While Choosing Wisely — a campaign to reduce potentially unnecessary medical procedures — has made progress in raising awareness of inappropriate practices, there is more work to be done, according to a commentary in the Learning Health System Commentary Series of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care.
Choosing Wisely is a group of more than 25 medical specialty societies that have committed to identifying five tests, treatments or medication therapies physicians and patients should question as appropriate. Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, wrote that two further steps can advance Choosing Wisely's cause:
1. Complete the list of unnecessary procedures. Ms. Binder suggested Choosing Wisely provides advice on the appropriateness of procedures that can cause serious harm to patients, such as hysterectomies, back surgeries and heart surgeries.
2. Impose accountability for results. Measuring and reporting on the use of potentially unnecessary practices can drive accountability for following Choosing Wisely's recommendations.
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