What is a Diagnostics Management Team?

June 20, 2017

What is a DIAGNOSTIC MANAGEMENT TEAM?

Diagnostic errors remain among the nation's most troubling healthcare issues, accounting for as much as 17 percent of adverse events in U.S. hospitals. Medical errors contribute to approximately 10 percent of patient deaths and are the leading type of paid medical malpractice claims.¹ Fortunately, there is a solution that can reduce the medical errors caused by a delayed or incorrect diagnosis by helping doctors order the correct tests and interpret the results correctly: Diagnostic Management Teams.

Article highlights:

Health care institutions are constantly seeking new ways to advance accountable care
This creates high-value opportunities for labs to partner with IT
Read on to learn three things labs and IT can start doing today to drive better outcomes

Roots of the Problem

Innovative Solution

Diagnostics Without DMTs

In a healthcare organization using a conventional approach—without a DMT—the treating physician orders specific tests based on assessment of the patient. To make matters more confusing, the same test may be called by many different names (e.g., 5–10 different names for the same test to measure the amount of vitamin D in the blood), long test names are abbreviated so they can no longer be understood, and some tests are identified by the method used rather than by what they measure. In many cases, the doctor guesses about test selection and often doesn't know the cost of the ordered tests.⁵ He or she may order multiple tests unnecessarily, with costs for useless information running into thousands of dollars. The laboratory then returns raw results to the ordering doctor, who's left to assemble and try to make sense of the information.

DMTs to the Rescue

Simplified, Streamlined and Actionable

Lower Costs, Improved Outcomes

At institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, DMTs have demonstrated the ability to save money and improve patient outcomes.

The LabLeaders DMT series continues...

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Additional resources

Improving Diagnosis in Health Care
Institute of Medicine
A Laboratory Medicine Education at U.S. Medical Schools: A 2014 Status Report. Academic Medicine.
Smith BR. et al.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Point-Of-Care Evidence to Improve the Antibiotic Prescribing Practices for Otitis Media in Children
Christakis, DA
Primary Care Physicians' Challenges in Ordering Clinical laboratory Tests and Interpreting Results Hickner, J, et al.al.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
'Pre-Pre' and 'Post-Post' Analytical Error: High-Incidence Patient Safety Hazards Involving the Clinical Laboratory Laposata, M, et al.
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

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What is a Diagnostics Management Team?

What is a DIAGNOSTIC MANAGEMENT TEAM?

Roots of the Problem

Innovative Solution

Diagnostics Without DMTs

DMTs to the Rescue

Simplified, Streamlined and Actionable

Lower Costs, Improved Outcomes

At institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, DMTs have demonstrated the ability to save money and improve patient outcomes.

The LabLeaders DMT series continues...

Additional resources

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What is a Diagnostics Management Team?

What is a DIAGNOSTIC MANAGEMENT TEAM?

Roots of the Problem

Innovative Solution

Diagnostics Without DMTs

DMTs to the Rescue

Simplified, Streamlined and Actionable

Lower Costs, Improved Outcomes

At institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, DMTs have demonstrated the ability to save money and improve patient outcomes.

The LabLeaders DMT series continues...

Additional resources

Previous Article

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