Optimizing laboratory test utilization in long-term acute care hospitals.

Optimizing laboratory test utilization in long-term acute care hospitals. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2017 Jan;30(1):26-29 Authors: Mora A, Krug BS, Grigonis AM, Dawson A, Jing Y, Hammerman SI Abstract Laboratory tests can be considered inappropriate if overused or when repeated, unnecessary "routine" testing occurs. For chronically critically ill patients treated in long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), inappropriate testing may result in unnecessary blood draws that could potentially harm patients or increase infections. A quality improvement initiative was designed to increase physician awareness of their patterns of lab utilization in the LTACH environment. Within a large network of LTACHs, 9 hospitals were identified as having higher patterns of lab utilization than other LTACHs. Meetings were held with administrative staff and physicians, who designed and implemented hospital-specific strategies to address lab utilization. Lab utilization was measured in units of lab tests ordered per inpatient day (lab UPPD) for 8 months prior to the initial meeting and 7 months after the meeting. A repeated measures mixed model determined that postintervention lab utilization improved, on average and adjusted by case mix index, by 0.37 lab UPPD (t = -3.61, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.58) compared to the preintervention period. Overall, the case mix index 8 months prior to the intervention was no different than it was 7 months after the initial meeting...
Source: Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) Source Type: research