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New reimbursement models to promote better patient outcomes and overall value in laboratory medicine and healthcare

  • Tommaso Trenti ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Anna Maria Petrini and Mario Plebani ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: March 22, 2024

Abstract

The most widespread healthcare reimbursement models, including diagnostic laboratory services, are Fee-for-Service, Reference Pricing and Diagnosis-Related Groups. Within these models healthcare providers are remunerated for each specific service or procedure they operate. Healthcare payers are increasingly exploring alternative models, such as bundled payments or value-based reimbursement to encourage value of patient care rather than the simple amount of delivered services. These alternative models are advised, as they are more efficient in promoting cost-effective, high-quality laboratory testing, thereby improving patient health outcomes. If outcomes-based evaluation is a pillar in a new vision of “Value-Based Healthcare”, an active policy of Value-Based Reimbursement in laboratory medicine will assure both an efficiency-based sustainability and a high-quality effectiveness-based diagnostic activity. This review aims to evaluate current and alternative reimbursement models, to support a wider agenda in encouraging more Value-Based Healthcare and Value-Based Reimbursement in laboratory medicine.


Corresponding author: Tommaso Trenti, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria and Azienda USL of Modena, 41126 Modena, Italy, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-02-03
Accepted: 2024-03-04
Published Online: 2024-03-22
Published in Print: 2024-08-27

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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