How Did Johns Hopkins Bayview Cut Lab Costs by $1.25M?

Researchers at JohnsHopkinsBayviewMedicalCenter in Baltimore have used two tactics to reduce the number of unnecessary blood tests associated with accessing the symptoms of chest pain and heart attack, which have resulted in a significant reduction in costs for the medical center.

For the study, researchers set out to lower the rate at which physicians order cardiac biomarker testing. Troponin — a protein whose components increase in the blood when heart muscle is damaged — was the cardiac biomarker examined in this study. The researchers said troponin tests are often performed excessively, sometimes more than four times in a 24-hour period, and the tests are often done along with testing for other biomarkers that are redundant.

The researchers used two methods to reduce the biomarker testing. They made changes to the medical center's computerized provider order entry system. The changes were designed to prevent redundant testing. The researchers also provided educational information to physicians about proven testing guidelines, which call for more limited use of blood tests for cardiac biomarkers, and implemented those guidelines.

One year after implementation of the guidelines, the medical center saved approximately $1.25 million in laboratory charges.

The study containing the researchers' findings was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

More Articles on the Cost of Healthcare: 

Bill Introduced to Coordinate Care for Children on Medicaid 
Working Together to Contain Costs: What Hospital Leaders Need to Know for Successful Direct Contracting With Employers
The Role of Pharmacy Care is a Blind Spot in ACOs