Self-insured employers: how many of your employees get surgeries they don’t need? Evidence suggests the number might be higher than you think.
Physicians say that as much as 11.1% of all surgical procedures are given inappropriately.
Each year, 500,000 patients get heart stents, and 700,000 patients get meniscus knee surgeries that show next to no clinical benefits.
Aside from the risks these unneeded procedures pose to patients, they also come at outrageous prices. The annual cost of unnecessary surgery for every 1,000 employees in your company — about $250,000.
Clearly, inappropriate surgeries are a problem you can’t afford to ignore. But what can your company do about them?