Many Medical Tests Are Not Necessary, Analysis Finds
Between one-fifth and one-third of medical tests and treatments in the U.S. are unnecessary, according to an Associated Press analysis of several studies and interviews with medical specialists. The analysis indicated that the fee-for-service physician payment model, regional cost and quality variation, and physicians' fear of malpractice lawsuits are among the main causes of unnecessary tests.
- "Overtreated: Too Much Medical Care Can Make You Sick; Efforts Under Way To Educate Patients" (Neergaard, AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/7).