New guidance outlines financial models for five key clinical laboratory interventions, including C. difficile and blood culture optimization.

A representative 200-bed community hospital could generate an estimated $2.5 million to $2.8 million in annual laboratory and clinical savings by implementing targeted diagnostic stewardship interventions, according to a report published by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology.

The guidance provides healthcare executives, laboratory leaders, infection prevention professionals, antimicrobial stewardship teams, and clinicians with an operational framework to build institution-specific business cases for diagnostic stewardship initiatives.

Depending on an institution’s baseline performance, improved quality metrics resulting from these interventions could also reduce CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition penalties by an estimated $200,000 to $600,000, according to the paper’s authors. The authors note that the strategies may also improve hospital reputation, as well as publicly reported healthcare-associated infection metrics.

“Healthcare leaders know that every investment must improve both patient care and operational performance,” says Sarah E Turbett, MD, senior author of the paper, in a release. “This framework helps hospitals evaluate and implement diagnostic stewardship in ways that improve clinical outcomes, strengthen quality metrics, and demonstrate measurable value.”

Five High-Impact Laboratory Interventions

Diagnostic stewardship is designed to ensure the appropriate test is ordered for the right patient at the right time, and that the resulting data are correctly interpreted, according to SHEA.

To demonstrate tangible financial and clinical value, the paper provides financial models and implementation roadmaps for five common opportunities for laboratory improvement:

For each focal area, the authors detail practical examples, implementation approaches, and projected financial impacts that clinical laboratories and hospital systems can tailor to their specific institutions.

Aligning Laboratory Practice with Diagnostic Excellence

The publication arrives amid growing national focus on diagnostic excellence. The CDC Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence identifies diagnostic stewardship as an essential method for improving diagnostic accuracy while advancing patient safety, healthcare quality, and value-based care, according to the release.

Developed by SHEA’s Diagnostic Stewardship Special Interest Group, the resource is designed to help clinical laboratory directors and multidisciplinary teams demonstrate that laboratory-guided testing protocols directly support hospital financial viability and clinical outcomes.

ID 84749230 © Angellodeco | Dreamstime.com