Needless medical procedures soaked up at least $55M in 2014
Tens of thousands of medical tests and screenings administered to Minnesotans each year are not medically necessary, the Minnesota Department of Health says.
Department researchers looked at looked at 18 medical procedures — such as MRIs, PSA tests and diagnostic imaging for simple headaches — for some 5 million Minnesotans in 2014. About 175,000 instances of care were deemed unnecessary.
State of Minnesota health economist Stefan Gildemeister said patients need to ask questions.
"Do I really need this test or procedure?" he said. "What are the risks and side effects? Are there simpler, safer options? What happens if I don't do anything? And how much does it cost? Will my insurance pay for it?"
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Gildemeister said the cost for just this sample of needless care was about $55 million. He expects many other procedures are done without sound reasons.
Needless care is provided for many reasons, including patient expectations, defensive medicine, physician habits and fraud, Gildemeister said.
He said health care of dubious value includes cervical cancer screening for women younger than age 21 or older than 65, colorectal cancer screening for adults 85 and older, and PSA tests for prostate cancer in men 75 and older.
"More is not always better," Gildemeister said. "Talk to your doc. And try to understand how the care will affect your situation."