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Redesigning clinical laboratory services: Securing efficient diagnoses for New Zealanders
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Abstract
This monograph develops an evidence-based redesign plan for a key support service in the country’s health system. It is based on a doctoral thesis that evaluated the impact of market-style health resource control of New Zealand’s clinical laboratory services. The monograph summarises material detailed in the thesis, and extrapolates from it to make the following recommendations for improved cost-efficiency: 1) Competitive contracting as a means of price control for diagnostic laboratory services should be abandoned. 2) Laboratory remuneration should be cost-based and independent of specimen origin. 3) Costing methodology already developed and tested in Australia should be introduced here in order to define remuneration formulae. 4) A Laboratory Service Advisory Committee, representatives of clinical laboratories in both sectors, should provide service-related advice to the Ministry of Health. 5) Regionally representative laboratory committees should be charged with planning and co-ordinating district laboratory services, in the interests of cost-efficiency. 6) Interactive electronic expert systems should be developed in major regional laboratories as a counter to clinical laboratory misuse. 7) Technology retraining programmes aimed at achieving suitable medical laboratory technologist redeployment within the health system should be instated in main centres. Long-term, providers of workforce training should aim at developing greater flexibility in the health technology workforce.
Type
Working Paper
Type of thesis
Series
Department of Accounting Working Paper Series
Citation
France, N., Francis, G. & Lawrence, S. R. (2003). Redesigning clinical laboratory services: Securing efficient diagnoses for New Zealanders. (Department of Accounting Working Paper Series, Number 76). Hamilton, New Zealand: University of Waikato.
Date
2003-01
Publisher
Dept of Accounting Working Paper Series