Recently, Dr. R. Adams Dudley, director of the UCSF Center for Healthcare Value, circulated a picture illustrating rapid growth in the use of tests and other imaging procedures between 2000 and 2013. I thought it deserved further circulation. It reveals 60-80% expansion of testing and imaging, with only – only? – a 40% increase in the use of major procedures:
Of note, there is a tapering off near the end of this time period, coinciding with a tapering off in the growth of healthcare costs. I’m eager to see what happens to these trends going forward.
