22/04/2015
Doctors will be urged to cut back on some tests in an effort to save money.
The “Choosing Wisely” program, which has saved hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States, will be rolled out in Australia.
The first list will include the top 10 common tests, medications or procedures ordered by GPs.
The current suggested list of investigations includes fewer scans for lower back pain, reduced testing of low-risk heart patients and lowering prescription rates of anti-reflux drugs.
Another suggestion is a crackdown on the use of blood sugar monitoring for patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.
The Federal Government currently spends $140 million a year subsidising test strips for diabetes blood glucose monitoring machines, which is the same amount spent on diabetic medications.
Doctors said research showed diet and exercise was often more important in treatment of type 2 diabetes cases, and that a one-off quarterly blood test to provide an average blood sugar reading was considered more effective.
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