Laboratory utilization management in Canada

Abstract

Clinical laboratories in Canada are essentially all publically funded, either directly or indirectly. This has created a strong interest among laboratories in mitigating unsustainable increases in laboratory test volumes. However at the same time, the public nature of funding in Canada has opened the door to political interference in health care planning and delivery. A number of utilization management strategies have been attempted in Canada, and there is now renewed interest in laboratory utilization since the formation of Choosing Wisely Canada. Considerable work remains, however, in acquiring and analyzing laboratory utilization data, detecting patterns of suboptimal ordering, and matching these to the most appropriate utilization management strategies.