AGA Joins Campaign to Promote Wise Use of Resources Among Physicians and Patients
Nine medical societies, Consumer Reports and the ABIM Foundation come together for Choosing WiselyTM, a campaign to identify overuse or misuse of tests or procedures
Bethesda, MD (Dec. 14, 2011) – Recognizing that patients often ask for tests and treatments that are not necessarily in their best interest, and physicians often struggle with decisions about prescribing tests and procedures as a way of covering all possible bases, the ABIM Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) have joined with eight other leading medical specialty societies to develop evidence-based lists of tests and procedures for patients and physicians to question as part of Choosing WiselyTM. The goal of this campaign is to help physicians, patients and other health-care stakeholders think and talk about overuse or misuse of health-care resources in the U.S.
Consumer Reports, the nation’s leading expert, independent, nonprofit consumer organization, has also joined the campaign to provide resources for consumers and physicians to engage in these important conversations.
“The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is honored to be joining the ABIM Foundation and many other respected medical societies in the Choosing Wisely campaign,” said C. Richard Boland, MD, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. “The AGA believes that patients should have access to the screening tests that will most benefit them in the treatment and diagnosis of their condition. However, we realize that steps need to be taken to ensure that patients and health-care professionals understand how these tests should be used in order to minimize inappropriate use. Therefore, we are participating in this campaign to help educate patients and health-care providers about the proper guidelines and quality measures to consider when making important health-care decisions.”
The campaign is part of the ABIM Foundation’s goal of promoting wise choices by clinicians in order to improve health-care outcomes, provide patient-centered care that avoids unnecessary and even harmful interventions, and reduce the rapidly-expanding costs of the health-care system.
As part of Choosing Wisely, each participating specialty society will identify its own list of five common tests or procedures whose use in their profession should be discussed or questioned. The lists will be unveiled in April 2012 and aim to spark discussion about the need — or lack thereof — for many frequently ordered tests or treatments in the U.S.
“Physicians play a leading role in addressing problems with our nation’s health-care system. That is why the ABIM Foundation is proud to be working with specialty societies that have proactively decided to address some of the most important issues in health care head on,” said Christine K. Cassel, MD, president and CEO of the ABIM Foundation. “By identifying specific procedures or tests that may commonly be ordered, but not always necessary to improving patient care, we’re kicking off an important and overdue conversation about making wise choices in health care. Everyone — providers, patients and others — plays a part in being better stewards of the system’s finite resources.”
Joining the AGA and ABIM Foundation in Choosing Wisely are:
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American College of Cardiology
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Radiology
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Nephrology
- American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
- Consumer Reports
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 30 percent of care delivered in America goes toward unnecessary tests, procedures, medical appointments, hospital stays and other services that may not improve people’s health — and in fact, may actually cause harm. If current trends remain unchanged, CMS projects U.S. health-care spending will reach $4.3 trillion and account for 19.3 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product by 2019.
First announced in March 2011, Choosing Wisely is part of a multi-year effort led by the ABIM Foundation to support and engage physicians in being better stewards of finite health-care resources. Participating specialty societies will work with the ABIM Foundation to share the lists widely with their members and convene discussions about the physician’s role in making wise choices.
Learn more about Choosing Wisely.
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About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org.
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About ABIM Foundation
The mission of the ABIM Foundation is to advance medical professionalism to improve the health care system. We achieve this by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, health care delivery systems, payers, policy makers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice. To learn more about the ABIM Foundation, visit www.abimfoundation.org, connect with us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
