Performing unnecessary exams or procedures racks up healthcare costs and subjects patients to exams that can put their health at risk. Unnecessary MR exams, for instance, expose children to risks of sedation, while CT scans expose them to radiation, which increases their lifetime risk of developing cancer. A 2015 study at the University of California, Los Angeles found that 85 percent of ER doctors thought too many diagnostic exams were ordered in their EDs, and 97 percent reported that at least some of the advanced imaging exams they ordered were medically unnecessary.

"These interventions waste healthcare dollars that could be devoted to other valuable causes, and also force many families to pay out-of-pocket for unnecessary care," said Chau. "Reducing wasteful care will improve child health and decrease the financial burden of health care spending on society and families."

The study was published in the journal, Pediatrics.

The University of Michigan did not respond for comment.

Back to HCB News

U.S. Healthcare Homepage