June 7, 2005

Brian R. Jackson, MD, MS

For the clinical laboratory, utilization of laboratory services and improved patient outcomes are intertwined concepts. Misutilization of clinical testing can have a profound impact on the quality health care including delayed decisions, prolonged hospital stays or, worse yet, missed or delayed diagnoses. This adds up to an increased burden on already scarce health care resources. The challenge for the clinical laboratory is to achieve appropriate utilization so that outcomes for both the patient and the health care system are optimized. Approaching this goal requires mutual cooperation by laboratorians and clinicians.