Loading ...Docs Say Extra Tests Not the Key to Best Patient Care.
The campaign is a frank attempt by a wide consortium of medical groups to address what many characterize as rampant, wasteful procedures and spending in the U.S. health care system.
“The distinction to be drawn is between ‘care’ and ‘tests,'” said Dr. Thoralf Sundt, chief of cardiac surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Doing tests is not the same as providing care in all instances.”
Several of the over-used tests called out by the specialty organizations are procedures that have long been considered routine or harmless by many. Staples such as cardiac stress tests or chest x-rays before minor surgery got the thumbs down from several of the groups.
Several said patients who report non-specific headaches, fainting or lower back pain shouldn’t be screened with x-rays, MRIs or other imaging.