[Choosing effective laboratory tests for hyperlipidemia, and the reimbursement system]

The Japanese Government has developed health-care payment policies designed to balance the growth of health-care expenditure against other national priorities. Often these policies tend to limit the various services. The Japan Atherosclerosis Society published management guidelines for hyperlipidemia in 1997. There is increasing concern about the cost of laboratory studies as well as the cost of the management of hyperlipidemia. The Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine has also developed standards to choose effective laboratory tests for general practitioners. Health professionals must have a clear knowledge of not only the clinical significance of the laboratory tests but also of the reimbursement system in order to understand the economic factors that control the services available to their patients. Both knowledge can make the physicians proper medical services for the patients.