We have reported several times on the importance of mesothelioma patients and their doctors having open, direct and focused conversations related to the patient's care and treatment plan. Doctors have the responsibility of ensuring the care they offer matches their patients' needs and desires, and they can only do that through listening and allowing the patient to be heard. Now, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation has developed, Choosing Wisely, an initiative aimed at promoting conversations between physicians and patients.
Mesothelioma is a deadly, asbestos-caused cancer with limited treatment options. However, recent breakthroughs in the industry have afforded options that can improve a patient's quality of life and extend survival. In order to find the best treatment, though, patients may be subjected to a variety of tests and procedures.
Not all of these tests or treatments are medically necessary, and according to an article from Penn Medicine, the Choosing Wisely initiative, "aims to spark conversation among both doctors and their patients about the types of tests and treatments that are likely to be unnecessary, and perhaps even harmful." The article points out that more tests, does not always mean better care – and they are also contributing to rising medical costs in the United States.
"Delivering quality health care requires making decisions that take into consideration the best evidence available and the specific needs of patients, while at the same time recognizing that some choices are costly and provide no benefit and may in some cases cause harm to the patient," said Christine K. Cassel, MD, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation, at the announcement of the initiative last year.
Choosing Wisely is gaining traction and is being promoted as a big step in improving medical care by a large number of medical professionals and publications. CNN and JAMA have both weighed in and agree that with more and more physicians coming on board with the initiative medical care costs can be held down and personalized patient care will be more common.
As part of the education campaign of Choosing Wisely, nine medical specialty societies representing 374,000 U.S. physicians developed lists of "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question." These lists serve as guidelines towards driving physician and patient conversations to improve care and eliminate unnecessary tests and procedures.
"These organizations are demonstrating leadership, vision, and courage in highlighting overuse in their own specialty. This is the highest form of medical professionalism," according to authors of the JAMA article.
Consumer Reports has partnered with Choosing Wisely and helped develop the initial set of guidelines and will continue working with the medical societies to develop summaries for patients about when tests and treatments are needed—and when they aren't.
For mesothelioma patients, managing their medical bills can be overwhelming. Some doctors estimate that treatment can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1 million, depending on the number of tests, doctors' visits, cost of surgeries and lengthy hospitalizations, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
This new initiative can give mesothelioma patients the information they need to ask the right questions of their doctors to ensure the treatments they are receiving are beneficial and are helping improve their quality of live or extending their survival – the primary goals of mesothelioma treatment plans.
