Laboratorians facing greater-than-ever pressures to decrease costs and operate more efficiently won’t want to miss AACC’s November 17 webinar, “Using CPOE, Test Formulary and Algorithm to Control Utilization,” featuring Leo Serrano, FACHE, DLM, corporate director of laboratory services at Broward Health System in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In 2013, Serrano and his team cut more than $800,000 using quality management methods. Among other actions, Serrano introduced prior approval for expensive esoteric tests, reduced send-outs, and instituted test formularies and ordering algorithms via Broward’s computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system.
During this 60-minute session, Serrano intends not only to describe the strategies he and his team employed at Broward, but also to respond to questions from attendees about their own experiences in curtailing inappropriate test utilization. “The goal of this presentation is to assist laboratorians with the difficult task of implementing laboratory utilization control in these changing times. At a time when reimbursements are continuously decreasing and there is such an effort towards comprehensive payment reform, the excess use of laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures creates areas of expense that must be controlled,” Serrano explains. “Clinicians do not respond to utilization dictates from non-physicians. We have been able to make a significant impact on utilization through the use of a Laboratory Formulary Committee that is an all-physician committee comprised of active, practicing physicians of various specialties with the laboratory as non-voting members providing expertise and advice to the committee.”
Serrano also provided a bit more insight into how his lab has been so successful in its efforts. “We use consensus best practices as a guideline and maximize the effect through the use of our CPOE/electronic health record processes,” he says. “We have been able to provide expert input at the various CPOE committees, including our evidence-based medicine committee and physicians advisory committee. By working with other clinical experts, we have had significant influence in the building of various order sets in use by the physicians.”
Register for “Using CPOE, Test Formulary and Algorithm to Control Utilization.”