Avalon Healthcare Solutions: Florida company ramps up coordination of testing for COVID-19

Courtesy of Avalon Healthcare Solutions – Avalon volunteers at the Metropolitan Ministries annual holiday Hope tent in 2019.

Courtesy of Avalon Healthcare Solutions – The inaugural Avalon bowling team, the “Stay in Yo Lane” bowlers.

Inc. 500 list of Florida's fastest-growing companies based in the Tampa Bay Area.

Courtesy of Avalon Healthcare Solutions – CEO Bill Kerr of Avalon Healthcare Solutions

Inc. magazine recently named Tampa-based laboratory benefit manager, Avalon Healthcare Solutions, to its Inc. 5000 Series: Florida. Ranked according to the percentage of two-year revenue growth, Avalon placed second among Florida’s 250 companies named to the list.

The regional list offers a look at the most successful companies within the Florida economy’s most productive sector — independent small businesses. From 2016 to 2018, Avalon Healthcare Solutions grew 3,764 percent.

“We are thrilled that Avalon is recognized in the inaugural Inc. 5000 Series: Florida list,” says Dr. Bill Kerr, Avalon Healthcare Solutions chief executive officer. “Avalon’s growth illustrates the confidence our customers have that we deliver on the triple aim in healthcare of improved cost, quality, and access.”

Avalon’s vision is to redefine the way health plans, physicians, and laboratories coordinate laboratory care for millions of patients. The situation with COVID-19 illustrates the reasons why it’s so important for all three aspects to work together.

Avalon understands that the concern of the spread of COVID-19 and how to combat it is of utmost importance to its customer base, Kerr says. As a result, the laboratory benefit manager has witnessed an increase in need for COVID-19 testing.

“We founded this company because we understand the importance of accessing the right test at the right time and the right price are key to good medical care and clinical outcomes,” Kerr says. “Our clients have also known and valued this.”

To better serve its customers, the company’s priority is finding testing availability.

“We have identified labs that are approved to perform testing, are working to expand capacity, and are identifying appropriate pricing,” he says.

Avalon has facilitated discussions that have resulted in a more efficient COVID-19 testing approval process. The company is in contact with appropriate government officials regarding funding priorities to support the management of COVID-19 and maintaining system capacity to treat all patients.

“We have also tracked all labs approved to perform testing and insured those labs are available for use by our clients,” Kurr explains.

Kerr says he is proud to report that the transition to his company’s disaster recovery plan has gone smoothly and points to his employees as part of the reason why.

“Avalonians helping Avalonians has always been key to our culture, but never more so than now,” he says.

Avalon has also built a secure IT chassis that is 100 percent cloud-based.

“This allowed us to quickly shift resources to protect our employees and to maintain service levels to our customers.”

In addition to Avalon Healthcare Solutions, real estate firms Equity & Help (ranked No. 3) and Fair Price Properties (ranked No. 8), cosmetic bonding manufacturer Professional Hair Labs (No. 12) and digital wellness company Peerfit (No. 13) were the top five Tampa Bay companies in the Inc. 5000 Florida series ranking.

For more information on Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing companies, visit these websites: