Thursday, April 5, 2012

Treatments That Shouldn't Be Automatic

The old checklist for doctors includes them writing prescriptions and ordering tests. Now, the new checklist should consist of this: does the patient really need this?

Nearly 375,000 physicians being represented by nine medical societies are challenging the idea that more health care is better. Together they released a list of tests and treatments that health care workers should no longer automatically order.

The list has 45 items, including early imaging for most back pain, brain scans for patients who fainted but did not have seizures, repeat colonoscopies within 10 years of a first test, and antibiotics for mild to moderate sinus distress.

The goal of the list is to reduce wasteful spending without harming patients, such as patients being exposed to radiation while undergoing certain medical tests.

To read the full article, click here.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005

No comments:

Post a Comment