Un-medicated 92 yr old with Dementia and unnecessary tests

Un-medicated 92 yr old with Dementia

Some seniors forgo over medication to no medication and are thriving at home. With common remedies for arthritis from massage oil (ginger, turmeric), nutrition to supplementation.

Unnecessary tests

Approximately $200 billion is spent every year on healthcare services in the U.S. that provide little value to patients. A Health Affairs study published in April found only a 4% decrease in low-value back imagining 2.5 years after the Choosing Wisely campaign launched. Another study published in JAMA Internal Medicine of seven Choosing Wisely recommendations found only two recommendations had “modest” decreases in usage.

The extensive use of low-value services persists even as the healthcare industry has rallied in support of the Choosing Wisely campaign. Nearly 80 medical societies are now part of the campaign and 500 recommendations on ways to curb overuse of healthcare services have been issued. Many health systems have also implemented Choosing Wisely principles at their organizations.

Despite efforts by stakeholders, progress to curb low-value care is bogged down by flawed approaches and stubborn cultural norms that encourage waste, according to the report.

“What we’ve learned is that it’s just really hard to change practice,” said Dr. Eve Kerr, one of the study’s authors and a professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. “Medical professionals have been practicing one way for a long time and patients expect that kind of practice to change the paradigm,” Kerr said. “That doesn’t happen in five years.”

Physicians feel pressure to do unnecessary testing and other services because they don’t want to be hit with a malpractice suit. Other physicians feel they should abide by patient requests for more services to preserve the physician-patient relationship.

MRI contrast agent can damage the kidneys of patients who has cancer already and are terminally ill