Physicians can save millions of dollars—and eliminate unnecessary testing—by asking patients just a few quick questions, according to one physician.
In an AMA “Innovations in Medicine” talk—a brief, informal presentation in the style of TED Talks—Executive Director of the IU National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD, said that asking her patients a couple questions about their diets can lead to simple solutions for health ailments.
“It’s simple, it’s focused, and it doesn’t take a lot of time or effort,” Dr. Rohr-Kirchgraber said. “What did you eat in the last 24 hours?”
In her experience, she’s been able to pinpoint ailments and prevent patients from taking potentially unnecessary medications by helping them fix trouble spots in their diets.
For example, Dr. Rohr-Kirchgraber had a teen patient with horrible stomach pains. She guessed that he was eating lots of spicy snacks and drinking lots of soda.
“Rather than starting him on Prilosec, rather than doing the EGD or testing for H. pylori, I just asked him, ‘What did you have to eat?’” she said. It was a simple choice: “Add on another medication or take away a food product?”
Dr. Rohr-Kirchgraber encourages other physicians to ask their patients a few simple questions that potentially can eliminate the need for tests and medications, saving time and health care dollars.
Get inspired and hear about new approaches, ideas and creativity in medicine by viewing this talk and others in the AMA’s Innovations in Medicine series.
