BC Lab Costs Mounting
Saturday, February 18, 2012 @ 8:51 AM
Victoria, B.C. – Demand for laboratory testing in B.C. is currently outpacing the rate of population growth. Since 2001, the number of lab tests performed annually has increased by 70 per cent, with B.C. investing more than $600 million in the lab system each year.
Despite significant cost containment efforts, lab costs have increased by $130 million– or approximately 27 per cent – in the past five years. By 2020-21, it is conservatively estimated that total annual laboratory expenditures could reach between $771 million and $894 million.
The province has released a Request For Proposals seeking a management consulting firm to determine how best to strengthen the laboratory services system.
The successful contractor will conduct a comparison of lab services in Canada and other jurisdictions to identify strengths and best practices. The contractor will also consult with a variety of stakeholders including health authorities, the BC Medical Association, the BC Association of Laboratory Physicians, unions and private-sector laboratories. At the end of the 10 week contract, the contractor will provide the Province with a report outlining options for strengthening B.C.’s lab system, including ways to reduce costs, improve access and increase efficiency.
The RFP can be found online at: www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca
Comments
Every time I visit my doctor I need a lab test of one kind or another. And I am never told what those results are. Some times I wonder if there is a hidden agenda to destroy our midical system.
Cheers
Just means higher prices for us, somewhere doesn’t it!
“And I am never told what those results are”
You may decide to call your doctor and ask if your test requires you to make another visit for a follow-up. The lab won’t phone you, that’s for sure. The information is private and confidential so only your doctor and you should know.
It took me a long time to find out that my previous doctor ordered lab tests and would only schedule another visit if the tests showed that there was something really seriously wrong.
I sometimes also insisted that I get a lab requisition for a certain lab test, although my doctor argued and said it was statistical overkill. I disagreed, insisted and paid for it out of my own pocket.
This can be a life saver, believe me!
Could it be that our western medical system is actually becoming proactive against illness and disease?
Why yes, Virginia, they are. Or at least the more enlightened physicians are.
These routine lab tests sometimes result in early detection of life threatening illnesses. Take the time, get the tests.
metalman.
Or in the majority of the cases, the doctors are the majority share owners of the lab companies and of course you need that lab test for him to be able to diagnose what is wrong. Small conflict of interest there.
That LARGE phone booth sized lab at the Phoenix Medical Centre should be costing dough. Lined up out the door most days. Nothing in the budget for expansion? 20 people ahead of you at the “lab” at PGRH. Hmmmm?
They want lab tests for a sore toe now. I throw a lot of lab requests in the garbage because I wouldn’t take the pills they are going to prescribe anyway. I’ve been taking ‘carvedilol” (supposed to regulate heartbeat) for about 6 years now. Irregular rhythms gradually increased until it ruined my quality of life. I saw another doctor in another city and he advised me to stop taking that drug and told me they “cause” irregular heart beat. It seems he was right — I quit about 3 months ago. My family doctor agreed, my specialist didn’t. Never again will I take a prescribed drug without fully researching it myself as well as getting another opinion.
The more you deal with doctors the more you find out what they don’t know. Trust me. I’m not a doctor.
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