Down the drain: $1.2 trillion.
That's half of the $2.2 trillion the United States spends on health care each year, according to the most recent data from accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute.
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Doctors ordering tests or procedures not based on need but concern over liability or increasing their income is the biggest waste of health care dollars, costing the system at least $210 billion a year, according to the report. The problem is called "defensive medicine."
"Sometimes the motivation is to avoid malpractice suits, or to make more money because they are compensated more for doing more," said Dr. Arthur Garson, provost of the University of Virginia and former dean of its medical school. "Many are also convinced that doing more tests is the right thing to do."
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Inefficient claims processing is the second-biggest area of wasteful expenditure, costing as much as $210 billion annually, the PricewaterhouseCoopers report said. ... "Some practices spend 40% of their revenue filling out paperwork that has nothing to do with patient care. So much of this could be automated."
More insured and uninsured consumers are getting their primary care in emergency rooms, wasting $14 billion every year in health care spending. ... "Going to the doctor for strep throat would cost $65-$70. In the ER, it's $600 to $800," he said.
Medical errors are costing the industry $17 billion a year in wasted expenses, something that makes patient advocacy groups irate.
... Going back to the hospital
"This happens a lot with elderly patients who are discharged prematurely because of insurance, bed unavailability or ageism," she said.
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