[Survey of costs of laboratory tests aiming at revision of medical treatment fees and improvement of work].

The costs of laboratory tests were surveyed, aiming at realizing medical treatment fees corresponding to the costs of hospital laboratory tests. Using exclusive application software, the costs of blood cell count, peripheral blood and bone marrow, PT, general urinalysis, urine sediment, AST, glucose, HbA1c, AFP, CEA, microbial, and chromosomal tests were surveyed in 13 hospitals. The costs of tests using automatic devices were lower than the medical treatment fees (operation fees) in many hospitals, but those of tests requiring manual manipulation and the skills of clinical technologists, such as peripheral blood, bone marrow, urine sediment, microbial, and chromosomal tests, exceeded the medical fees (operation fees) in many hospitals. Accurate surveys of costs in many hospitals may lead to the moderation of medical treatment fees, and investigation of the test costs at individual hospitals may be useful for improving the medicoeconomics of hospitals and test-based work. [Rinsho Byori 58 : 920-924, 20101

Price and consumer cost responsibility effects on quality perceptions and price negotiation likelihood for healthcare services.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study that assessed potential differences in consumer quality perceptions and price negotiation likelihood for three healthcare procedures: a routine physical, rhinoplasty, and a root canal, based on varying levels of price and consumer cost responsibility. Results of this study did not support a general positive price-perceived quality relationship for any of the three procedures. However, several significant effects were observed for price negotiation likelihood. First, price negotiation likelihood was found to be higher for more expensive services (i.e., rhinoplasty) than less expensive services (i.e., routine physical). In addition, consumers were more likely to negotiate price when they were both responsible for the entire cost of an expensive procedure and not accustomed to paying the full cost. Lastly, people who likely perceived a relationship between price and quality were less likely to negotiate pricing at high price levels vis-à-vis low price levels.

30th Annual APRN Legislative Update: Improving access to healthcare one state at a time.

The Annual Legislative Update describes recent legislative changes to practice, reimbursement, and prescriptive authority that have the most impact on NPs and other advanced practice nurses across the country.