A study suggests that some procedures and medication funded by the province are not actually needed
Facing a projected $1.2-billion deficit, Saskatchewan stands to save hundreds of millions a year and improve patient care by eliminating unnecessary tests, medication, and surgeries, according to researchers.
“There's a significant portion of health care that isn't supported by science,” Tai Huynh, co-founder of health education site Choose Wisely Canada, told CBC News. “Some of the intervention exposes the patient to significant risk.”
Streamlining healthcare by cutting unneeded and risky interventions may sound like common sense, but getting patients, doctors, and other health workers to buy into the idea will take time and a “cultural revolution,” according to Saskatoon health policy consultant Steven Lewis.
“Every unnecessary procedure puts money in someone's pocket, be it a doctor, a nurse on the ward, the lab technician, the manufacturer, the pharmaceutical company,” he told the news outlet.
Huynh also identified a tendency among patients to fall for inaccurate online health information or hype around miracle cures. Such patients ask their doctors for help to act on such information; doctors, who are busy and paid based on volume, tend to oblige.
“There is also a cultural fascination with technology and interventions,” Lewis said. “The default position is that more is better.”
Such a tendency to go for more has contributed to serious inefficiencies in healthcare. According to Lewis and Huynh, recent studies say that up to 30% of all healthcare provided is unnecessary or harmful. Even if Saskatchewan did better than the average and had only 15%, it would still amount to a maximum of $800 million that could be saved, Lewis said.
On the bright side, he said, doctors’ attitudes are changing. The majority of doctors responding to a recent Saskatchewan Medical Association agreed that they should be stewards of the public purse. Most respondents also expressed willingness to switch to a model other than the traditional fee-for-service system that’s based on volume.
That leaves the challenge of persuading patients not to take a particular drug or test. “It may take longer to talk somebody out of a drug or a test than to just go ahead and prescribe it,” Lewis said, adding that healthcare providers and patients must communicate and be guided by evidence.
Choosing Wisely Canada is helping to educate patients by providing lists questions that patients and healthcare providers should ask about a host of health issues. The site also lists unnecessary tests and treatments. The most common issues are over-prescription of antibiotics for children and over-medication for the elderly. Excessive high-radiation test scans and surgeries are also a problem.
An official from the provincial government has said that it agrees in principle with Choosing Wisely’s goals. A working group formed in the province has made progress in reducing unnecessary MRIs for certain types of lower back pain. The official also noted that the amalgamation of health authorities in the province should improve coordination and efficiency.
Related stories:
Universal drug coverage could save millions of lives and billions of dollars
Over-allocation of medical supplies exposes healthcare inefficiency in Ontario
“There's a significant portion of health care that isn't supported by science,” Tai Huynh, co-founder of health education site Choose Wisely Canada, told CBC News. “Some of the intervention exposes the patient to significant risk.”
Streamlining healthcare by cutting unneeded and risky interventions may sound like common sense, but getting patients, doctors, and other health workers to buy into the idea will take time and a “cultural revolution,” according to Saskatoon health policy consultant Steven Lewis.
“Every unnecessary procedure puts money in someone's pocket, be it a doctor, a nurse on the ward, the lab technician, the manufacturer, the pharmaceutical company,” he told the news outlet.
Huynh also identified a tendency among patients to fall for inaccurate online health information or hype around miracle cures. Such patients ask their doctors for help to act on such information; doctors, who are busy and paid based on volume, tend to oblige.
“There is also a cultural fascination with technology and interventions,” Lewis said. “The default position is that more is better.”
Such a tendency to go for more has contributed to serious inefficiencies in healthcare. According to Lewis and Huynh, recent studies say that up to 30% of all healthcare provided is unnecessary or harmful. Even if Saskatchewan did better than the average and had only 15%, it would still amount to a maximum of $800 million that could be saved, Lewis said.
On the bright side, he said, doctors’ attitudes are changing. The majority of doctors responding to a recent Saskatchewan Medical Association agreed that they should be stewards of the public purse. Most respondents also expressed willingness to switch to a model other than the traditional fee-for-service system that’s based on volume.
That leaves the challenge of persuading patients not to take a particular drug or test. “It may take longer to talk somebody out of a drug or a test than to just go ahead and prescribe it,” Lewis said, adding that healthcare providers and patients must communicate and be guided by evidence.
Choosing Wisely Canada is helping to educate patients by providing lists questions that patients and healthcare providers should ask about a host of health issues. The site also lists unnecessary tests and treatments. The most common issues are over-prescription of antibiotics for children and over-medication for the elderly. Excessive high-radiation test scans and surgeries are also a problem.
An official from the provincial government has said that it agrees in principle with Choosing Wisely’s goals. A working group formed in the province has made progress in reducing unnecessary MRIs for certain types of lower back pain. The official also noted that the amalgamation of health authorities in the province should improve coordination and efficiency.
Related stories:
Universal drug coverage could save millions of lives and billions of dollars
Over-allocation of medical supplies exposes healthcare inefficiency in Ontario
