Researchers determined those tests to be wasteful because they do not improve surgical outcomes and can show false alarms, among other issues. They did note limitations in the data they used, however: For instance, Medicare claims data — a key component of the study — do not have the clinical details to confirm why a physician might have ordered a certain test for a patient.
The study found that low-value care was more common in health systems in Southern or Western states, those with a smaller share of primary care physicians and those with proportionally more nonwhite patients. Researchers included 556 health systems in the study.
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