Avoiding medical check-ups often results in diseases that could have been prevented with earlier medical care, so it only stands to reason that more medical care would make you healthier, right? Just the opposite is true. Too much medical care and testing can lead to adverse side effects, and receiving more medical care than required can lead to increased sickness in addition to unnecessary expenses.

It is estimated than anywhere from one-fifth to nearly one-third of tests and medical treatments Americans receive are unnecessary, according to an article on ABC News. Medical overtreatment means a patient received medical care when they could have gotten better without medical intervention, tests or therapies — or could have gotten better with a lesser type of medical assistance.

Common types of medical overtreatment include:

• Fetal monitors that erroneously indicate a baby is in distress lead to an increase of unnecessary C-section deliveries. One in three US births are now by cesarean. Dr. Friedman of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania says too often the fetal monitors indicate the baby isn't receiving enough oxygen, only to perform a cesarean delivery to find a perfectly healthy baby waiting for delivery.
   
• Unnecessary, repeated CT scans increase a patients risk of cancer from the radiation.
   
• Antibiotics are prescribed tens of millions of times for viruses where treatment is not helped by antibiotics.
   
• Repeated MRI scans for patients with back pain can't pinpoint what is causing the pain in the spine.
   
• Spine surgeries are performed on individuals who probably could have recovered without surgery. One in five people who receive back surgery end up having a second surgery within 10 years.

Health Care Costs

As a nation having millions of people without adequate health insurance, undertreatment is a large concern that is being addressed by President Obama's health care initiatives. But on the other side of the equation is the fact that overtreatment is contributing to excessive health care expenses. Doctors receive higher financial incentives when delivering certain types of care, but they are paid much less for spending time with their patients to help figure out better choices for their medical care. Are medical tests and procedures being suggested by doctors in order to boost their own income rather than out of the need of the patient to receive such tests and procedures?

ConsumerReports.org reported that doctors "do more, make more" in November of 2007. While the health system in America has made important gains against major diseases, it's encouraging overtreatment of costly tests and medical care.

The system pays the vast majority of doctors and hospitals on a piecework basis called "fee for service." The more services they provide — a blood test, surgery, an MRI or CT scan — the more money they make.

 

Experts estimate that the nation's $2 trillion annual health-care tab is one-third to one-half higher than need be, in part because of overuse of costly treatments and unnecessary care.

Particularly in emergency room settings, fear of malpractice lawsuits can lead many doctors to over-test patients. Nearly 60% of doctors surveyed by ConsumerReports.org admit to ordering unnecessary tests to avoid malpractice lawsuits. A "better safe than sorry" attitude and a lack of evidence for choosing one therapy over another may pressure a doctor to give in to a patient's demand for a particular medication. Parents commonly request antibiotics for their children who have a virus that won't be affected by antibiotics.

Lawmakers have been afraid to address overtreatment in medical care, despite its contribution to excessive health care costs for fear of being accused of rationing health care. Overtreatment is slowly being addressed with such things as guidelines for radiation treatments and doctor education:

• National radiology guidelines for limiting the amount of radiation-heavy treatments (like MRIs and Cts) will appear on a patient's electronic medical records when a doctor orders additional scans. It doesn't prevent the ability of a doctor to order radiation-heavy testing, but serves as a reminder.
   
• The "Less is More" series was introduced by Archives of Internal Medicine journal, to help educate doctors about risks associated with overtreatment and unnecessary testing.