Allina says patient disruptions are improving one month after outsourcing lab work

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - On Sept. 16, Allina Health started handing off outpatient lab work to Quest Diagnostics, a New Jersey-based company that is one of the nation’s largest lab providers.

Concern, confusion around lab changes

Allina says the decision was made to improve care, address staffing shortages, and save money.

However, the move has caused confusion for healthcare providers and their patients.

"I don’t know how to order labs for our patients; we don’t know the appropriate tests that Quest is going to be able to run," said Amanda Warner, a family nurse practitioner at Allina. 

Providers say the care their patients are receiving is not the care they were promised.

"Labs aren’t getting run, or they’re getting delayed with the results, which is also causing issues. Patients aren’t getting timely results anymore," Warner said last month.

On Sept. 24, Allina and Quest sent a joint email to providers acknowledging the issues, stating in part: "Despite a great deal of planning, this isn’t going as expected or as planned. Simply put, it’s not acceptable."

FOX 9 obtained a video sent to providers two days later from Allina Health CEO Lisa Shannon.

"I acknowledge there have been more challenges than we or Quest expected, and they are causing strain on our care teams and some disruptions, including long wait times for our patients," Shannon said in the video.

Providers at Allina say they were left in the dark, with a change they were not prepared for. Now, providers have teamed up as a union to fight for a say in providing quality care.

"We love the work we do, taking care of patients, and we know we need to do that job at the level Allina employees promised our patients," said Dr. Abbe Penziner-Bokde, a direct care pediatrician.

What Allina is saying

Allina Health provided the following statement to FOX 9 regarding the transition issues: 

"Patient safety is Allina Health's priority. A month ago, we underwent a complex transition to partner with Quest Diagnostics for our lab services. We quickly assessed concerns, and we continue to implement clinical solutions to ensure we are meeting the needs of our patients and care teams. We have seen significant improvements and assure patients that Allina Health is available to address their care needs."