Why Does My Doctor Send Me for So Many Medical Tests?
Why Does My Doctor Send Me for So Many Medical Tests? Many patients find that their physicians have ordered a variety of medical lab tests, but they don’t understand the reasoning behind it all. Why do doctors order so many medical tests? What do they hope to gain? Are all those tests necessary?Answer: We’ll begin this answer by saying that, yes — most medical tests the doctor orders for you are necessary to help diagnose your medical problem or determine a treatment’s progress. But not all tests are necessary. As we learn too often in healthcare, part of the answer to this question is “follow the money.” There are actually two aspects to this reasoning: First, doctors are paid by insurance companies and Medicare for every patient they see according to why they see the patient and what procedures they perform for her.
