Lab Testing agencies sought for local DHB areas

8 December 2005

Lab Testing agencies sought for local DHB areas

The two district health boards in the Greater Wellington region are moving a step closer to improving the consistency and efficiency of lab testing in the community.

Hutt Valley DHB and Capital & Coast DHB have released a “request for proposal” (RFP) document, seeking organisations which are interested in providing primary-referred lab testing services in the community between 2006 and 2011.

“The aim of the RFP process is to get more consistent quality standards, and better value for the available health dollars,” C&C DHB’s director of integrated care Martin Hefford explains.

Hospital lab tests will be unaffected, and will continue to be provided on an in-house basis by each of the DHBs.

The RFP process requires proposals to be submitted by February 2006, after which the DHB’s will decide who to purchase primary-referred lab testing services from. It is expected that the selected organisation (or organisations) will take up the five-year contract from October 2006. The contract, over the 5 years it will operate, will involve around $100 million worth of community-based lab tests.

ENDS

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