 Image: Photos8.com |
Overtreatment is commonly considered as health care services that are provided when they aren’t necessary. It has been criticized as one of the factors that made healthcare reform a serious priority.
For example, MRI scans are often performed on people with low risk. Since such tests aren’t completely accurate, some people have back surgeries that could’ve been avoided. Those individuals, whose conditions may have improved through other means, may then require more surgery in a decade.
Other examples abound, including the cumulative levels of radiation absorbed through a high number of CT scans–which is linked to increased risk of cancer. Affordable health insurance becomes harder to find due to this overspending. The worst part is that there have been few studies that determine which common procedures are needed and which ones could be scaled back without hurting health outcomes or creating fears of rationed care.
