Restrictions on 'multiple biochemical analyses' profiling decreases usage of biochemistry test requests

One hundred and forty two thousand near-consecutive pathology episodes in a private practice laboratory were reviewed. During this period, a new government Medical Benefits Schedule (Pathology Services Table) was introduced which restricted the usage of the 'Multiple Biochemistry Analyses' (MBA) test profile. We found that requesting practitioners, when deprived of the use of the MBA profile, altered their biochemical requesting patterns and that usage of other permitted biochemical profiles increased. However, the overall use of biochemical tests decreased over the survey period, and the cost to the community of biochemical tests performed was lowered.