The need to drive down the cost of healthcare will be one of several factors leading to a $2.3 billion worldwide market for in vitro diagnostic company sales to physician office labs this year, according to healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information.
According to its recent report, "Physician Office Laboratory (POL) Testing Markets Worldwide: Status Quo and Future Trends," the more than 110,000 POL labs in the United States, and many more globally, are positioned well with the goals of healthcare payers.
The term POL is diverse, encompassing small physician practices performing a few rapid tests to large practices of about 200 physicians that operate labs similar to small hospital laboratories. These physician office labs best match with the need for outcomes-based results for judging performance, Kalorama researchers said.
"There is pressure on Washington for consumer-driven healthcare that brings affordable care to people instead of the other way around," said Shara Rosen, Kalorama's lead diagnostic analyst and the author of the report. "Patient-centered care implicates the use of near patient testing when face-to-face performance and discussion of the test results can have a positive effect on patient compliance."
The report notes that this is most effective in cholesterol and diabetes management and warfarin anticoagulant dosing, but physician labs perform other tests and the test menu is larger.
The report lists 45 tests that are performed in physician offices, including urinalysis, pregnancy, fecal occult blood and single-analyte hemoglobin tests.
While there's no direct incentive to use a POL for a test at this time, Rosen said the tendency of governments and payers has been toward pay-for-performance rules over the past decade, a promising trend for POLs.