EP 4: Patients Bamboozled by Big Bills: How Much Care is Too Much Care?

Malpractice accusations fly when patients feel they're denied the standard of care. In an attempt to douse firecrackers, some doctors prescribe superfluous tests. The purpose of these tests is to alleviate anxiety. But whatever good-will they facilitate is dashed when the patient receives his bill. On top of that, these tests generate unnecessary costs while providing little or no insight into the patient's health.

Doctors know even menial tests present a small amount of risk to the patient. And if the amount of menial tests performed is not menial, then neither is the level of risk. On this week's episode of the Medical Liability Minute, Jeff and Mike dig into all that can (and will) go wrong when patients are subjected to unnecessary testing...