{"id":5898,"date":"2017-03-02T22:24:45","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T03:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10028\/practiceareas\/unnecessary-procedures\/"},"modified":"2024-05-02T14:18:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T18:18:55","slug":"procedimientos-innecesarios","status":"publish","type":"practiceareas","link":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/es\/areas-de-practica-2\/procedimientos-innecesarios\/","title":{"rendered":"Unnecessary Procedures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Procedimientos realizados para obtener ganancias financieras, no para el bienestar del paciente<\/h2>\n

As patients, we rely on medical professionals to make accurate diagnoses, properly perform routine and complex procedures and recommend the diagnostic tests and treatment that we actually need. Unfortunately, some doctors and medical facilities may recommend and perform unnecessary procedures in an attempt to increase income, rather than act in a patient’s best interests.<\/p>\n

Por ejemplo, tome un art\u00edculo<\/a> publicado en el New York Times<\/em> in August of 2012, regarding claims, investigations and reviews of unnecessary cardiac procedures being performed at hospitals owned by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the largest hospital chain in the U.S. The article mentioned certain facilities in Florida that were under scrutiny for cardiac procedures that may have posed an unnecessary expense and risk to patients who did not require them. Cardiac stents and catheters were specifically mentioned. Both of these are invasive, expensive medical procedures. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, Florida requested information from 10 of HCA’s hospitals, many of which are in Florida. In all, HCA owns 163 hospitals and 110 independent surgical centers in the U.S. and England, making the Nashville-based corporation the largest hospital chain in the U.S.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rdidas financieras y peligros para la salud: Pruebas y procedimientos innecesarios<\/h3>\n

Un informe de 2005 de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias descubri\u00f3 un impactante desperdicio 30% del gasto en atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica en los EE. UU. Estudios m\u00e1s recientes han arrojado resultados similares. Esto significa que cada a\u00f1o se pueden desperdiciar entre $600 y $700 mil millones de d\u00f3lares.<\/p>\n

In addition to costing patients, insurance companies and Medicare thousands upon thousands of dollars, unnecessary tests and procedures may place patients’ lives at risk. Some procedures may be dangerous, and if they are not actually needed, their risks certainly outweigh their benefits. Doctors should consider the patient’s well-being, not their own income, as a first priority. Patients should be told about all the risks and benefits associated with any test or procedure in order to make informed choices.<\/p>\n

In April of 2012, a coalition of doctors and consumer groups unveiled the “Choosing Wisely” campaign, which aims to help doctors and patients make better decisions about what tests and procedures are actually necessary. The campaign addresses 45 different tests and procedures that may be overused, some of which include:<\/p>\n