By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: (Some) Docs Launch War on Overutilization
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > (Some) Docs Launch War on Overutilization
BusinessDiagnosticsHospital AdministrationNewsPolicy & LawPublic Health

(Some) Docs Launch War on Overutilization

gooznews
gooznews
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

(Reuters)–A leading group of U.S. doctors is trying to tackle the costly problem of excessive medical testing, hoping to avoid more government intervention in how they practice.

The American College of Physicians (ACP), the largest U.S. medical specialty group, is rolling out guidelines to help doctors better identify when patients should screen for specific diseases and when they can be spared the cost, and potentially invasive procedures that follow.

(Reuters)–A leading group of U.S. doctors is trying to tackle the costly problem of excessive medical testing, hoping to avoid more government intervention in how they practice.

The American College of Physicians (ACP), the largest U.S. medical specialty group, is rolling out guidelines to help doctors better identify when patients should screen for specific diseases and when they can be spared the cost, and potentially invasive procedures that follow.

More Read

Image
Disaster Preparedness, Part 1: The New CPR
How to Get Prescriptions Online Reliably and Cost-Effectively
Notes From Afield—#TEDMED, Day One
Will Voters Figure Out Senator’s Healthcare Stance in Ultra-Close Senate Race?
To Increase Physician Productivity, Focus on Tools for Support Staff First

Many individual U.S. medical centers have launched their own efforts to build a protocol of patient care in fields such as diabetes or obstetrics, but the ACP effort has the potential to influence doctors nationally. ACP members include more than 132,000 physicians, mainly focused on internal medicine.

“Excessive testing costs $200 billion to $250 billion (per year),” Dr. Steven Weinberger, CEO of ACP said in an interview from his office in Philadelphia. “There’s an overuse of imaging studies, CT scans for lung disease, overuse of routine electrocardiograms and other cardiac tests such as stress testing.”

In an article published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the ACP cited 37 clinical situations where screening did not promote health and might actually hurt patients.

They included performing coronary angiography – a procedure that uses a special contrast agent and X-rays to see inside the heart’s arteries – in patients with chronic, stable chest pain that is being controlled by drugs or who lack specific high-risk criteria on exercise testing.

“It’s medical gluttony,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

“The ironic thing is that people are talking about rationing. We have got to think about the rational use of medicine in order to avoid rationing medicine,” he said.

For Weinberger, establishing guidelines on when to perform a range of diagnostic tests in order to cut waste out of the healthcare system is one of his top priorities at ACP.

He should enjoy broad-based support, as U.S. healthcare costs reached $2.6 trillion in 2010, contributing to a spiraling national deficit. That’s $8,086 per person, or 17.6 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, government figures show.

Yet there certainly will be protests from some doctors who decry guidelines as undermining their judgment and the art of practicing medicine. Guidelines may also cut into their income. (To read more, click here.)

 

 

TAGGED:health reformscreenings
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Clinical Trials
Global HealthcareNewsPolicy & Law

Can You Participate in a Clinical Trial?

April 24, 2022

Observations on the PSA Testing Debate

October 12, 2011

Improving Healthcare Costs Through Smarter Utilization of Hospice Care

February 26, 2013
hospital recruitment
BusinessHospital Administration

Hospital Recruitment Tweaks to Help You Hire More Qualified Applicants

December 28, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?