In 1999 the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation (ABIM Foundation) started Choosing Wisely®—a health care practice strategy that focuses its recommendations on reducing and eliminating unnecessary or over-used medical tests, procedures and practices that increase the cost of health care and may put the patient at increased risk of harm.
Choosing Wisely® recognizes that better use of limited health care resources is the responsibility of both health care providers and patients, and in partnership with Consumer Reports, has published the same recommendations with easy-to-understand explanations for patient use in discussion with their health care providers.
Choose Wisely is MSU’s version of the national initiative Choosing Wisely®.
Bonnie Seaks, P.A.-C at MSU’s University Physician’s Office, feels strongly about the topic, “Choosing Wisely® benefits health care providers and patients by promoting conversations regarding good medical practice and good stewardship of our health care resources.”
The ABIM Foundation developed Choosing Wisely® in partnership with individual medical specialty societies based on high-quality, patient-oriented, evidence-based research. Health care providers and patients should discuss the risk, benefit, and cost of all medical tests, procedures or treatments.
MSU’s Choose Wisely will be highlighting ABIM’s top 5 lists throughout the year via their Healthy Email Service.
The Healthy Email Service provides reliable, easy-to-understand, health-related information for common health concerns and/or injuries. Recent articles from the Healthy Email Service covered sinus infections and back pain; both reviewed causes of these common problems as well as self care that can be done at home before a visit with a health care provider.
Seaks explains, “We don’t need a prescription and/or a test for every concern that comes into a doctor’s office. Choosing Wisely® recommendations and the Healthy Emails help to create wise, responsible, cost-conscious consumers of health care. With a little education and understanding, this is not a difficult task.”
For information on Choose Wisely please visit Health4u and sign up for their Healthy Email Service. Visit Choosing Wisely for recommendations and information on this initiative.