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Should Hospitals Do Less?

http://media.soundmedicine.org/segments/091513_8.mp3

Chris Moriates, M.D., just finished his residency and is a member of the "High Value Care Committee" at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. The committee is dedicated to reducing the number of unnecessary procedures at UCSF. They have recently targeted the $20 iCal test, an ionized calcium test that was given to every patient, whether or not they needed it. According to Dr. Moriates, the committee plans to target other unnecessary procedures in order to reduce cost to the patients and make the hospital more efficient. Dr. Moriates is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco.