Unnecessary procedures becoming a deadly national epidemic

It may be one of the most outrageous cases of medical fraud you’ll ever see.

Ron Spurgeon, a California mechanic, went to a hospital with an injured shoulder — and left with a triple bypass!

It wasn’t until years later (and after he had to quit his job) that Spurgeon learned he was part of a scam involving a California hospital giving patients surgeries and procedures they never needed.

And I wish I could tell you the same thing can’t happen to you. But researchers are now warning that if you’re sent for a so-called routine test, procedure or even surgery — which can be anything from an MRI to a cancer treatment — there’s a nearly one-third chance you don’t need it.

And they’re saying that four simple questions could be all it takes to keep you from being the next victim.

Treating ‘turtles’“I thought I was doomed.”

That’s what Paul DeLeeuw of Florida said after “abnormalities” led him to spend nerve-wracking months — and thousands of dollars — undergoing whole-body CT scans and other tests looking for early signs of heart disease and cancer.

All to find out there was never anything wrong with him.

DeLeeuw is actually a doctor himself, which means that just about anyone can fall into the unnecessary testing and treatment trap. And it happens more than any of us would like to think.

Research by the Institute of Medicine found that up to 30 percent of medical care spending in the United States is totally unnecessary. That amounts to over $750 billion — and lots of ruined lives — every single year.

And the reason for that is simple. Once you have an army of specialists and a battery of tests looking at you — especially if you’re a bit older — they’re practically guaranteed to find something. Even if it’s not serious and won’t ever threaten your life.

Dr. Stephen Martin from the University of Massachusetts has found that once you order six or seven lab tests, the chances of any one them returning a false positive is about 20 percent.

And if the diagnosis is wrong, “any treatment that goes along with it is also incorrect,” he warns.

And, unfortunately, cancer patients are being taken advantage of the most. Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon and Harvard professor, says that up to 75 percent of cancers detected in people getting all these tests are “turtles.”

That means they’re slow-growing, non-lethal cancers that will never cause you problems. But once your doc finds them, it’s a matter of time before you’re being strapped to a chemo drip or wheeled in for surgery.

And, believe it or not, where you live can make you more likely to be sent — and billed — for unnecessary treatments. Places that lead the country in excessive testing are Arizona, California, New Jersey, parts of Nevada and Texas, and New York City.

Now, there are many very legitimate reasons to have tests and other procedures done. But before you take that Rx for the bone scan, MRI, biopsy or blood work, here are four questions you should be asking your doctor:

1. How reliable and accurate is the test? As I’ve been telling you for years, certain tests like the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and mammograms are notorious for delivering false positives that can lead to more unnecessary testing and even surgeries.
2. What are the risks of doing nothing? Is there any serious chance that the condition could get worse — and might it even improve on its own?
3. Are there alternative tests that are safer, even if your doctor doesn’t offer them? Many doctors overuse radiation-heavy tests like X-rays and CT scans because it’s what they know best. But sometimes a less risky test like digital thermography is all you really need.
4. If you’re being told that you need blood work, demand to know how many vials and why. Your doctor should have a good reason for each test being ordered

And if you’re constantly being referred to specialists, that should be a red flag, Dr. Martin warns. It may be a sign that your doctor is overwhelmed and can’t spend enough time with you.

Experts acknowledge that getting doctors to put the brakes on unnecessary testing is a little like “turning around an ocean liner.”

But the key is remembering that we’re captaining our own ships. And you don’t have to agree to any test, procedure or surgery until you’re confident all your questions have been answered.

Sources:

“Signs of overtreatment: How to avoid unnecessary care” Michael O. Schroeder, August 18, 2015, U.S. News & World Report, health.usnews.com

“Medical costs rise as retirees winter in Florida” Elisabeth Rosenthal, The New York Times, nytimes.com