Checking up on annual check-ups: Are they a yearly waste of time?
Most people fall into one of two categories when it comes to their annual physical: They either stress out about it, fearing that doctors will deliver bad news, or they’re eager to “catch” some phantom malady early and get started on treatments.
If you ask me, it’s all a complete waste of time. You heard me right: check-ups, in general, are pretty useless. I’ve believed this for years and, as in most cases, the rest of my colleagues are starting to come around to my way of thinking. Finally!
A recent study by Ateev Mehrotra of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that though Americans spent a staggering $7.8 billion on complete physical examinations last year, the most important preventive health measures have nothing to do with putting on a paper thin, backless gown and saying “Ahh.”
I can’t take credit for being the lone voice in the wilderness against check-ups – the debate over their effectiveness has been going on for years. And while most people seem to think that a complete physical examination once a year is critical to maintaining good health, there’s next to no proof that this is the case. In fact, it’s largely just an old wives’ tale.
But while the benefits of general physicals are questionable at best, the negative impact could be vast – especially when there’s so much talk of “universal health care” being right around the corner.
I just told you that these exams account for $7.8 billion in annual health care costs – and yet, there’s no proof that they’re having any benefit. (Actually, this could make annual physicals perfect for a government-run socialized medicine program – only the government could pour $7.8 billion into something with nothing to show for it!)
Kidding aside, we’re talking about billions of health care dollars thrown away on a useless ritual with no proven benefit. To give you an idea of just how much is being wasted on physicals, keep in mind that about $7.8 billion is also what’s spent on the treatment of breast cancer every year. That’s EVERY CASE of breast cancer in the U.S. – including preventative measures, treatment, hospitalization, chemotherapy, and every single surgery. When you realize that ALL of that is being accomplished for the same $7.8 billion that’s being squandered on general physicals, that’s when you start to get angry.
Wouldn’t this money be better put toward some other health crisis? And what of all the man-hours wasted by physicians on the process of annual physical exams? Imagine if the money and time wasted on check-ups were re-directed toward something like cancer research?
But as with all medical traditions, it will likely be hard to break the American public – or, indeed, the health care community – of the habit of the annual physical exams. The potential benefits could be huge, though. Doctors would be less burdened, making it easier to get in to see your physician when you actually need to.
