Skip These Tests
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You may want to be careful with these recommendations, especially 3, 6 and 10.
You may not need these common health exams as often as you think.
Doctors are warning that some of the common medical tests routinely taken by Americans do more harm than good, waste billions of health care dollars annually and could endanger your health or even your life.
The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation asked more than 50 medical societies — of family doctors, oncologists, cardiologists and other specialties — to identify tests and treatments that are often unnecessary. AARP is a consumer partner with this campaign, called Choosing Wisely.
1. Nuclear stress tests, and other imaging tests, after heart procedures
2. Yearly electrocardiogram or exercise stress test
3. PSA to screen for prostate cancer
4. PET scan to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
5. X-ray, CT scan or MRI for lower back pain
6. Yearly Pap tests
7. Bone density scan for women before age 65 and men before age 70
8. Follow-up ultrasounds for small ovarian cysts
9. Colonoscopy after age 75
10. Yearly physical
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