Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine
The other day, a patient came to see me and complained about breast imaging center in the Los Angeles area. “You sent me to have a biopsy of an abnormality that was found on a breast MRI scan, and they told me that they would not do it because I had not had my first scan at their facility. They actually wanted me to completely repeat the previous scan, even though I had a DVD with me that showed the results of the previous test,” she exclaimed. This patient felt that the repeat testing was being done solely for the purposes of increasing the income of the breast imaging center.
These stories are quite prevalent in American medicine today. A patient has a repeat blood test that has already been done only a month before at another laboratory, just because a second doctor requested it. A chest x-ray is repeated, or a CT scan, unnecessarily increasing the costs to the patient and the costs to the healthcare system.
What can a person do to avoid these excessive tests? After all, your doctor knows best, right? Right. To help you determine whether or not you’re being tested excessively, follow simple steps:
1. Have a log or calendar of tests which you have in the past. By keeping accurate records, you will better be able to determine whether or not a test is necessary, and you will have support for your argument against retesting.
2. Get the results of those tests and keep them in your medical file at home. Again, it’s all about having records, as records are proof.
3. When another doctor suggests a test which sounds similar, take out your medical record or calendar and show it to the doctor to ask if a second test is actually needed.
Your home medical record containing results of your prior illnesses, tests and treatments can save you money, save you exposure to additional tests, and make your healthcare much more efficient! Check out Surviving American Medicine for advice on how to keep your own medical record.
