Koku, Paul Sergius

Laboratory testing has been significantly changed
by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) which has influenced reimbursements, patient
choice, and direct access testing policies. However,
the impact of the ACA on individual laboratory facilities
is unclear. The focus of this research initiative is to identify how this regulatory change has influenced
laboratory facilities. We hypothesize that the ACA has
had a positive impact on the healthcare system by
providing more Americans access to care which increases
patient laboratory testing services while reducing
cost. All U.S. laboratories are required to have
a Medical Director who is usually an MD, DO, or PhD.
This research will directly survey key personnel in order
to shed insight into how the ACA has directly influenced
the industry. The questionnaire has already
been deployed electronically using Qualtrics survey
software. Preliminary findings suggest that the ACA
has indeed influenced laboratory revenues, Medicare,
and Insurance reimbursement.

This study examines the influence of various facets of perceived risk on the
attitudes toward really new services (RNS) and adoption intentions. Although there is
considerable research examining perceived risk and consumer adoption of innovations,
three aspects of the relationship have been neglected. First, much of the research on
really new innovations is product-focused with little attention to services. Second, there is
limited research examining perceived risk as a multidimensional construct. Third,
consumer characteristics that affect the relationship between perceived risks and adoption
intentions have not been included in most of the innovation studies. Thus, this study
seeks to provide answers to the questions of “which types of perceived risk are more
likely to affect adoption intentions of RNS?” and “which consumer characteristics affect
the relationship between perceived risks and adoption intentions of RNS?”. The findings of the study show the influence of perceived risk in the service innovations area. We
contribute to theory and practice by identifying the specific risks that cause consumers to
resist adopting RNS as well as showing the explanatory power of Regulatory Focus
Theory (RFT) to understand why consumers react differently when they encounter
service innovations.