Surgical staff members who are reminded of the costs of daily bloodwork appear to reduce the amount of routine tests ordered and lower costs for the hospital, according to a study in Archives of Surgery.
At a Rhode Island Hospital, study leaders made a weekly announcement for 11 weeks to surgical house staff. The announcement shared the amount spent on blood draws and laboratory tests per non-ICU patient and as a whole.
The baseline per-patient daily charges were calculated as $147.73, and there was an initial total of $36,875 charged per week reported for routine laboratory tests, including blood counts and chemistry panels. During the intervention, the lowest per-patient daily phlebotomy charge was $108.11, a decrease of 27 percent from baseline, and the lowest overall weekly charge was $25,311. At the end of the 11-week study period, the researchers calculated that $54,967 had been saved.
The study authors concluded that even without technical and time-consuming interventions, test ordering behavior can be greatly reduced by making providers aware of costs.
Read the news release on the study of surgical staff and bloodwork tests.
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Study: Checklists Most Effective When Surgical Staff Knows Why, How They Are Used
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At a Rhode Island Hospital, study leaders made a weekly announcement for 11 weeks to surgical house staff. The announcement shared the amount spent on blood draws and laboratory tests per non-ICU patient and as a whole.
The baseline per-patient daily charges were calculated as $147.73, and there was an initial total of $36,875 charged per week reported for routine laboratory tests, including blood counts and chemistry panels. During the intervention, the lowest per-patient daily phlebotomy charge was $108.11, a decrease of 27 percent from baseline, and the lowest overall weekly charge was $25,311. At the end of the 11-week study period, the researchers calculated that $54,967 had been saved.
The study authors concluded that even without technical and time-consuming interventions, test ordering behavior can be greatly reduced by making providers aware of costs.
Read the news release on the study of surgical staff and bloodwork tests.
Related Articles on Efficiency and Surgical Staff:
Study: Checklists Most Effective When Surgical Staff Knows Why, How They Are Used
Why Aren't ORs Adopting Patient Tracking Technology?
10 Proven Ways for Surgery Centers to Improve Workflow Processes