Dr Hà Anh Đức, director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, delivers a speech at a conference on strengthening the capacity of the medical laboratory quality management system on September 29. —VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Laboratory result interoperability and the reuse of medical test results are beneficial for patients, medical facilities and the health insurance system and play a vital role in building a modern and sustainable healthcare system, health authorities said on Monday.

The total cost of medical tests and diagnostic imaging in Việt Nam has reached nearly VNĐ30 trillion (US$1.1 billion) a year, accounting for 19 per cent of the cost of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance, said Dr Hà Anh Đức, director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management under the Ministry of Health.

Most patients have to redo tests when they have to transfer to other hospitals due to an absence of mechanism to recognise and reuse results from other medical facilities, leading to increased costs, Đức said.

The lack of laboratory result interoperability between medical facilities has resulted in huge waste for both patients and the health system, he said at a conference held in HCM City.

It is estimated that the reuse of one per cent of subclinical tests can save at least VNĐ300 billion ($11.3 million) a year, he said.

“Testing costs that account for a high proportion of total medical examination and treatment costs need to be managed and used more effectively,” he said.

A report of the department shows that around 500 laboratories have met national standards and publicly disclosed results.

However, the country has a total of 3,000 laboratories.

Since 2016, the Ministry of Health has approved a project to strengthen the capacity of the medical laboratory quality management system with a goal to ensure accurate, standardised, interoperable and nationally recognised testing results, he said.

At the same time, laboratory result interoperability will be integrated into the electronic medical record system with more than 1,000 hospitals expected to participate nationwide by the end of 2025, marking a breakthrough in the management of patients’ testing history, reducing medical costs and improving treatment efficiency, he added.

Dr Lindsay Kim, Global Health Security Programme director, US CDC office in Việt Nam, said that in recent years Việt Nam has made significant strides by issuing policies, regulations or guidelines to support medical laboratories.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has articulated a clear and ambitious vision for a national laboratory system to serve the people of Việt Nam that meets and exceeds national or international standards, she said.

With technical assistance from the US CDC, the ministry developed a ten-year strategic plan in 2010, informed by a comprehensive assessment of laboratories across the country, Kim said.

"We remain deeply committed to supporting Việt Nam’s efforts to strengthen its laboratory systems and to advancing our shared goals in public health and global health security," the US CDC official noted. — VNS