October 26, 2007

Questions about the annual physical

The Boston Globe has an interesting story about questioning the value of annual physical exams. Excerpts:

"...annual exams are still phenomenally popular: A study released last month found that 64 million Americans a year get a physical or gynecological exam, costing $7.8 billion and outpacing visits for respiratory conditions or high blood pressure.

But researchers and some health plans increasingly voice deep skepticism about the value of scheduling a separate annual exam for a healthy person. There's little scientific evidence, they maintain, to justify the time, money, and expertise being invested in a ritual that consumes appointment slots, especially when patients with immediate aches and pains can't squeeze into a doctor's frenzied schedule."

Posted by schwitz at October 26, 2007 09:56 AM | TrackBack
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