Why are present Microbiology Results so expensive?
If separate tests are performed for each of the different pathogens that can cause a particular patients infection, then the final cumulative price for all the results is quite high. Furthermore, any laboratory report that takes a long time to produce is inevitably expensive, due to high labor costs, consumables, and the varied infrastructure required to process the tests (large incubators, microscopes, etc). The microbiology sections of clinical labs are typically as large or larger than the chemistry section and this footprint too adds costs if full cost accounting is used. Relative to costing yardsticks applied to clinical chemistry and hematology, microbiology therefore is an expensive section of the clinical laboratory, and given the limited test menus, delayed results, and cost it is fair to say microbiology is relatively cost-ineffective as presently practiced. Delayed results also may have a ripple effect, since delayed treatment can result in increased morbidity and death, and
