Alinejhad, M., Aghlmand, S., Feizollahzadeh, S., & Yusefzadeh, H. (2019). The economic efficiency of clinical laboratories in public hospitals: A case study in Iran. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 34(2), e23067. Web.
Alinejhad et al. (2019) carry out a cross-sectional study of 22 medical laboratories investigating their economic efficiency. In particular, the researchers use the Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA) to determine whether the studied laboratories are maximizing their allocation of scarce financial resources with minimal impact on quality. The study reports that the sampled laboratories, on average, could maintain the quality of services with a 32% reduction in costs and are therefore economically inefficient.
Alvarez, L., Soler, A., Guiñón, L., & Mira, A. (2019). A balanced scorecard for assessing a strategic plan in a clinical laboratory. Biochemia Medica, 29(2), 020601. Web.
Alvarez et al. (2019) propose the use of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to measure the economic impact of any given strategic framework applied in a clinical laboratory. The study highlights that most of the strategic plans adopted by clinical laboratories invariably involve trying to secure more funding from relevant stakeholders as a key metric. The article details the application of a BSC to comprehensively measure the performance of the selected strategy.
Appleby J. (2016). Crossing the line: NICE’s value for money threshold. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 352, i1336. Web.
Appleby assesses the healthcare system from an economics perspective. The author analyzes the interventions authored by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on clinical outcomes. The author notes that healthcare has taken a considerable inclination towards financial objectives at the expense of clinical outcomes. The article observes how health departments have been affected by financial prioritization in the face of rising health costs.
Archetti, C., Montanelli, A., Finazzi, D., Caimi, L., & Garrafa, E. (2017). Clinical laboratory automation: A case study. Journal of Public Health Research, 6(1), 881.
Archetti et al. (2017) start by noting the impact of technological advances in clinical laboratory practice. In this study, four laboratories at the Spedali Civili hospital in Italy were consolidated into one core laboratory whose services were significantly automated and cost analysis performed. Notable results include a 12.55% reduction in costs post-automation and consolidation owing to the reduction in staff and equipment due to a convergence of operations.
Barletta, G., Zaninotto, M., Faggian, D. & Plebani, M. (2013). Shop for quality or quantity? Volumes and costs in clinical laboratories. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 51(2), 295-301. Web.
Barletta et al. (2013) observe that the recent downsizing of clinical laboratories to curb ever-rising costs has been founded on results from activity-based costing analysis. The scholars query this particular form of analysis by evaluating its impact in 20 clinical laboratories. The study concludes that activity-based costing is a limited way to evaluate the economic impact of clinical laboratories on healthcare systems and proposes cost-benefit analysis as a superior alternative.
Bellodi, E., Vagnoni, E., Bonvento, B., & Lamma, E. (2017). Economic and organizational impact of a clinical decision support system on laboratory test ordering. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 17. Web.
Bellodi et al. (2017) argue that the economic impact of clinical laboratory operations can be moderated by the adoption of a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) during test requisition. The study observes the impact of the implementation of a CDSS in select sections of three hospitals on clinical laboratory costs. The CDSS utilizing sections achieved a significant cost decrease mainly due to a reduction in duplication of laboratory tests.
Byaro, M., & Kinyondo, A. (2018). No correlation between health care expenditure and mortality in the European Union. European journal of internal medicine, 55, e9. Web.
Byaro and Kinyondo, (2018) report a profound finding that there is no significant relationship between health care expenditure and mortality. The articles analyze primary data on mortality rates and healthcare expenditure for Europe between 2000 and 2013 and present their findings graphically. The authors call for the review of this information and translation into policy that could have significant impacts on the economic landscape of the healthcare system and the clinical laboratory in particular.
Cadamuro, J., Ibarz, M., Cornes, M., Nybo, M., Haschke-Becher, E., von Meyer, A., Lippi, G. & Simundic, A. (2019). Managing inappropriate utilization of laboratory resources. Diagnosis, 6(1), 5-13. Web.
Cadamuro et al. (2019) note the significant role of clinical laboratories in informing medical diagnosis and influencing patient outcomes. The article discusses strategies such as Laboratory Diagnostic Algorithms (LDAs) that can optimize the use of clinical laboratory facilities. Further, the researchers detail the adverse cost impacts, and causes of, poor use of clinical laboratories including prolonged hospitalizations, unwarranted follow-up tests, and unused test results among others.
Carlson, J., & Dachs, R. J. (2015). Family medicine residents remain unaware of hospital charges for diagnostic testing. Family Medicine, 47(6), 466–469.
Carlson and Dachs (2015) carry out an empirical study wherein 30 doctors are queried on their knowledge of the costs of typical clinical laboratory tests. Only about a fifth of the queried physicians were reasonably aware of the costs of the clinical laboratory tests they frequently requisitioned. The authors argue that the unawareness of the doctors could contribute to the adverse economic impact that clinical laboratory units have on the healthcare system.
Chu, K. H., Wagholikar, A. S., Greenslade, J. H., O’Dwyer, J. A., & Brown, A. F. (2013). Sustained reductions in emergency department laboratory test orders: Impact of a simple intervention. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 89(1056), 566–571. Web.
Chu et al. (2013) investigate an intervention that could reduce the economic impact of clinical laboratory testing on a healthcare facility. In particular, the article investigates whether a limitation on the number of tests a junior physician at the emergency department can requisition would result in a much desired decrease in clinical laboratory costs. The research points out that a 17% decrease in costs can be attained following such an intervention.
Church, D. L., & Naugler, C. (2019). Benefits and risks of standardization, harmonization and conformity to opinion in clinical laboratories. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 56(5), 287–306. Web.
Church and Naugler (2019) assert that the widespread standardization of clinical laboratory operations to reduce costs has both positive and negative implications on clinical outcomes. The article notes the increased input of managerial and administrative professionals into the healthcare industry as the focus shifts from delivery to cost control. A notable risk of standardization is reduced competitiveness as suppliers of clinical laboratory equipment harmonize their products to suit client demands.
Crawford, J. M., Shotorbani, K., Sharma, G., Crossey, M., Kothari, T., Lorey, T. S., Prichard, J. W., Wilkerson, M., & Fisher, N. (2017). Improving American healthcare through “Clinical Lab 2.0” Academic Pathology, 4 237428951770106. Web.
Crawford et al. (2017) note the expensive nature of healthcare in America and propose “Clinical Lab 2.0” as a potential remedy to this reality. “Clinical Lab 2.0” proposes a proactive and pragmatic approach to clinical laboratory practice that will include clinical laboratory technicians playing a role in the interpretation and requisition of clinical tests. Additionally, the article notes potential barriers to the proposed framework including limited financial resources.
Epner, P. L. (2017). Appraising laboratory quality and value: What’s missing? Clinical Biochemistry, 50(10-11), 622–624. Web.
Epner (2017) notes that the clinical laboratory is increasingly isolated relative to other components in the healthcare system. The article details the possible reasons for this reality and consequently promotes a framework that could result in the better application of the laboratory as an essential part of care delivery. The author notes that it is imperative that the clinical laboratory asserts its position as an economic and clinical asset to the healthcare system.
Feldman, L. S., Shihab, H. M., Thiemann, D., Yeh, H. C., Ardolino, M., Mandell, S., & Brotman, D. J. (2013). Impact of providing fee data on laboratory test ordering: a controlled clinical trial. JAMA internal medicine, 173(10), 903–908. Web.
Feldman et al. (2013) postulate that high overall volumes, and costs, of clinical laboratory procedures could stem from an over-requisition of tests. The article details an empirical study in which costs of tests are displayed to doctors to assess whether this intervention reduces doctor’s ordering of tests. The researchers note that the intervention decrease in the number of tests ordered and could reduce the economic impact of the clinical laboratory on the health system.
Garcia, E., & Fisher, P. B. (2013). The American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2013 wage survey of clinical laboratories in the United States. Laboratory Medicine, 44(4), e97–e115. Web.
Garcia et al. (2013) report on the occupational status of clinical laboratory workers. The article notes that over 90% of clinical laboratory professionals work in hospitals and medical clinics. Crucially, the article reports a shortage of clinical laboratory personnel that may require significant expenditure in terms of training and recruitment to offset. Additionally, the report notes that the wages of laboratory professionals are on the rise which again is financially impactful on the healthcare system.
Giusepi, I., John, A. S., & Jülicher, P. (2020). Who conducts health economic evaluations of laboratory tests? A scoping review. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 5(5), 954–966. Web.
Giusepi et al. (2020) detail an overview of Health Economic Evaluations (HEEs) of clinical laboratory tests. In particular, the study investigates the funding and authorship of HEEs. Crucially, the study reports that most HEEs are funded by government agencies that are also responsible for creating the economic framework in which healthcare systems operate. Laboratory professionals are only moderately involved in the authorship of HEEs in their field.
Hendrik, S. H., Ludwig, F. L., & Ulrich, R. (2015). Medical value as a new strategy to increase corporate viability: Market chances and limitations in the diagnostic industry. Journal of Entrepreneurship & Organization Management, 04(01). Web.
Hendrik et al. (2015) detail the response of clinical laboratory service providers to the shift from a fee-for-service model to a value-based model of health reimbursements. The empirical study involves 241 clinicians who report that a focus on Medical Value (MV) products can greatly improve the level of service delivered to customers while reducing costs. MV products present an opportunity for clinical laboratories to reduce their costs and impact society as a whole, positively.
Herstein, J. J., Buehler, S. A., Le, A. B., Lowe, J. J., Iwen, P. C., & Gibbs, S. G. (2019). Clinical laboratory equipment manufacturer policies on highly hazardous communicable diseases. Public Health Reports, 134(4), 332–337. Web.
Herstein et al. (2019) consider the direct and implied financial costs of clinical laboratory equipment on the healthcare system. The article reports that clinical laboratory equipment has a high acquisition and maintenance costs. Additionally, the equipment could potentially be a point of contact between laboratory staff and pathogens thus creating an implied financial cost in terms of necessary disinfection regimes. Clinical laboratory equipment is an important part of the economic impact of the clinical laboratory.
Huck, A., & Lewandrowski, K. (2014). Utilization management in the clinical laboratory: An introduction and overview of the literature. Clinica Chimica Acta, 427, 111–117. Web.
Huck and Lewandrowski (2014) conduct a meta-analysis of literature on the topic of utilization management in the clinical laboratory. The authors provide possible plans that could be adopted by healthcare systems seeking to reduce the wastage of resources. The focus of their articles is the operation of the clinical laboratory with respect to the changing economic landscape that may necessitate a cost reduction by hospital facilities and their associated clinical laboratories.
Jackson, B. R., & Genzen, J. R. (2021). The lab must go on. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 155(1), 4–11. Web.
Jackson and Genzen (2021) articulate the evolution of the role of the clinical laboratory following the incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article draws from the six-month period at the height of the global health crisis occasioned by the pandemic. Markedly, the article notes that clinical laboratories have must adopt highly reflexive budgets to accommodate unprecedented scenarios. This presents a new phase to the economic impact the clinical laboratory could have on the healthcare system.
Jordan, B., Mitchell, C., Anderson, A., Farkas, N., & Batrla, R. (2015). The Clinical and health economic value of clinical laboratory diagnostics. EJIFCC, 26(1), 47–62. Web.
Jordan et al. (2015) posit that the clinical laboratory plays an integral role in clinical medicine and is inherently liked to patient outcomes. The article argues that the clinical laboratory provides health economic value in terms of adding Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to the populace. The article predicts that with the increase in comorbidities in the populace, clinical laboratory medicine could yet prove a very cost effective way of managing diseases.
Kalra, J., & Kopargaonkar, A. (2016). Quality improvement in clinical laboratories: A six sigma concept. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 1(1), 11-20. Web.
Kalra and Kopargaonkar (2016) point out that s clinical laboratory can indirectly waste resources by causing loss of lives owing to their proximity to patient diagnosis and medical interventions. The study proposes the use of the six sigma framework to reduce the number of defective tests produced by clinical laboratories. The authors note that clinical laboratories must improve their operational methodologies to attain acceptable levels of output from a clinical and economic standpoint.
Kassirer, J. (2014). Imperatives, expediency, and the new diagnosis. Diagnosis, 1(1), 11-12. Web.
Kassirer (2014) notes the evolution of diagnostic testing. Kassirer (2014) points out the use of rapid diagnostic tests that assess a spectrum of biomarkers as the guiding principle for recent clinical laboratory practice. Additionally, Kassirer notes the impact of these changes on the hospital’s bottom line which is the most important consideration. Moreover, the article describes the possible negative consequences that could arise from hospitals redefining the diagnostic process to accommodate financial goals.
Kim, K., Lee, S.-G., Kim, T. H., & Lee, S. G. (2022). Economic evaluation of total laboratory automation in the clinical laboratory of a tertiary care hospital. Annals of Laboratory Medicine, 42(1), 89–95. Web.
Kim et al. (2022) note that large-scale clinical laboratory automation is likely to have a big financial impact on healthcare systems. In particular, the study empirically investigates whether the high installation costs of Total Laboratory Automation (TLA) systems can be offset by faster and more results. The research points out that a TLA system greatly optimizes resources with an anticipated maximum break-even period of 6.24 years post-installation.
Konger, R. L., Ndekwe, P., Jones, G., Schmidt, R. P., Trey, M., Baty, E. J., Wilhite, D., Munshi, I. A., Sutter, B. M., Rao, M., & Bashir, C. M. (2016). Reduction in unnecessary clinical laboratory testing through utilization management at a US government veterans affairs hospital. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 145(3), 355–364. Web.
Konger et al. (2016) note the exponential growth of healthcare expenditure in the US and the role of the clinical role as a site for expenditure reduction. The researchers carry out an empirical study of the application of an LES system at a veteran’s hospital over a two year period. The research reports a significant reduction in the expenditure of the clinical laboratory of the health facility following the structured implementation of the LES.
Kosack, C. S., Page, A. L., & Klatser, P. R. (2017). A guide to aid the selection of diagnostic tests. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 95(9), 639–645. Web.
Kosack et al. (2017) note that clinical laboratory tests have a significant economic impact particularly on the healthcare systems of developing countries. The authors recommend a six step stratagem that could be applied by procuring healthcare facilities to ensure they apply the most economical tests while obtaining the best results in terms of clinical laboratory diagnostics. The article recommends a centralized repository of information of diagnostic tests that can be applied by relevant health facilities.
Lamovsek, N., Klun, M., Skitek, M., & Bencina, J. (2019). Defining the optimal size of medical laboratories at the primary level of health care with data envelopment analysis: Defining the efficiency of medical laboratories. Acta Informatica Medica, 27(4), 224-228. Web.
Lamovest et al. (2019) investigate whether optimizing the size of clinical laboratories can reduce the already adverse economic impact of clinical laboratories on healthcare systems. The researchers carry out a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) on selected input and output variables to determine whether current laboratory efficiencies can be increased. The research reports that automation as well as consolidation can improve efficiencies and reduce out-of-control operating costs while maintaining the level of service.
Lingervelder, D., Koffijberg, H., Kusters, R., & IJzerman, M. J. (2021). Health economic evidence of point-of-care testing: A systematic review. PharmacoEconomics – Open, 5, 157–173. Web.
Lingervelder et al. (2021) carry out a meta-analysis of research articles on Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT). They observe that despite POCT having several inherent advantages such as facilitating early diagnosis, its adoption by healthcare facilities was still limited. Markedly, it is costlier than conventional clinical laboratory testing. The researchers reject their assumption that POCT is hindered by a lack of supporting literature noting that there are other barriers to its widespread adoption.
Lippi, G. & Mattiuzzi, C. (2013). Testing volume is not synonymous of cost, value and efficacy in laboratory diagnostics. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 51(2), 243-245. Web.
Lippi and Matuizi (2013) refute the focus on the reduction of testing volume in clinical laboratories in the context of rising healthcare costs. The scholars note that clinical diagnostics are more nuanced than that and are like all medical interventions, are geared towards delivering positive patient outcomes. The authors call for a more nuanced approach towards the reduction of clinical laboratory expenditure that will not adversely impact the clinical efficacy of laboratory diagnostics.
Lippi, G., & Mattiuzzi, C. (2015). The biomarker paradigm: Between diagnostic efficiency and clinical efficacy. Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnetrznej, 125(4), 282–288. Web.
Lippi and Matuizi (2015) detail the difference between diagnostic efficiency and clinical efficiency. The article notes that the clinical laboratory has previously focused on the former as opposed to the latter which has a more significant impact on patient outcomes and cost efficiency. The scholars recommend a policy shift towards clinical efficiency and propose a framework that can enhance the proposed shift. The article also details some of the possible barriers to the proposed shift.
Lippi, G. & Plebani, M. (2015). Personalized medicine: moving from simple theory to daily practice. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 53(7), 959-960. Web.
Lippi and Plebani (2015) discuss the possibility of clinical medicine moving towards a model of personalized medicine. The researchers note that the clinical laboratory can play a leading role in personalized medicine by developing assays and repositories on biomarkers for genetic disorders. They researchers point out that personalized medicine is the inevitable next step of clinical laboratory medicine that can greatly reduce the overall costs of healthcare while improving patient outcomes.
Lippi, G. & Plebani, M. (2016). Laboratory economics. Risk or opportunity?. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 54(11), 1701-1703. Web.
Lippi and Plebani (2016) note that annual healthcare expenditure has reached double figures in many countries. The researchers note that there is a misconception that clinical laboratory medicine accounts for at least a twentieth of total healthcare expenditure, especially among healthcare administrators. The scholars assert that the economic impact of clinical laboratory operations is much lower than assumed. Clinical laboratory operations are in most cases, profitable for the health facility, unlike other departments.
Lippi, G. & Plebani, M. (2020). The critical role of laboratory medicine during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other viral outbreaks. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 58(7), 1063-1069. Web.
Lippi and Plebani (2020) argue that clinical laboratory science is crucial in the response to a viral pandemic such as COVID-19. The scholars note that preventive and responsive strategies to such diseases must involve more investment in clinical laboratory resources shortly for the best clinical, social, and economic outcomes. Additionally, the article discusses the several ways clinical laboratory operations can be tailored to fight the disease apart from offering a vital diagnostic tool.
Molero, A., Calabrò, M., Vignes, M., Gouget, B., & Gruson, D. (2021). Sustainability in healthcare: Perspectives and reflections regarding laboratory medicine. Annals of Laboratory Medicine, 41(2), 139–144. Web.
Molero et al. (2021) note that clinical laboratories are supposed to be sustainable. They focus on the negative environmental impacts of clinical laboratories and emphasize that policies such as reusing, recycling, and reducing test redundancy can in the long run curtail run-away health expenditure. They point out that clinical laboratories can be extremely wasteful with resources and propose measures and strategies to bring them in line with sustainable economic and environmental practices.
Mrazek, C., Simundic, A.-M., Salinas, M., von Meyer, A., Cornes, M., Bauçà, J. M., Nybo, M., Lippi, G., Haschke-Becher, E., Keppel, M. H., Oberkofler, H., Felder, T. K., & Cadamuro, J. (2020). Inappropriate use of laboratory tests: How availability triggers demand – Examples across Europe. Clinica Chimica Acta, 505, 100–107. Web.
Mrazek et al. (2020) note that clinical laboratory tests are often under and over utilized by physicians resulting in the wastage of resources by the healthcare system. In their empirical study across European health institutions, the authors observe that laboratory resources, in some cases, dictate demand for laboratory services. The authors opine that this could have severely detrimental effects on the financial status healthcare system and should be addressed to curb the ever-rising costs of healthcare.
Padoan, A. & Plebani, M. (2022). Artificial intelligence: Is it the right time for clinical laboratories?. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 60(12), 1859-1861. Web.
Padoan and Plebani (2022) note the potential economic implications of Artificial Intelligence in the context of clinical laboratory medicine. Additionally, the authors point out the economic significance of big data in other financial sectors and observe that clinical laboratories similarly create large repositories of valuable data. The article notes that clinical laboratories can leverage big data and use it to enhance patient outcomes and economic efficiency while providing operational advantages such as reduced errors.
Plebani, M. (2015). Clinical laboratories: Production industry or medical services?. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 53(7), 995-1004. Web.
In this article, the emphasis on the economic outcomes, as opposed to the health outcomes of clinical laboratory science, is criticized (Plebani 2015). The author notes that the health contributions of laboratory diagnostics to medicine have been under-valued resulting in the diminution of clinical laboratory science. In addition, the article details the progression of the clinical laboratory science discipline over the years to date.
Plebani, M. (2016). Towards a new paradigm in laboratory medicine: the five rights. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 54(12), 1881-1891. Web.
Plebani (2016) argues for more synergy between the clinical and laboratory phases of medical healthcare. The article argues for laboratory medicine to take up more responsibility that will contribute to a reduction in the level of medical errors and their associated costs. Additionally, the article points out five principles that should inform the new role of the clinical laboratory. The article also outlines a framework for the implementation of the five proposed principles.
Plebani, M. (2018). Quality and future of clinical laboratories: The Vico’s whole cyclical theory of the recurring cycles. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 56(6), 901-908. Web.
Plebani (2018) argues that clinical laboratories are forced to conform to economic standards and objectives at the expense of delivering top-quality service to patients. He points out the impact of rising health costs on clinical laboratories which are perennially targeted for cost reductions. Plebani notes that clinical laboratories are increasingly distanced from the diagnosis and patient care stages to the detriment of patient outcomes (2018).
Price, C. P., & St. John, A. (2014). Innovation in healthcare. The challenge for laboratory medicine. Clinica Chimica Acta, 427, 71–78. Web.
Price and St. John (2014) note the role of laboratory medicine in the context of a constantly shifting landscape. The authors note the limited literature detailing the impact of laboratory diagnostics on clinical efficacy that often lead to its constant targeting as a viable candidate for budget cuts. The article notes that this could also impact the level of invention in laboratory medicine that could ultimately result in poorer patient outcomes.
Rodriguez-Borja, E., Villalba-Martinez, C., Barba-Serrano, E., & Carratala-Calvo, A. (2016). Failure to review STAT clinical laboratory requests and its economical impact. Biochemia Medica, 26(1), 61–67. Web.
Rodriguez et al. (2016) note that clinical laboratories are prone to wastage of resources if not well managed. In particular, this empirical study evaluates more than 300,000 Short Turn Around Time (STAT) test requests from clinicians. The authors report that 2.5% of the test results from the STAT tests were redundant in that they were not viewed by a clinician. The authors point out that such wastage drives costs up and must be managed.
Rohr, U. P., Binder, C., Dieterle, T., Giusti, F., Messina, C. G., Toerien, E., Moch, H., & Schäfer, H. H. (2016). The Value of In Vitro Diagnostic Testing in Medical Practice: A Status Report. PloS one, 11(3), e0149856. Web.
Rohr et al. (2016) research is an empirical study whose psrticipants are 79 doctors. It tests their knowledge of healthcare expenditure. Notably, more than three-quarters of the sample group approximated clinical laboratory expenditure at more than 5% against an actual value of less than 2.3%. This is despite two-thirds of all clinical decisions requiring laboratory diagnostics. The authors conclude that clinical laboratory testing is crucial and not as resource-consuming as many believe.
Snozek, C., Kaleta, E., & Hernandez, J. S. (2014). Management structure: establishing a laboratory utilization program and tools for utilization management. Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry, 427, 118–122. Web.
Snozek et al. (2014) detail the application of a management utilization program in the face of rising costs of healthcare. They detail the role of the clinical laboratory manager with respect to reducing the impact of the clinical laboratory on a healthcare system. Additionally, they describe a working policy that could inform the role of the clinical laboratory manager and their working relationship with other stakeholders in the healthcare fraternity.
St John, A., & Price, C. P. (2014). Existing and emerging technologies for point-of-care testing. The Clinical biochemist. Reviews, 35(3), 155–167. Web.
St John and Price (2014) argue for Point-of-Care Testing (PoCT) as a more economical alternative to conventional physician-requisitioned testing. The authors note that PoCT testing can greatly reduce the economic impact of the clinical laboratory. Notably, they highlight the particular advantages of PoCT that can reduce the economic pressures induced by healthcare systems and the clinical laboratory. The article also discusses healthcare delivery models that can work in tandem with PoCT such as telehealth.
Vázquez, M., Anfossi, L., Ben-Yoav, H., Diéguez, L., Karopka, T., Della Ventura, B., Abalde-Cela, S., Minopoli, A., Di Nardo, F., Shukla, V. K., Teixeira, A., Tvarijonaviciute, A., & Franco-Martínez, L. (2021). Use of some cost-effective technologies for a routine clinical pathology laboratory. Lab on a Chip, 21(22), 4330–4351. Web.
Vázquez et al. (2021) discuss some of the ways clinical laboratory diagnostics can be enhanced to reduce their consumption of the healthcare budget. They focus on three diseases that are hugely reliant on clinical laboratory diagnostics namely asthma, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. They report that clinical and economic outcomes can be improved by an approach that stratifies patients based on their pathophysiological characteristics as derived from clinical laboratory tests.
Wilson, M. L., Fleming, K. A., Kuti, M. A., Looi, L. M., Lago, N., & Ru, K. (2018). Access to pathology and laboratory medicine services: A crucial gap. The Lancet, 391(10133), 1927–1938. Web.
Wilson et al. (2018) detail the economic stratification of society that arises from the different levels of access to clinical laboratory services for individuals. They observe that developing nations afford minimal access to high level and timely clinical laboratory services. The authors note that this increases the disparity in quality of life between the disadvantaged and the advantaged. The article reflects on this reality in the context of the conditions prevailing in developing countries.
Yusefzadeh, H., Ghaderi, H., Bagherzade, R., & Barouni, M. (2013). The efficiency and budgeting of public hospitals: case study of iran. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 15(5), 393–399. Web.
Yusefzadeh et al. (2013) note that public hospitals and the healthcare system in general is burdened by the costliness of its essential components. The authors use a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique to evaluate the efficiency of hospital inputs relative to outputs. Notably, the clinical laboratory contributes significantly to the input demand of a health facility. The study reports that hospitals could attain the same level of output while reducing 41.5% of their inputs.
Zhi, M., Ding, E. L., Theisen-Toupal, J., Whelan, J., & Arnaout, R. (2013). The landscape of inappropriate laboratory testing: a 15-year meta-analysis. PloS one, 8(11), e78962. Web.
Zhi et al. (2013) point out that clinical laboratory diagnostic testing is the largest component of medical activity by volume of operations. The study is a meta-analysis of articles discussing or containing empirical analyses of clinical laboratory tests. Zhi et al., (2013) conclude that in many instances, clinical laboratory tests are underutilized, over-requisitioned by physicians and unduly repeated. All these factors contribute to medical errors as well as wastage of healthcare system resources.
References
Alinejhad, M., Aghlmand, S., Feizollahzadeh, S., & Yusefzadeh, H. (2019). The economic efficiency of clinical laboratories in public hospitals: A case study in Iran. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 34(2), e23067. Web.
Alvarez, L., Soler, A., Guiñón, L., & Mira, A. (2019). A balanced scorecard for assessing a strategic plan in a clinical laboratory. Biochemia Medica, 29(2), 020601. Web.
Appleby J. (2016). Crossing the line: NICE’s value for money threshold. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 352, i1336. Web.
Archetti, C., Montanelli, A., Finazzi, D., Caimi, L., & Garrafa, E. (2017). Clinical laboratory automation: A case study. Journal of Public Health Research, 6(1), 881.
Barletta, G., Zaninotto, M., Faggian, D. & Plebani, M. (2013). Shop for quality or quantity? Volumes and costs in clinical laboratories. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 51(2), 295-301. Web.
Bellodi, E., Vagnoni, E., Bonvento, B., & Lamma, E. (2017). Economic and organizational impact of a clinical decision support system on laboratory test ordering. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 17. Web.
Byaro, M., & Kinyondo, A. (2018). No correlation between health care expenditure and mortality in the European Union. European journal of internal medicine, 55, e9. Web.
Cadamuro, J., Ibarz, M., Cornes, M., Nybo, M., Haschke-Becher, E., von Meyer, A., Lippi, G. & Simundic, A. (2019). Managing inappropriate utilization of laboratory resources. Diagnosis, 6(1), 5-13. Web.
Carlson, J., & Dachs, R. J. (2015). Family medicine residents remain unaware of hospital charges for diagnostic testing. Family medicine, 47(6), 466–469.
Chu, K. H., Wagholikar, A. S., Greenslade, J. H., O’Dwyer, J. A., & Brown, A. F. (2013). Sustained reductions in emergency department laboratory test orders: Impact of a simple intervention. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 89(1056), 566–571. Web.
Church, D. L., & Naugler, C. (2019). Benefits and risks of standardization, harmonization and conformity to opinion in clinical laboratories. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 56(5), 287–306. Web.
Crawford, J. M., Shotorbani, K., Sharma, G., Crossey, M., Kothari, T., Lorey, T. S., Prichard, J. W., Wilkerson, M., & Fisher, N. (2017). Improving American healthcare through “clinical lab 2.0” Academic Pathology, 4 237428951770106. Web.
Epner, P. L. (2017). Appraising laboratory quality and value: What’s missing? Clinical Biochemistry, 50(10-11), 622–624. Web.
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