Several physician specialty groups have provided lists of medical tests or treatments they have deemed unnecessary or used too frequently, as part of the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely project. There's a range in recommendations, from refraining from imaging tests for uncomplicated headaches via the American College of Radiology to refraining from routine antibiotic treatment of acute sinusitis that has lasted less than 5 to 7 days via the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Forty-Five Tests Make List of Recommended Changes in Use
The lists were made available on Wednesday as part of a joint effort between the ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports to lower overall health care costs that is due to medical testing of questionable value. Each of nine physician specialty groups provided a list of five medical tests or procedures in their field of expertise that require closer consideration by practicing physicians before using.
Why a Change in Typical Medical Care Is Needed
Christine K. Cassel, M.D. and James A Guest, J.D. explain the need for these and additional changes in health care in an April 4 article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The current system of health care in the United States continues to demonstrate rising costs with "high rates of poor-quality care."
Physicians have been burdened with the fear that if some tests/procedures/treatments are not ordered for patients, even if the ratio of need to potential outcome is low, they would open themselves to increased chances of medical malpractice suits.
Realizing that changes need to be made to the health care delivery system, the ABIM Foundation, the European Foundation of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians Foundation together established a charter that would ultimately lead to "Choosing Wisely" in an effort to ensure quality patient care, as explained in an article published in a 2002 Annals of Internal Medicine article.
Suggested Changes that Affect Baby Boomers Health Care Decisions
Many of the changes suggested in the "Choosing Wisely" lists affect people of all age groups, while others will affect certain age groups more than others.
The suggested "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" list provided by the American College of Cardiology is most relevant for baby boomers and their seniors that includes not performing annual stress cardiac imaging on patients without symptoms of heart problems and only perform an echocardiogram for mild, native valve disease when symptoms are present.
The American College of Gastroenterology in its list of suggested changes recommends that in average-risk individuals, no colorectal cancer screening needs to be performed in intervals briefer than 10 years for those who have already had a colonoscopy with negative results.
These and other suggested changes due in the fall of this year from eight additional medical specialty societies will likely impact the state of health care and its associated costs in the United States for years to come.
Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.
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