Nine medical specialty societies questioned and have identified field-specific tests or procedures that they say are commonly ordered, but usually unnecessary. Their aim is to decrease health care overuse and misuse.
The organizations represent nearly 375,000 physicians and are part of Choosing Wisely, an initiative led by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation and Consumer Reports. The nine societies include:
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American College of Cardiology
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Radiology
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Nephrology
- American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
According to ABIM Foundation News, “U.S. Physician Groups Identify Commonly Used Tests or Procedures They Say Are Often Not Necessary,” the societies questioned these common practices for patient care:
- Do patients need brain imaging scans like a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after fainting, also known as simple syncope? (American College of Physicians)
- Do otherwise healthy adults need stress imaging tests for annual checkups? (American College of Cardiology)
- Should patients going into outpatient surgery receive a chest X-ray beforehand? (American College of Radiology)
- Do patients need a CT scan or antibiotics for chronic sinusitis? (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)
- Should dialysis patients who have limited life expectancies and no signs or symptoms of cancer get routine cancer screening tests? (American Society of Nephrology)
- Should women under 65 or men under 70 be screened for osteoporosis with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)? (American Academy of Family Physicians)
There are more societies emerging in the Choose Wisely campaign. The new societies are scheduled to release their list of unnecessary and misused test or procedures in the fall.
April 12th, 2012
The American Board of Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, and seven other specialty societies are joining to participate in the Choosing Wisely Initiative, an effort to decrease unnecessary health care spending and improve the quality of patient care. More specifically, the initiative aims to educate physicians and patients about responsible allocation of finite health care resources.
Each specialty organization will develop a list of five potentially unnecessary tests and procedures that are costly, commonly used in their specialty, or both. Each recommendation must be supported by research, and will be revised as new evidence arises. The National Physicians Alliance piloted a similar project in 2009.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, up to 30 percent of health care involves unnecessary tests, procedures, hospital stays, and other services. In addition to driving up costs, such services may do more harm than good for patients.
An initial list of potentially “unnecessary” procedures will be available in April, and is expected to expand over time as more specialty societies become involved.
Medical specialty organizations participating in the initiative include:
- American College of Physicians
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American College of Cardiology
- American College of Radiology
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Nephrology
- American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
January 13th, 2012