ARUP Laboratories announced the release of three groundbreaking tools, downstream cost calculators, to its Suite of Utilization Management Services.
“On the other hand, an apparently expensive test might turn out to be cost-saving if it averts costly procedures and/or therapy”
“Our clients, including pathologists and other laboratory professionals, play an important role in promoting cost-effective use of laboratory tests. This requires knowledge of the clinical settings in which tests are being ordered. It also requires knowledge of the clinical decisions being made based on those results and the cost implications of these decisions,” said Khosrow Shotorbani, ARUP senior vice president of sales.
According to Brian Jackson, MD, MS, ARUP’s medical director of medical informatics, the true cost of a diagnostic test includes many factors beyond the direct price of performing the test. For example, an apparently inexpensive test, ordered in the wrong clinical setting or at the wrong time, can sometimes lead to expensive follow-up testing and even therapy. “On the other hand, an apparently expensive test might turn out to be cost-saving if it averts costly procedures and/or therapy,” added Jackson.
To demonstrate the power of this concept, ARUP has created three calculators for use by the general public. The consequences of improper lab utilization in any one of these areas can have a dramatic impact on patient well-being. They address testing concerns in three important areas: