Reduction in Unnecessary Red Blood Cell Folate Testing by Restricting Computerized Physician Order Entry in the Electronic Health Record

Restricting RBC folate ordering in the EHR resulted in a large and sustained reduction in RBC folate testing. Significant cost savings, estimated at more than a quarter of a million Canadian dollars over 3 years, were achieved. There was no significant clinical impact of the intervention on the diagnosis of folate deficiency.