Lab stewardship program reduces unnecessary costs and improves patient care

A large, Chicago-based FQHC network wanted to optimize efficiency of testing, improve patient care and provide better, more accurate testing for their highrisk population, while also eliminating unnecessary testing expenses. The network, however, faced a lack of population health analytics tools and limited funding to invest in developing their own.

Gaining insight to advance community health

To gain the necessary insight to implement effective treatment practices and better meet their quality metrics, the FQHC collaborated with Labcorp, their partner of more than a decade. Through Labcorp’s Insight Analytics program, the network was able to view utilization reports for tests of interest based on national guidelines and best practices. Several actionable key findings emerged:

• Opportunities to better adhere to clinical guidelines. The data revealed certain cancer screenings – particularly cervical and prostate – were being ordered outside of the established guidelines
• Patterns of commonly misordered tests. Analysis showed both less clinically informative tests and less common tests were being misordered, sometimes simply because the test names were similar or appeared first in the system
• Unnecessary testing expenses. Patients tested for thyroid function were receiving a larger panel of tests via concurrent batch testing, creating unnecessary testing and expenses

Implementing best practices to improve quality outcomes

Through their partnership with Labcorp, FQHC leadership was able to guide their network providers to immediately address each of the key findings. In particular, moving away from a batch testing approach in favor of thyroid cascade testing resulted in:

• Improvements to care management. Smart testing cascades start with a few key tests that indicate the appropriate follow-up testing, if any, by applying established, evidence-based guidelines. This simplifies the test ordering process for providers and allows them to more efficiently evaluate and monitor thyroid function for their patients
• Financial savings. This approach eliminated $84,000 in unnecessary testing expense in the first year post-implementation, even with increased volumes of thyroid function screenings
• Patient care benefits. In the year following introduction of the thyroid cascade report from Labcorp, cascade tests increased significantly and batch ordering decreased significantly, indicating a change toward ordering the right test for the right patient at the right time

To start a discussion about how Labcorp might assist you with your health system’s unique challenges, contact us at https://www.labcorp.com/organizations/hospitals/health-systems-organizations-contact