Amultifaceted intervention is able to cut inpatient lab costs per day by reducing the number of commonly ordered, but unnecessary, routine tests, according to a study published Feb. 4 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. The intervention incorporates education and cost feedback to change the culture of routine test ordering into a "thoughtful process," the authors say. Laboratory tests, while a small percent of the total health care spend, are documented to contribute to waste, with an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of tests for hospitalized patients being unnecessary, the authors say. A University Health Systems Consortium 2011 analysis indicated that The University of Utah General internal medicine service compared their costs to 2011 University Health Systems Consortium’s data and determined it had a higher average direct lab cost per discharge compared to top performers. In addition to the potential cost savings, potential anemia from phlebotomy during long hospital stays, negative patient experience from frequent, early morning blood draws, and a cascade effect from false positives that lead to further testing and monitoring all contributed to the hospital’s interest in quality improvement efforts. University of Utah Health Care developed a Value Driven Outcomes (VDO) tool to give direct data […]