Will Changing How Physicians Order Tests Reduce Medical Costs?

Editorials1 April 1981Will Changing How Physicians Order Tests Reduce Medical Costs?STEVEN A. SCHROEDER, M.D., ALBERT R. MARTIN, M.D.STEVEN A. SCHROEDER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ALBERT R. MARTIN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-94-4-534 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptA special supplement being published as Part 2 of this month's issue is a primer on the "Selection and Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests and Procedures" by Griner and colleagues at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. This supplement, sponsored by the Committee on Cost Containment of the American College of Physicians, reviews principles of test use and provides clinical examples of how to use those principles. Because the primer was originally conceived as a method to reduce medical costs, its appearance raises five related questions: How important are laboratory tests in contributing to rising medical costs? Is the current...References1. FINEBERG H. Clinical chemistries: the high cost of low cost diagnostic tests. In: ALTMAN S, BLENDON R, eds. Medical Technology: The Culprit Behind Health Care Costs? Washington, D. C.: U. S. Government Printing Office; 1979:144-165. (DHEW Publication no. [PHS]79-3216). Google Scholar2. SCITOVSKYMCCALL AN. Changes in the Costs of Treatment of Selected Illnesses: 1951-1967-1971. San Francisco: University of California, San Francisco, Health Policy Program; 1975. Discussion paper. Google Scholar3. MOLONEYROGERS TD. Medical technology—a different view of the contentious debate over costs. N Engl J Med. 1979;301:1413-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. GRINERLIPTZIN PB. 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CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. DIXONLASZLO RJ. Utilization of clinical chemistry services by medical house staff. Arch Intern Med. 1974;134:1064-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. MARTINWOLFTHIBODEAUDZAUBRAUNWALD AMLVE. A trial of two strategies to modify the test-ordering behavior of medical residents. N Engl J Med. 1980;303:1330-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. HENDERSOND'ALESSANDRIWESTFALL DRB: Hospital cost containment: a little knowledge helps. Clin Res. 1979, 27:279A. Abstract. Google Scholar19. EISENBERG J. An educational program to modify laboratory use by house staff. J Med Educ. 1977;52:578-81. MedlineGoogle Scholar20. GRINER P>. Use of laboratory tests in a teaching hospital: long term trends: reductions in use and relative cost. Ann Intern Med. 1979;90:243-8. LinkGoogle Scholar21. MARTONSOX KH. Comparison of two educational interventions for modifying housestaff laboratory use. Clin Res. 1981;29:39A. Abstract. Google Scholar22. GIBSON R. National health expenditures, 1979. Health Care Financing Rev. 1980;2:(1):1-11. MedlineGoogle Scholar23. FREELANDCALATSCHENDLER MGC. Projections of national health expenditures, 1980, 1985, and 1990. Health Care Financing Rev. 1980;1:(3):1-27. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Division of General Internal Medicine University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, California PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByUtilization of the emergency department by older residents in Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThe Impact of Peer Management on Test-Ordering BehaviorEric G. Neilson, MD, Kevin B. Johnson, MD, S. Trent Rosenbloom, MD, MPH, William D. Dupont, PhD, Doug Talbert, PhD, Dario A. Giuse, Dr Ing, Allen Kaiser, MD, and Randolph A. 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