Blood-test patients lose right to choose

Diagnostic Medlab has taken back a 10 per cent share of the community market. Photo / Richard Robinson

Auckland's district health boards have imposed new restrictions on where people can have most taxpayer-funded laboratory testing done.

The restrictions came in with contract changes yesterday that re-introduced Diagnostic Medlab to the DHB-paid community pathology market in a move to help out struggling newcomer Labtests.

Labtests retains responsibility for testing patients referred by GPs and midwives.

DML has taken back a 10 per cent share of the community market, comprising private hospitals, private specialists, fertility treatment, visits to resthomes for residents unable to go out, and home visits requested by private specialists.

Some patients who did not want to go to Labtests collection centres had been going to DML and paying as private patients.

But under the new contract between the DHBs and DML, the laboratory company will, after a grace period, not be permitted to test patients referred by a GP, even if the patient is willing to pay privately.

"... it's part of the contract. When a patient is eligible for community funding, there is no option for them to pay," a spokeswoman for the DHBs said yesterday.

However, for the first fortnight of the new arrangement, DML is allowed to test GP patients who come to it, and Labtests is permitted to test those who come to it but were meant to go to DML.

DML's private-market testing for insurance and immigration purposes is unaffected by the new contract.

Auckland GP Dr Donna Marshall, of the downtown CityMed clinic, considers it unfair that the DHBs have brought back DML for some patients, but not those of GPs and midwives.

She and colleague Dr Ravi Sanhdu are considering getting around this by asking specialists to order the necessary tests for those who have already seen a specialist and require ongoing monitoring for blood coagulation, prostate-specific antigen or pregnancy.