Myth or Fact: When your doctors prescribe tests or treatments, you can be sure that their motivation is almost exclusively to help you get better.
Fact: A research study shows that doctors who have x-ray equipment in their offices, or have a financial interest in a business that does x-rays “are at least 1.7 – 7.7 times as likely” to order these tests as are doctors who see patients with the same problems who don’t have a financial interest in testing.” Brian E. Kouri, et al., “Physician Self-Referral for Diagnostic Imaging: Review of the Empiric Literature,” American Journal of Roentgenology, October 2002.
“Overconsultation and overtesting have now become facts of the medical profession. The culture in practice is to grab patients and generate volume.” Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, “Many Doctors, Many Tests, No Rhyme or Reason,” New York Times, 13 January 2009.