Cost Analysis of Operating an Anatomic Pathology Laboratory in a Middle-Income Country

Objective: To examine the cost of operating an anatomic pathology laboratory in a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Once the cost is determined, compare it with the costs of operating other laboratories in the same hospital, and operating anatomic pathology laboratories in other countries.

Methods: Cost and workload data were obtained from hospital records for 2015. Time allocation of staff between laboratory testing and other activities was determined using assumptions from published workload studies.

Results: The laboratory received 20,093 cases for testing in 2015, and total expenditures were US $1.20 million, ie, $61.97 per case. The anatomic pathology laboratory accounted for 5.2% of the laboratory budget at the hospital, compared to 64.3% for the clinical laboratory and 30.5% for the microbiology laboratory. We provide comparisons to a similar laboratory in the United States.

Conclusions: Anatomic pathology is more costly than other hospital laboratories due to the labor-intensive work, but is essential, particularly for cancer diagnoses and treatment.