Duplicate Checking
Clinical Laboratories can reduce unnecessary laboratory testing by setting minimum retesting intervals in the electronic medical record. This simple intervention prevents physicians from ordering tests too frequently. For example, liver enzymes should not be repeated in less than 48 hours. Tumor markers and thyroid function tests should be limited to one order per month. Genetic tests should never be repeated. Minimum restesting intervals can be set for every laboratory test.
Another simple intervention is to prevent ordering of chemistry panels that contain overlapping tests. Examples include comprehensive metabolic panel and basic metabolic, hepatic function, and renal panels. Another example is basic metabolic panel and electrolytes or single orders for potassium or sodium.
