A report released Wednesday by Massachusetts' Health Policy Commission pointed fingers at physician and hospital systems it said routinely overused medical testing, a key factor in driving up healthcare spending in the Commonwealth.
The commission's annual cost trends report used insurance claims data and information collected by the Center for Health Information and Analysis to assess healthcare spending trends across the Commonwealth. The report defined nonrecommended care as performing tests and procedures beyond a patient's needs.
Providers who had the lowest rates of unnecessary care were BostonMedicalCenter and the physician group affiliated with Cambridge, Mass.-based MountAuburnHospital and Cambridge Health Alliance, according to the report.
Physicians at Boston-based Partners HealthCare, Boston-based Steward Health Care System and Burlington-based Lahey Health, among other physician and hospital networks, were found to "regularly order unnecessary tests and procedures."
Some providers named in the commission's report challenged its findings and noted it relied on claims data from 2013.
Steward spokesperson Jeff Hall told The Boston Globe the report findings "no longer reflect current trends," and "Steward remains significantly more affordable than competitors for these kinds of services."
"Screenings, surgeries and lab tests are all important aspects of keeping people healthy," Partners spokesperson Rich Copp told The Boston Globe. "We'll take a closer look at the data in this report, but decisions about medical care will always be made as part of the doctor-patient relationship."
Researchers noted physicians may order more tests and procedures than recommended for a number of reasons, including habit, to satisfy patient demands or to avoid malpractice litigation.
For more trends and statistics identified by the report, click here.