Repeat Lipid Testing Often Ordered Unnecessarily

One-third of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who have met target goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have repeat lipid panel tests, according to a study published online July 1 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors say that this unnecessary testing in patients who have received no treatment intensification represents an overuse, and possibly a waste, of health care resources. The researchers analyzed medical record and prescription data from 27,947 patients with CHD treated in a primary care clinic in a Veterans Affairs (VA) network of seven medical centers. All patients had achieved LDL-C levels of less than 100 mg/dL with no intensification of lipid-lowering therapy in the 45 days after the index lipid panel. Nearly one-third of patients (32.9 percent; n=9,200) had additional lipid assessments during the 11 months of follow-up. Among the 13,114 patients who met the optional LDL-C target level of less than 70 mg/dL, repeat testing was performed in 62.4 percent. There was a mean of 1.38 additional panels performed per patient, totaling an additional 12,686 repeat panels. Based on VA cost data, the mean lipid panel cost was $16.08, for a total of $203,990 in additional annual direct costs. “This well-conceived study . . […]