ACP urges use of performance measures targeting 'low-value services' to reduce overuse, misuse of these approaches

The American College of Physicians released a position paper Monday pressing for "valid, evidence-based measures" as a means of raising physician awareness and changing clinician behavior.

Modern Healthcare: Physicians Group Pushes Performance Measures To Combat Healthcare Misuse
The American College of Physicians is pushing for greater use of performance measures targeting overuse and misuse of healthcare services. In a 19-page position paper released Monday, the group argues that measures that gauge the use of "low-value services," such as imaging for low back pain or nonindicated cancer screenings, can raise awareness about healthcare misuse and change clinician behavior. "Just as we need performance measures to assess underuse of high-value services, we need valid, evidence-based measures of overuse," according to the paper (McKinney, 10/29). 

Medscape: ACP Calls For Greater Scrutiny Of Low-Value Healthcare Services
Both routine imaging of people with low back pain who have no signs or symptoms of underlying conditions and cervical cancer screening of women after total hysterectomy are examples of low-value healthcare services targeted in a new initiative from the American College of Physicians (ACP). "The first step in addressing the high cost of health care should be decreasing use of interventions that provide no or very little benefit and are of low value," write David W. Baker, MD, from the Division of Medicine-General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, and colleagues on behalf of the ACP Performance Measurement Committee in an article published online October 30 in the Annals of Internal Medicine (McNamara, 10/29).