Sharing medical test results in hospitals

Hospitals nationwide perform approximately 250 million bio-chemical tests, more than 200 million blood tests, and 25 million micro-bio tests each year. The numbers increase 10% annually, creating a burden for patients and health insurance funds. Tests account for 16% to 20% of medical costs in Vietnam. Sharing medical test results between hospitals which will be implemented by 2020 will significantly reduce this cost. Nguyen Trong Khoa is Deputy Director of the Medical Service Administration of the Ministry of Health: “By saving just 1% of test costs which is 50,000 VND per test we can save 375 billion VND per year. Sharing test results will be implemented in special and 1^st class hospitals by 2018 and all hospitals nationwide by 2020.”

Right now, test quality varies between hospitals. To make the plan work, the Ministry of Health is setting laboratory quality criteria and making list of tests for mutual recognition. Laboratories will undergo quality evaluations, internal and external validation, and quality assurance to increase the accuracy and reliability of their tests. Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong said: “Tests are made at the request of treatment plans. Mutual recognition of test results will reduce treatment costs and hospital overloads. Our Department of Health has warned of these problems.”

Hospitals nationwide have already invested in equipment and human resources to implement the plan.