Understanding the obesity epidemic: what does the lab need to know?
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Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
Catherine N Otto
Publications and source records attributed to Catherine N Otto.
Identification of criteria for a report card to evaluate clinical laboratory testing services.
Report cards increasingly are considered useful to evaluate health-care services. Identifying important criteria to stakeholders of clinical laboratory testing services is the first step in the development of a report card to evaluate such services. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine criteria important to two stakeholders of these services. Three phases of data collection were conducted: 1) structured telephone interviews, 2) a modified two-round Delphi study, and 3) a verification survey of hospital laboratories that purchase reference laboratory testing services and Independent Practice Associations (IPAs) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) that purchase clinical laboratory testing services. Fifteen of 20 (75%) criteria from the verification survey were ranked between very important and essential by hospital laboratory and managed care organization purchasers. Eleven of 15 (73.3%) criteria were common to both purchaser groups. Six of 11 (54.5%) criteria from the service dimension were the most prevalent. In addition to quality, stakeholders consider criteria for service, access, and cost important. Combining the criteria identified by these two groups serves as the basis of a report card to evaluate these services.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗
Utility scores for dimensions of clinical laboratory testing services from two purchaser perspectives.
Information is critical for making health-care purchasing decisions. Identifying the importance of dimensions and criteria used by purchasers of clinical laboratory testing services is the second step in the development of a report card to evaluate such services. The purpose of this study was to quantify the utility--the importance of four dimensions: access, cost, quality, and service--for two stakeholders of clinical laboratory testing services. Data were collected using a survey of hospital laboratories, as well as independent practice associations (IPAs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs) that purchase clinical laboratory testing services. Although valued differently with respect to the magnitude of the utility score, both stakeholders rate quality and cost as first and second in importance. Managed-care organizations rate access and service as third and fourth in importance. Hospital laboratories consider service third in importance, yet with a similar utility score as that for managed-care organizations. Ten of 19 criteria (52.6%) were rated differently by the stakeholders. Using these utility scores for the dimensions and the criteria serves as a preliminary scoring system for a report card to evaluate clinical laboratory testing services.
Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗