Is Point-of-Care Hepatitis C Virus Testing Too Expensive?
January 14, 2026
-
2 min
An analysis conducted by the University of Washington revealed that broad implementation of point-of-care RNA testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) could escalate hospital laboratory costs by up to 260%. Evaluating eight years of data from over 325,000 tests in a Seattle medical system, the study highlighted that transitioning to these rapid tests might incur an additional $2.9 million annually in laboratory costs, primarily impacting emergency departments. While faster testing methodologies can enable immediate treatment, the financial implications raise significant concerns about resource allocation within healthcare systems.
1. Point-of-care RNA testing could increase lab costs by 260% for HCV.2. HCV screening could add $2.9 million annually in costs.3. 33% of HCV diagnoses are from county hospital emergency departments.4. Traditional testing has a median turnaround time of 84 hours.5. HCV antigen testing is a cost-effective alternative, adding only $11,494 annually.6. Emergency department testing for HCV increased 682% from 2017 to 2024.7. Current Medicare reimbursement rates underestimate actual costs.
Listen Tab content
