Historically, clinical labs have measured success by optimizing performance—focusing on efficiency, turnaround time, workflow, and volume. But in these days of value-based reimbursement, peak efficiency is no longer enough. Any given test could be the key to keep a patient healthier and delivering the best possible care, or an unnecessary expense that the health system will have to absorb as part of a fixed-price contract.
Clinicians may therefore have to change habits surrounding how they order and use lab tests. All the while, a host of new gene-based tests are amplifying the lab's potential to participate not only in diagnosis and treatment, but also in prevention.
Labs must find their place in the big picture, rather than simply delivering requested lab results accurately and in record time. But how can they learn to innovate, challenge their internal status quo, and find new ways to create value?