To Byight's Eye: Doctors Shell Out Unnecessary Medical Services, Study Shows
Research Reveals: Frequent Inefficient Healthcare Services prescription by Medical Professionals
Collaborative piece by Florence Jones and Max Dexter, featuring insights from Verena Vogt, a researcher at the University Hospital in Jena, and Dominik von Stillfried, a board member at the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance (ZI).
In the over-medicated Land of Medicine, docs dish out expensive, awkwardly-beneficial medical services, racking up millions in costs, according to a groundbreaking investigation led by Vogt.
Germany's Medical Wild West
Put simply, our beloved doctors unabashedly shell out some rather dubious medical services each year, equating to a staggering number of zeros on the price tag. A research team, hailing from the Technical University of Berlin and ZI, reveal these distressing figures in their latest study.
The Low-Value Service Cart
With questionable benefits, these low-value services include, but are not limited to, prescribing antibiotics for run-of-the-mill respiratory infections and diagnosing back pain with X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. The ever-elusive fT3/fT4 thyroid measurement also earns a spot in this charitable club for the unsuspecting patients we call our own.
This annual outpatient-area trash-fire of money, purely dished out by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), reportedly ranges between a casual 10 and 15 million euros. For some perspective, the TK dropped a cool 7 billion on medical treatments in 2023, according to the ZI.
Wait, Why?
Swing by the realm of overuse, where doctors are dishing out services that won't increase quality or longevity, cause harm, or make patients wish they'd been more informed about potential benefits and drawbacks.
Study leader Vogt argues, "Doctors persist in providing these seemingly frivolous services due to a smorgasbord of factors," pointing to financial incentives for specific services and time pressure as prime suspects. You see, when a patient's got a pesky backache, explaining the benefits of targeted exercise can take more time than ordering an imaging test. Case in point: The average doctor-patient interaction is a disheartening eight minutes.
Mind-Altering Reasons
Medical knowledge changes faster than a chameleon on cocaine, which means published guidelines may not immediately reach the doctor's office. Patient demand also seems to play a significant role, with certain beliefs like "the more medical services, the better" potentially causing unnecessary procedures.
Ain't No Use for Nobody?
ZI board member, von Stillfried, concurs with the assessment, acknowledging that if a service's benefits are dubious, it's not necessarily considered unnecessary. Discretion has a role to play, and there are borderline cases where the use is justified (e.g., an elderly patient with multiple health issues).
We Can'tSee the Forest for Trees(or Diagnosis)
Data limitations prevented the researchers from arriving at concrete conclusions regarding the diagnosis for which these aforementioned services were prescribed. Obtaining access to electronic patient records would've been necessary to rule out any medical justification.
Money down the Drain or a Silent Killer?
Epidemiologist Vogt aptly reasons, "Measured by our GDP, we spend the most on healthcare in the world. Yet, our life expectancy isn't as high as we'd expect."
Sources: ntv.de, jaz/dpa
- Healthcare
- Statutory Health Insurance
- Money
- Medicine
- Spending
- In Germany, the cost of low-value medical services, such as unnecessary antibiotics and imaging tests, amounts to millions of euros each year, as revealed by a recent study led by Verena Vogt of the University Hospital in Jena.
- Despite the questionable benefits and potential harm these services may cause, doctors persist in providing them due to financial incentives, time pressure, and patient demand, argues study leader Vogt.
- Dominik von Stillfried, a board member at the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance in Germany, acknowledges that while some questionable services may not be universally regarded as unnecessary, the use of such services should be approached with discretion.
