title: How prevalent and costly are Choosing Wisely low-value services? Evidence from Medicare beneficiaries.
abstract: (1) Through the Choosing Wisely initiative, medical specialty societies identified non-indicated cardiac testing in low-risk patients and short-interval dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bone density testing as low-value care. (2) Nationally, 13 percent of low-risk Medicare beneficiaries received non-indicated cardiac tests, and 10 percent of DXAs reimbursed by Medicare were administered at inappropriately short intervals. There is significant geographic variation in the provision of these services. (2) Carefully designed policy and payment changes will likely prove most effective in reducing low-value care.
authors.affiliation: AcademyHealth with the Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) initiative.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Collado
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015519:Bone Density; D017046:Cost Savings; D003657:Decision Making; D003935:Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*