In a 2015 strategic planning session, the members of the WSPC identified a need to address the use of low value care. This intention couples with the ongoing national conversation on over-diagnosis and the patient safety implications of unnecessary care. Prominent national campaigns such as Choosing Wisely aimed at reducing this trend have varied success, as it can be difficult to reach consensus on “appropriate care” for some complex conditions. As the debate on appropriate care continues, rising trends in consumer driven healthcare add new challenges to the mix. All the while, costs and patient safety burdens of medical overuse continue to mount. This week’s Friday 5 examines:

Costs, Confusions, and Consumerism in the Era of Choosing Wisely

1. Kaiser Health News: Putting a lid on waste — needless medical tests not only cost $200 billion, but can also do harm.

2. JAMA: Shift towards consumer-driven health care breeds new challenges around low value medical testing. Direct to consumer medical testing in the era of value based care.

3. Journal of Hospital Medicine: A practical framework for understanding and reducing medical overuse.

4. Health Leaders Media: Low value care misunderstood by patients.

5. Modern Healthcare: Where does patient engagement simply become a marketing scheme? Disease awareness ads lead to over-diagnosis, boost Rx sales.

Upcoming Lunchtime Webinar 🍽️

Join us June 28th for a lunchtime webinar we are really looking forward to: "Addressing Bias, Language Barriers, and Inequities in Healthcare" presented by Cheri Wilson, MA, MHS, CPHQ, and current faculty with IHI's Pursuing Equity program. Have you ever wondered why sometimes our thoughts don't match our actions? In this webinar, participants will learn more about implicit bias and how it affects our everyday lives in everything from healthcare and beyond, to areas of criminal justice, employment, housing, and media. Most importantly, participants will be equipped with tips and debiasing techniques for mitigating implicit bias as a strategy for reducing disparities in health and healthcare and for promoting health equity.

WPSC Conference - Seeking Your Feedback

If you attended the Northwest Patient Safety Conference and have not yet completed the feedback survey, please do! We try to make each year useful and responsive to attendee needs and we rely on your input. Surveys are anonymous, only take a few minutes, and are invaluable to our Conference Planning Group.