Advice for Millennium's health plan reps

I work for a health plan, and I've spent the last few years turning our Millennium rep away at the door. He's tried to convince me that your testing offers some great value to us and our network physicians. He and I both know that's a load of crap, but he's got to say what his company needs him to say.

Now he's switched strategies, and wants to introduce me to some "expert" who will tell me about the unethical practices that other urine testing labs (who we also refuse to contract with) are employing. Is he so clueless to think that strategy's going to work?

He must have been that guy in high school who thought girls would find him more attractive if he trashed the other guys. Didn't work then either...

Which leads to my advice: go work for a lab that has a menu that brings value to payers. Oh wait - those kind of labs won't hire someone with the scarlet-letter-that-is-the-name-MILLENNIUM on your resume...well, I guess there's always used car sales...

 

I guess my question would be, why keep engaging him? You said you turned him away at the door, but seemed to either have multiple discussions w/him or listened to multiple voice mails (or read emails).

Either way, it sounds as if you haven’t done your part to let him know he does not have a chance and why that is the case. If posting this advice of CP is your way of achieving this, then you might need some rudimentary work in communication and human relations.

He’s probably not a bad person, trying to do his job, help support a family and sustain the low hum of needs being met. Although I’ve never held this role, I’ve worked alongside these folks. Managed Care drives this industry, so I can’t think of a more difficult role; excluding maybe the big box labs.

 

Thanks for the advice on my advice! I guess I should clarify my reasons for posting on Cafe Pharma:

1) Working for a payer, I can't come right out and say "Mill. Lab Dude, your company has a horrible reputation, and we don't want to tarnish ours by being associated with you guys". I do say no, but I respectfully take his calls and emails. And working for a corporation, I can't say the full story behind why we choose to do business with one lab over another, even if it's a legit reason.

2) Like you, I think this guy's doing his job, and I think his Millennium managed care counterparts are doing the same; my hope is that they'll see the danger/foolishness of this new approach...

 

Anyone ever get engaged with this???

 

What differences is Millennium Health trying to convey since the name change from Millennium Labs? Curious?

 

they changed the name so they aren't associated with the bad rap they had in the past.

can't escape your past. name change or not, millennium will always be known as scum.

 

Interesting theory from an uninformed cafe pharma poster. If that was the reason for the name change then why on earth would they keep the Millennium? The name change, if you go to the website and actually look, is because they are expanding well beyond clinical tox and lab services.

Love all of the folks that post on here because they got beat by Millennium in the market place or because they couldn't handle it as an employee there. It is one of the most successful companies in all of healthcare.

 

Successfully paying back the OIG a lot of cash. How long will it be before the investors who lent Millennium millions of dollars look around at all of the uncollected revenue & figure out that reps told offices that patients don't have to pay their bills.

 

I literally feel bad for the reps. Being scammed by your own company has to suck big time! Working your butt off day after day after day to get screwed over....because corporate wanted to make sure his family had billions and was secure... Ouch!

 

True on the name change. If they were running, they'd run from 'millennium' not 'labs.' But your definition of a successful company is perverse. Successful at exposing thousands of docs to their fraud, being investigated by the government and then successfully hauling off half a billion in illegal money? and now the govt knows exactly who each of those docs are