title: An approach to studying the cost behavior of changing utilization of a hospital laboratory.
abstract: Strategies for cost containment in the clinical laboratory have been proposed and some are being tested. An approach is described and illustrated in this article for estimating the size of a cost reduction that might be observed in response to hypothetical changes in the utilization of the clinical laboratory. The variability of laboratory costs with changing volume is reported as a function of the assumptions made.
mesh_terms: D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D007753:Laboratories / Q000191:economics*; D010337:Pathology Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics