Establishing a direct laboratory access program
Soloway, H.B.
Clinical Chemistry 41(5): 809
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-9147 PMID: 7729072 Document Number: 446158
Direct Laboratory Access (DLA) refers to a program whereby individuals who wish to have laboratory testing performed can avail themselves of such testing independently of a physician referral. DLA benefits both physicians and consumers. Physicians benefit by not having to invest time and office resources for consumers who do not seek medical intervention but rather who visit physicians for the sole purpose of obtaining permission to have laboratory tests performed. Consumers benefit by avoiding physician encounters they do not want, by receiving state-of-the-art laboratory testing they do want, and by avoiding the added expense and inconvenience of a physician office visit. DLA appeals to an anxious, educated, and somewhat affluent niche market. The program fills a void in the provision of health services while providing a small stream of revenue for laboratories.