Cost analysis of routine laboratory testing in blood centers

The direct costs of ABO, Rh, Du, syphilis, and antibody screening tests were investigated. Questionnaires from 58 blood centers were analyzed to compare cost-effectiveness among methods of testing and annual collection volume as well as differences in cost of the various methods of testing within the same-size center. We found that "expensive" automated equipment cannot be justified on the basis of direct costs in centers processing less than 100,000 units of blood per year and that there is a wide variation in costs among centers using the same equipment.