A Proposal for Laboratory Workflow Changes for Efficient Tuberculosis Control.

Author: Chang Ki KIM ¹ ; Heungsup SUNG ; Yeon Joon PARK ; Chulhun L CHANG
Author Information

1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Osong, Korea.
Publication Type:Review
Keywords: Laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis; Laboratory workflow; Tuberculosis control
MeSH: Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Humans; Insurance; Tuberculosis
From:Annals of Clinical Microbiology 2013;16(2):61-68
CountryRepublic of Korea
Language:Korean
Abstract: There are several problems in mycobacterial detection and drug susceptibility testing. One problem is that some test results are unnecessarily delayed because the tests are postponed until patients revisit clinics and pay the cost of the tests. Another problem is that critical and important tests are not requested because patients do not agree with their necessity. These inefficient practices may be due to the fee-for-service policy that the Korean medical insurance system is adopting and because many test methods used for mycobacterial infection have each test codes. Therefore, we propose a new test code encompassing several test items necessary for laboratory diagnosis of mycobacterial infection. This new code enables all necessary tests to be performed sequentially without delay and also prevents performance of unnecessary tests. These changes will help control tuberculosis without any further medical insurance financial input.