Health care expenditures in the United States are the world's highest: $9990 per person
totaling $3.2 trillion in 2015, making up 17.8% of the national gross domestic product.
1
Overuse of laboratory tests is a major contributor to wasted health care spending,
with $7 billion spent on laboratory tests in 2015 by Medicare alone.
2
Furthermore, 16% to 40% of these tests may be clinically unnecessary, adding limited
value to patient care.
3
,
4
Prior efforts to impact provider ordering practices regarding laboratory overuse,
including educational initiatives, clinical decision support (CDS) tools, and price
displays, have been variably effective.
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
,
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,
10
,
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References
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- Choosing wisely in adult hospital medicine: five opportunities for improved healthcare value.J Hosp Med. 2013; 8: 486-492
- Embedding time-limited laboratory orders within computerized provider order entry reduces laboratory utilization.Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2013; 14: 413-419
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 03, 2018
Accepted:
April 18,
2018
Received in revised form:
April 17,
2018
Received:
November 14,
2017
Footnotes
☆Funding: None.
✯✯Conflicts of Interest: None.
✯Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing this manuscript.
✯Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
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Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
