Reduction in Unnecessary Clinical Laboratory Testing Through Utilization Management at a US Government Veterans Affairs Hospital
By: Jason Reeves
2018-09-25
Agenda/Topics To Be Covered
- Objectives
- Background
- Where is the waste?
- Clinical Setting
- Methods
- System Implementation, Monitoring, and Revision
- Results
- Visualizations
- Conclusions
- Questions
Background
- Health care expenditures in the United States are projected to reach $4.4 trillion by 2018 (20.3% of projected gross domestic product)
- Laboratory and pathology testing accounts for 4% of all yearly health care costs
Clinical Setting
- The VHA operates the largest health care system in the United States
- 151 Medical Centers, 300 Veterans Centers, 820 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and 135 nursing homes that provide care to more than 8 million veterans.
System Implementation, Monitoring, and Revision
- The lab was asked to reduce their bufget by $2 million
- Initial rules developed for 23 tests
- Rules were expanded to include up to 125 different tests
Visualization
Visualization
Visualization
Conclusions
- Electronic laboratory utilization systems can effectively reduce unnecessary laboratory testing without compromising patient care.