ironment within which healthcare delivery institutions and independent medical laboratories cannot maintain staff levels commensurate with both operational and administrative requirements (Albertson, 1993b, pp. 17 18).
Additionally, technological innovation is changing the field of medical technology (Barros, 1993, pp. 22 25). Advancing technology demands that medical laboratories, institutional or independent both employ medical laboratory personnel educated in the use of state of the art technology, and that medical laboratory personnel currently on staff receive advanced training. Similarly, advancing technology demands that medical laboratory technicians strive to remain technologically proficient in their field.
The current situation creates risks and uncertainties for the operators of medical laboratories both institutional and independent, medical laboratory technicians, and consumers of health care services. Medical laboratory management must find ways to acquire the necessary skills while simultaneously adapting to an environment of fiscal constraints. One such strategy may involve the hiring of medical laboratory technicians on a part time or on call basis (Kidder, 1993, pp. 37 38). Being placed on part time or on call status, however, may be so detrimental to the income potential for medical laboratory technicians that such individuals may not be able to justify the added time and expense required for the education and training needed to maintain technological proficiency (Jahn, 1993, pp. 24 33). While such outcomes would be detrimental to both medical laboratories and medical laboratory technicians, ultimately the greatest loser would be the American consumer of health care services.
Within the context of this problem, the proposed research study will investigate the following questions:
1. Are regulatory and market constraints on the operation of medical technology laboratories both institutional and in...