Why One Doctor Says 'No' to Many Screening Tests

response

Katherine Hobson:

For Chris of TX: I'm so sorry to hear of your wife's cancer. I should have made more clear in that specific question that Dr. Hadler doesn't have any problem with colonoscopies for people with symptoms, as your wife had. None of the things I asked him about were pertaining to people with symptoms or any other signs of disease. When he said it was one of the more defensible screening tests for cancer, that implies we're talking about screening, i.e. looking for cancer amongst healthy people, and those are the tests (or the uses for those tests) that he --- and many other people -- object to. To repeat, if you have any symptoms or signs of disease, or any other reason to think you are ill, you should talk to your doc about possible diagnostic tests, which certainly might include colonoscopy, mammography, PSA testing and others that are also used for screening purposes.

Money, Time, and $$$

It is about time the medical field took a close look at the “routine” and unnecessary testing that is done when you hit the doors of a hospital. As a nurse case manager in a busy ED, the blood work, CT’s, MRI’s, and the multitude of other testing that is done is ridiculous. If you come in with heartburn and have a history of the same – the doctors order a complete cardiac workup – up to and including invasive procedures when all they needed was an antacid.

Lets hope that the rest of the medical field will follow this thought, especially as the reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurances pay less and less each year.

What you don't know could kill you.

Women in this country live years longer than men. Why? They go to the doctor more often. Men in this country are dying prematurely precisely because they adopt the irresponsible attitudes displayed in this article and many accoompanying comments: "Health maintenance? Who needs it? People who go to doctors are 'whiners'. Feel sick? Suck it up. It's the macho thing to do."

Guys, what you don't know health-wise can kill ya'. Ignore these jerks. Get regular check-ups, get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Look out for #1.

Money & Medicine

While I believe that reasonable care should be observed regarding one's health, from my observations modern medicine is motivated more for financial benefits to the providers than health expectations. Let's face it; America is driven by the bottom-line and the medical industry is the most lucrative of all and only recently developed into a full-blown financial producer for all concerned except the patient. Death comes to all. Older generations lived very well with minimal medical care except when needed and limited by knowledge available at the time. The information glut never fails to provide the fear of the day. Keep everyone on edge.

Too Many Diagnostic Tests

I've worked in an acute-care facility for 30 years, and the author of this article is on track.

Multiple discussions with physicians have revealed that over 75% of all diagnostics are performed to protect the MD should a case go to litigation. One wonders what the true benefit is to the patient.

Additionally, many frail, elderly patients are put through a battery of invasive and non-invasive costly tests - uncomfortable for them and beyond what our health-care system can affor. Families and. or patient can decline, but few do.

There is tremendous waste built into our health-care system and care and costs could and should be trimmed.

However, until we reform the tort system - there is little liklihood of diminishing diagnostics.

Too Many Diagnostic Tests

I've worked in an acute-care facility for 30 years, and the author of this article is on track.

Multiple discussions with physicians have revealed that over 75% of all diagnostics are performed to protect the MD should a case go to litigation. One wonders what the true benefit is to the patient.

Additionally, many frail, elderly patients are put through a battery of invasive and non-invasive costly tests - uncomfortable for them and beyond what our health-care system can affor. Families and. or patient can decline, but few do.

There is tremendous waste built into our health-care system and care and costs could and should be trimmed.

However, until we reform the tort system - there is little liklihood of diminishing diagnostics.

It's About Time!

Finally. Somebody speaks the truth. I feel sorry for the poor fellow who got into trouble with the press because he said American's are a bunch of whiners -- because he's absolutely right! If we aren't orgasmically happy every moment of the day, we instantly turn to something that makes us feel better; drugs, alcohol, Prozac, food. For all our paranoia over health concerns we are less healthy than 60% of the rest of the world. Walk into any setting with 20 or more people present -- you are not likely to find more than 4 who are at an appropriate weight for their age and height. Then we blame God for making us fat (Yes, I actually heard one woman say that.) Or we blame McDonalds, or our parents, or our genes -- "It's not my fault" is the common thread. (Yeah, it is.) So we turn to medicine to provide weight loss pills; and we turn to medicine and testing to keep us healthy. We've antiboiticed ourselves into training germs to get tougher, be more effective, and therefore harder to fight. We've oversanitized ourselves with supercharged cleanliness habits and gels to the point where we don't have the natural resistance to fight off a mild cold or a small bout of flu. And we're so bloody paranoid about the next disease just waiting with wide open, dripping jaws, just around the corner we don't enjoy LIFE! Or HEALTH! I agree with the good doctor. Stop it. Just stop it. Got a headache? Rest your eyes and your brain awhile. Don't instantly pop a pill or get a CAT scan. Yeesh!

One "Unnecessary test" would have changed our lives

I understand the point of your article and, in some ways, I agree with you – the testing seems to have gotten out of hand especially with the radio advertising these wellness scans.

However, if the first doctor we visited would have been a little bit more aggressive about testing, my wife and I would be living a different life right now. She has Stage IV colon cancer, the “old person’s disease” that you speak of. She was 31 when diagnosed but experienced telling symptoms years prior, symptoms her doctor should have, if you’ll forgive the pun, probed deeper about. And, no, it’s not familial, nor is she obese or with bad eating habits. She is young, healthy and vibrant.

Just one early colonoscopy would have changed our lives. A few snip-snip of the polyps and, wow how things would be different. By the way, I’ll be getting a colonoscopy done soon. I’m 38 (although I don't eat quite as healthy as Maggie!)

Unnecessary Test

I work in a hospital where I see numerous unnecessary tests done everyday. Does a pneumonia patient really need a daily chest x-ray, even the best antibiotics don't work that fast. The doctors who have been schooled in the last 10-15 yrs are very knowledgeable on the insurance ins and outs. Thus they know what they can order and have it paid for. The other concern is the physician's legitimate apprehension of legal action. Do I order the lab tests, colonoscopy, and mammogram because if I don't and something is missed, I will get sued. This is an unhealthy perspective on healthcare that is driven by the consumer. The public needs to be better educated on the proven methods and dismiss those that have no validity in today's world

screening

this writer must really hate women, sad.