Utility of Nonspecific Laboratory Testing for Psychiatric Patients Undergoing Medical Screening in a Military Emergency Department.

CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative reimbursement costs of broad testing in the studied population were estimated at $36,325.17 and rarely altered patient disposition. Further testing does not increase the incidence of disposition altering diagnoses and is associated with increased costs. When individual state laws and the clinical assessment by the responsible emergency physician are considered, future standardized ED lab screening evaluations of psychiatric patients in military EDs may be concentrated to breathalyzer alcohol level, urine drug screen, serum salicylates, serum acetaminophen, and urine human chorionic gonadotropin. PMID: 33377494 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Military Medicine - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Mil Med Source Type: research