Strategies to Reduce Unnecessary Medical Tests in Healthcare

The increasing cost of healthcare is a significant concern for individuals and nations alike. A notable contributor to these rising expenses is the prevalence of unnecessary medical tests in healthcare facilities. This assignment explores various strategies designed to mitigate this issue by reducing redundant testing practices. Key approaches include implementing reflex testing policies, developing lab formularies to control inpatient testing, and establishing oversight committees to monitor test relevance and appropriateness. Administrative interventions focus on strategic planning and policy development, while clinical interventions emphasize education and collaboration with healthcare providers. By integrating these strategies, the assignment aims to foster a more efficient healthcare system that balances cost-effectiveness with high-quality patient care.

Running head: PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
[Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees]
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]

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PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
The burden of the cost of healthcare remains on the rise and affect the individuals of a
country and the country at large. Part of this additional cost is attributed to medical tests that are
common with doctors. In as much as medical tests form the basis of disease diagnosis, it has
emerged that not all the medical tests that patients undergo are needed. Some of them have
culminated into unnecessary inflation of the healthcare costs. Several factors have been found to
be directly contributing to chances of overuse and thus unnecessary medical tests in the
healthcare centres (McGinnis, 2011). These factors can collectively be named a culture of more.
Among the factors, include:
 The training and culture of physicians
 Defensive medicine
 A structure for free-for-service
 A preference of technological solutions among the stakeholders in healthcare
 Aggressive nature for the market by the developers of procedures, tests and drugs
 Lack of integrity when it comes to the actual costs of care (Govindarajan, 2016)
Various strategies can be deployed to reduce or even eliminate inflated healthcare costs that
result from wastes of resources concerning unnecessary tests. These strategies are inclusive of
both administrative and healthcare based strategies. The administrative interventions are adopted
and reinforced by the management of the various healthcare-providing outlets. The healthcare-
based interventions require adherence to the code of practice and conduct by the physician as
part of his professional training to execute his duties. These interventions are geared towards
enhancing transparency and honesty between the patient and the doctor without the doctor
attempting to serve self-interest at the expense of the patient (Olsen, 2011). The following

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strategies can be used in curbing the high cost of healthcare by reducing misuse of resources
related to unnecessary tests:
 Adoption of the policy of reflex testing
 Limitation and review of the standing order policy
 Review of denials of payment
 Limitation of inpatient testing by developing a lab formulary
 Enactment of a committee to oversee the utilization of tests
 Review of test menu and knocking out obsolete tests
 Using specialty to review preoperative lab tests
Ways to translate outcomes into measurable data
Most of these strategies are administrative interventions of curbing high healthcare costs
by reducing possible wastages through unnecessary tests (Govindarajan, 2016). A healthcare
centre may have the data on the number of lab tests done before the adoption of these strategies
in each department of the healthcare unit. After a period, during which the strategies were
adopted, the management can again do a statistical analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the
strategies.
This can be either by grouping the strategies in groups of interdependence, adopting all
the policies at ago or adopting a policy at a time. Statistical analysis would be done on the
number of tests done during a period of the strategies and comparison against the pre-existing
statistics during which the strategy had not been adopted (McGinnis, 2011). It will be obvious
that a decrease in the number of medical tests done on the patient would mean a reduction in the
cost of healthcare in the healthcare institution. Fewer tests mean fewer resources used in

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PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
performing the diagnosis. Among the resources that will be reduced, including both the human
and artificial capital.
Using the Return on Investment formula, the healthcare institution would evaluate the
gain or loss (should there be) incurred by the institution on the investment it makes in the
department of medical tests. The formula is as follows:
ROI= (Net Profit/Cost of Investment) * 100. This would generate a percentage or ratio of 100.
From the obtained results, the institution will be able to determine if there is an increase or
decrease in the investment value (Smith, 2013).
Practicum Hours Log
DATE Arrival Time Departure time No. of Hours Description of Services Supervisor’s
Name
Supervisor’s
Signature
10/1/18 10:15
hours
11:30
hours
45
minutes
30
minutes
Total
Time
1 Hour
15
Minutes
Attended a meeting of the oversight
committee- Committee deliberated to assign
each of the members to the departments of
the hospital to oversee the frequency of the
medical tests
At the department of radiology:
Accompanies one of the committee
members to the department to oversee what
is on going

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PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
11/1/18 8:30
Hours
11:30
Hours
2 hours
1 hour
Total
Time
3 Hours
Reviewing test menu of the various
departments of the hospital: Identified
significant number of obsolete and
unnecessary tests
Writing a report on my findings from the
review of the test menu-the report is to be
inclusive of the recommendations and the
final copy submitted to the top management
12/1/18 9:45
Hours
11:35
Hours
50
minutes
1 hour
Total
Time
I hour 50
minutes
Met the top management of the healthcare
facility and presented the reports of my
findings on the review of the menu test.
Discussed the recommendations that would
see a reduction in the wastage of resources
along the same line
Accompanied a different oversight
committee to a different department to
establish the progress and the proceedings-
Shared with the medics in the department
the concerns raised by the healthcare facility
on the need to have a manageable running
costs that are also friendly to the patients
12/1/18 11:30
Hours
16:30
Hours
1 hour
4 hours
Total
Time
5 Hours
Took part in the development of the lab
formulary-the formulary is aimed at having
control over the number of inpatient patients
who undergo testing when the visit the
facility.
Attended a conference-training program
organized by the healthcare facility to
enlighten the members of staff on the need
to curb high healthcare cost. Among those
invited to the conference were doctors,
physicians, nurses and laboratory
technicians among other professionals. The
focus is given to quality healthcare
affordable to both the patient and the
hospital.

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PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
13/1/18 14:00
Hours
17:15
Hours
3 hours
15
minutes
3 Hours
15
minutes
Visited a department to oversee the tests
conducted and with the help of a member of
the oversight committee justifies the
relevance and appropriateness of the various
tests done. Some of the tests are disqualified
on the basis of merit as the oversight
committee members thinks it is not proper
for such tests to be carried out on the
patients following the conditions
Shared with a physician on why they
conduct tests even those perceived or which
appear to be unnecessary. The findings from
this interview are to form part of the final
recommendations to the healthcare facility n
the required improvements.
14/1/18 13:20
Hours
16:20
Hours
2 Hours
1 Hour
Total
Time
3 Hours
Attended a session of the oversight
committee in which they were to present
their findings based on the departments they
were attached. Each committee members
are given time to explain his findings and
make recommendations based on the
findings.
Presented the findings and
recommendations of the oversight
committee to the medical providers to get a
collective reaction and their views on the
same before the report could be forwarded
for further action including adoption of the
recommendations
Assessed the impact of the various
strategies in different departments, trapping
feedback from the healthcare providers on
their experience with the newly deployed
strategies.

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PRACTICUM ASSIGNMENT
References
Govindarajan, V. (2016). The Three-Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation. Havard:
Harvard Business Review Press.
McGinnis, J. M. (2011). Engineering a Learning Healthcare System: A Look at the Future:
Workshop Summary. New York: National Academies Press.
Olsen, L. (2011). The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes:
Workshop Series Summary. New York: National Academies Press.
Smith, M. (2013). Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in
America. London: National Academies Press.