In our medical system there is a financial incentive for physicians to order more tests or procedures. You might ask "what could it hurt to do more tests?" Well actually it can be quite dangerous.
I met a 79 year old man the other day here in Las Vegas who had just found an new doctor. He said the physician must be good since he ordered a carotid ultrasound - a test to look at the arteries in the neck. Well this man had never had a stroke. What if the test had found a blockage? Current studies it is much more dangerous to fix a blocked artery in the neck in someone like him than to just be sure his cholesterol is well controlled. The risk of a stroke from surgery is about ten times the normal risk!
So what was the test done? No doubt there was a financial consideration for the doctor.
Other (expensive) tests that are overused because the results should not change your management and can only lead to more complications include:
Osteoperosis (DEXA) scans in younger women or healthy men
Total body CAT scans
Heart Calcium scores
Now, a recent study points out the excess colonoscopies being done. Current guidelines for repeat testing are very scientifically sound and offer the best chance for cancer prevention, especially considering the risk of the procedure (about 1 in 3000 perforations needing surgery, and 1 in 10,000 deaths). Yet in a review of over a 1000 patients followed for 10 years, about 40% were rechecked early. Extrapolating to the general population means there are many unnecessary surgeries or deaths.
Don't be afraid to ask you doctor about scientific evidence, and, in this case, go to the CDC website and do your own research!
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