and integrates information from various source systems like EMRs, LIS, and billing systems, offering a complete picture for informed decision-making.
For health system and clinical laboratory leaders looking to foster growth and increase revenue, the decision to invest in a laboratory outreach program is a strategic imperative. By adopting a comprehensive approach that integrates people, process, and cutting-edge technology, and by leveraging data to drive actionable insights, organizations can transform their laboratories into strategic assets that not only contribute significantly to the healthcare system’s revenue but also enhance provider and patient satisfaction.
hc1 offers the expertise, technology, and partnership to navigate these complexities and achieve sustainable growth. To learn more about our suite of Operational Excellence solutions, watch our recent webinar on-demand.
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Michelle Coovert serves as Vice President of hc1’s Growth pillar, where she assumes an executive leadership role focused on the Go To Market strategy for this portfolio of solutions. Michelle has over 10 years of experience executing process improvement projects while applying adult learning skills to develop and lead system training programs for continuous improvement methodologies. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Education from Indiana University, and is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB).
