Why unnecessary medical testing needs structural reform

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American medicine orders more than 14 billion tests a year, but many are used at the wrong time or on the wrong patient. The article says better test design is not enough without better test use.

American medicine performs more than 14 billion tests each year. Some of those tests can save lives, but many are ordered at the wrong time or for the wrong patient, making them useless or even harmful.

The article argues that the medical industry has devoted far more effort to creating more advanced tests than to learning how to use them properly. It points to diagnostic stewardship as a science for improving test use, while noting that most doctors have never heard of it.