April 4, 2012

Contact: Cristina Flores

202-638-7151

Medical Organizations Come Together to Reduce Waste

Statement by John Rother, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care

“The leadership shown by the various medical organizations behind Choosing Wisely represents a turning point in the effort to address waste in our health care system.  For the first time, the medical profession is recommending procedures that should not be performed.  It’s a welcome step forward in making care more affordable and improving quality.

The medical societies, and the consumer and business advocates supporting them, like AARP, Consumer Reports, and the National Business Group on Health, have acknowledged that when we waste precious health care dollars on tests and procedures that patients don’t need, it both undermines patient care and makes our health system less affordable.  And perhaps more importantly, the Choosing Wisely effort recognizes that physicians and patients share a responsibility to curb these wasteful, unnecessary practices.

We urge policy-makers to follow their example and shoulder their portion of the responsibility for addressing rising health costs with reforms that accelerate needed progress towards integrated, patient-centered care delivery.”