Against overtesting

Often times, we might think it's better to "be safe than sorry" and in the medical context, that could mean ordering unnecessary tests. California Healthline reported on the financial costs of unnecessary tests (estimated by some to be at least $200 billion) and in some cases, the health costs of excessive testing.

Fortunately, some payers and even some providers are trying to address the issue of unnecessary tests. The efforts seem early-stage and experimental so far; nevertheless, that both payers and providers are giving consideration to the issue is encouraging. The article cited a particularly interesting case of one medical center eliminating a testing requirement before a procedure and patients on average being able to undergo the procedure six months earlier.