Abstract:
The aim of this study is to analyze the unit cost of the laboratory tests serving out
patients by the Center of Medical Laboratory Service and for the annual health check
up program by the mobile unit. The data were collected retrospectively during
October 2004 to September 2005. There were five activities defined as indirect
processes for laboratory tests, and the laboratory testing activity was the direct
process. The costs of the laboratory tests composed of three cost components; the
laboratory overhead (LOH), the medical supply cost (MSC) and the professional cost
(PC). The unit cost was calculated from dividing the total cost of laboratory tests by
the number of tests.
It was found that for out patients, there were 185,071 routine clinical chemistry
tests and 15,763 special tests. For annual health check ups the routine clinical
chemistry tests numbered 204,938 and special tests 7,267. At the center, the unit costs
of glucose, BUN, creatinine, uric acid, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-C, AST, ALT,
ALP, Total T3, Total T4, TSH, AFP, CEA, HBsAg, and HBsAb were 14.09, 19.31,
13.91, 17.58, 16.47, 18.56, 35.30, 15.97, 15.88, 18.86, 125.96, 126.94, 169.40,
162.92, 163.91, 74.05 and 106.99 baht, respectively. At the mobile unit, the costs of
corresponding tests were 10.02, 14.54, 9.70, 12.31, 12.03, 14.06, 28.78, 11.51, 11.29,
13.61, 128.94, 138.32, 188.13, 178.25, 168.70, 70.55 and 100.65 baht, respectively.
The unit costs of the special tests were higher than that of the routine clinical
chemistry tests. The highest unit cost of the clinical chemistry tests was HDL-C while
the lowest was creatinine. The highest unit cost of the special tests was TSH whereas
the lowest was HBsAg. These findings were the same in the center and in the mobile
unit.