Centers for Disease Control Should Discontinue Certain Diagnostic Tests and Charge for Others

Gao ID: HRD-83-37 April 6, 1983

In response to a congressional request, GAO reported on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) laboratory diagnostic testing services program.

A diagnostic analysis of sample specimen records showed that, although the CDC diagnostic testing service is supposed to be a final resort for testing specimens, 46 percent of the diagnostic specimens tested at CDC during fiscal year (FY) 1981 were not tested initially by commercial or state laboratories. GAO estimated the cost of unnecessary testing by CDC at $1.9 million. Further, GAO found that specimens were not screened to determine whether prior testing had been performed. CDC laboratory personnel contended that it was easier to perform the tests than to screen and reject requests. Federal regulations require CDC to recover the full cost of diagnostic testing services that it provides to private health care providers, clinical laboratories, and other federal agencies. However, in FY 1981, CDC collected no fees from private health care providers or clinical laboratories and only about $30,000 from other federal agencies. GAO estimated that CDC could have collected about $3.3 million in user charges from private health care providers and $662,000 from other federal agencies.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Franklin A. Curtis Team: General Accounting Office: Human Resources Division Phone: (202) 275-5451


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