“LAU Preferred” Insurance & LAU Health System

August 23, 2021

Dear Members of our LAU Community,
 
The Lebanese American University, through its healthcare services, is committed to the healthcare needs and wellbeing of our entire LAU community, our families and our dependents.
 
One of LAU’s top priorities is to provide a premium health coverage to all constituents and their families at an affordable cost. Accordingly, and in line with the directives of our Board of Trustees, the University spared no effort to ensure the best services, while securing the most competitive premiums, in setting up the “LAU Preferred” health insurance plan, which will be exclusive to the LAU Medical Centers (LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, and LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital), starting September 1, 2021.
 
This change has been driven by:

• The challenging conditions at other non-LAU hospitals where medical services, personnel, materials, and equipment are becoming increasingly scarce and in some instances not available. Our medical centers are more capable than others in providing access and continuity of care for our own community.
• Significant cost savings to our institution at a time when our financial sustainability is critical to our long-term survival.
• The fact that, following several years of quality improvement, upgrades, and recruitment of skilled and motivated workforce, our LAU medical centers are in conditions of readiness favorable to meet the critical demands of our community.

 
The new “LAU Preferred” health plan will provide clear benefits to the LAU community that consist but are not limited to the following:

• Assisted, priority access to physicians.
• Accelerated access to routine and advanced ancillary services such as clinical laboratory tests and imaging diagnostic procedures.
• Expedited access to procedures and hospital admissions.
• Facilitated and streamlined processing of paperwork (in addition to the needed coordination for those with NSSF coverage).
• Convenient, cashless visits to physicians within LAU’s Medical Centers, and cashless tests at LAU’s laboratories.
• Only when it becomes necessary, the ability to visit a physician outside LAU’s Medical Centers (the visit fees and caps determined by the insurance plan would apply); any laboratory tests or diagnostic studies prescribed by such physician must be performed at LAU healthcare facility.
• In case of an emergency, access to any emergency department or healthcare facility outside those owned or operated by LAU is covered and accepted.
• The inclusion of provisions whereby medical care at an alternative facility will be covered if this health service is unavailable at LAU (prior approvals needed). 

Furthermore, an LAU Health System has been established, consisting of the health clinics on the Beirut and Byblos campuses, the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, the LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital, and the LAU Mobile Clinics; all dedicated to excellence in patient care, and good health promotion for the LAU community and the community at large.

Striving to provide you with the best healthcare at the convenience of your workplace, LAU is introducing, for the first time, preventive healthcare and wellness services at the campus clinics. The health services will be provided by a dedicated team of physicians and nurses, to deliver primary and preventive healthcare to LAU faculty, students and staff.

While the Beirut clinic has been expanded at its current location at the WKSC building, a new Byblos campus clinic has been established at the former Gate House.

At our LAU academic medical centers, physicians, nurses, and researchers work in unison, using cutting-edge technologies, to provide the best possible clinical care.

The wide range of services offered at our LAU Medical Centers include:

• All medical specialties including general medicine, family medicine, cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, gastroenterology, pulmonary & critical care (intensive care), infectious diseases, neurology, hematology & oncology, rheumatology, endocrinology, nephrology, and emergency room services
• All surgical specialties including general and minimally invasive surgery, bariatric surgery, surgical oncology, pediatric surgery, urology, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac & thoracic surgery, plastic & reconstructive surgery
• Orthopedics with spine surgery and diabetic foot clinic
• Obstetrics, gynecology & women’s Health, with specialized obstetrical care, infertility, urogynecology, advanced minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, breast diseases, and gynecologic oncology
• Medical Dermatology, General Dermatology with laser clinic for cosmetics, and treatment of vascular malformations and birthmarks
• Ophthalmology with pediatric and neuro-ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat)
• Pediatric and adult speech and swallow therapy
• Pediatrics with newborn & pediatric intensive care units
• Geriatrics
• Anesthesia and acute pain service
• Hypertension clinic
• Travel clinic
• Dietetics
• Sports medicine
• Stroke management
• Pain medicine and end-of-life care
• Laboratory & pathology services including molecular diagnostics & PCR testing
• Physiotherapy & occupational therapy
• Radiology services with a comprehensive stroke center, a first-of-its-kind in the region, nuclear imaging, MRI testing, PET scanning, and interventional radiology
• Genetic testing and counseling

“Meet our physicians” hybrid webinars will be held daily during the last week of August to introduce the physicians of the different departments and services to the LAU community.
 
At each of our academic medical centers, there is an “LAU Health System” Customer Care Office dedicated to the support of your medical care and needs, by ensuring a timely, personalized customer service.

Briefly stated, the services provided by the LAU Health System Customer Care Office are exclusive to the members of the “LAU Preferred Plan” and include the following:

1. Helping patients and their families get acquainted with the resources and services available, and facilitating patient access to various services within the medical centers.
2. Expediting paperwork and liaising with LAU’s HR Department to address any concerns related to insurance/NSSF coverage.
3. Orienting for COVID-19 PCR testing, assisting in securing timely collection of results, and providing general information.   
4. Arranging and fast-tracking in-patient admission and discharge.
5. Coordinating fast and easy referrals to specialty physicians via the dedicated extension and email below.
6. Ensuring cashless consultations (physicians’ fees are paid directly to the treating physician by the insurance carrier).
7. Facilitating prompt physician-to-physician.
8. Securing appointments on Saturdays for outpatient diagnostic procedures and testing.

 
The LAU Health System Customer Care Office at the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital has been providing services for the past six months:

Location and contact details for the LAU Health System Customer Care Office at the LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital are as follows:

I am confident that the LAU Health System Customer Care Offices will make your patient experience at the LAU Medical Centers a good one.

A dedicated committee will be overseeing the function of both offices to ensure service excellence at all times.

Any comments or feedback are welcome. Feedback on matters related to the insurance plan and/or to the NSSF can be addressed to the LAU HR Department; for matters related to the Medical Centers and/or the clinics, feedback can be addressed to Mr. Saad El Zein Ext: 1873; email: saad.elzein@lau.edu.lb.
 
Further communications regarding the “LAU Preferred Plan,” including coverage, premiums (costs), and exceptions will be issued shortly by the HR department.
 

Michel E. Mawad, M.D.
President