Millions Spent on Unnecessary Medical Tests

Unnecessary medical tests are costing the U.S. health care system millions of dollars per year, and add unnecessary patient stress, a new study has shown.

The study, conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington, DC, USA) and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA), found that many unnecessary medical tests are ordered in routine doctor visits. Not only are the tests unwarranted, but false-positive results lead to further tests and compound the expense, noted the study's lead author, Dan Merenstein, assistant professor in the department of family medicine at Georgetown. The results of the study were reported in the June 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"Many physicians, as well as their patients, appear to believe that a routine health exam should include a number of tests they feel can screen for unknown diseases, but the evidence shows that some of these tests are less than beneficial when used in this way,” said Professor Merenstein, "More is not always better, and understanding this is especially important now that Medicare has begun to reimburse complete physicals.”

We estimate that if 20% of ECGs [electrocardiograms] are false, the follow-up tests will cost about U.S.$683 million, and that doesn't account for the stress that a patient feels, the time off from work they have to take, and the possible complications that result from the follow-up test.

The reasons for diagnostic interventions that lack evidence of benefit in asymptomatic patients include: patients expect to receive particular tests when visiting physicians, doctors are ordering tests as protection against potential lawsuits, and there is a financial incentive to order the tests, especially when the physician's office includes a laboratory.

The fact is that less use of unwarranted interventions will likely eliminate waste and improve overall quality of healthcare in the United States, Professor Merenstein said.



Related Links:
Georgetown University Medical School
Johns Hopkins University