[Survey of costs of laboratory tests aiming at revision of medical treatment fees and improvement of work].
The costs of laboratory tests were surveyed, aiming at realizing medical treatment fees corresponding to the costs of hospital laboratory tests. Using exclusive application software, the costs of blood cell count, peripheral blood and bone marrow, PT, general urinalysis, urine sediment, AST, glucose, HbA1c, AFP, CEA, microbial, and chromosomal tests were surveyed in 13 hospitals. The costs of tests using automatic devices were lower than the medical treatment fees (operation fees) in many hospitals, but those of tests requiring manual manipulation and the skills of clinical technologists, such as peripheral blood, bone marrow, urine sediment, microbial, and chromosomal tests, exceeded the medical fees (operation fees) in many hospitals. Accurate surveys of costs in many hospitals may lead to the moderation of medical treatment fees, and investigation of the test costs at individual hospitals may be useful for improving the medicoeconomics of hospitals and test-based work. [Rinsho Byori 58 : 920-924, 20101
Yoneyama
Akiko
A
Department of Central Clinical Laboratory, Toranomon Hospital, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8470, Japan. yoneyama@toranomon.gr.jp
D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D005251:Fees, Medical / Q000592:standards; D007564:Japan