Choosing Wisely Campaign

Having received my board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), I am proud of their "Choosing Wisely Campaign," an effort to address spiraling healthcare costs and overuse of tests and treatments.

Choosing Wisely™ is part of a multi-year effort of the ABIM Foundation to help physicians be better stewards of finite health care resources. From website of ABIM:

[M]edical leaders are trying to do something to address what many believe is an unsustainable health care system. National organizations representing medical specialists are working with the ABIM Foundation to identify and reduce waste in the health care system. Consumer Reports, the nation’s
leading independent, nonprofit consumer organization, has also joined the campaign to provide resources for consumers and physicians to engage in these important conversations.

Choosing Wisely™ aims to get physicians, patients and other health care stakeholders thinking and talking about the overuse or misuse of medical tests and procedures that provide little benefit, and in some instances harm.

As part of Choosing Wisely, each participating specialty society will identify five tests or procedures commonly used in their field, whose use should be discussed or questioned. The resulting lists will spark discussion about the need—or lack thereof—for many frequently ordered tests or treatments.

In addition, the ABIM Foundation, along with its partners, will develop tools to help physicians have these kinds of conversations with their patients.

Learn more about Choosing Wisely at www.ChoosingWisely.org.

Learn more about the ABIM Foundation at www.abimfoundation.org

Comments

[Bill Kleine]

My doctor makes it his habit to voice his thought process when making a judgment call, inviting discussion. This approach helped me understand why he didn't use routine CT's for monitoring [cost, radiation, and small kidney mets don't respond to treatment better than large ones]. While I wanted to know "I'm fine" or "there's trouble" I trusted his judgment. As it turned out it took 17 years for a met to appear, and it was discovered using the routine chest x-rays that were part of his strategy.

[Jan Baird Hasak]

What a wonderful resource. I'm gratified to know that people are taking the crisis seriously and not just giving it lip service. Thanks for your participation in this worthwhile campaign.