In Colleagues, do we need to order 20 million echocardiograms a year? Eric Topol, the Cleveland Clinic cardiologist discusses on his Topolog the fact that American Cardiologists order an average of 500 echocardiograms/per year.
Yet there are new "pocket echoes" but they have not been embraced - and they are cheap. Not as complete a picture - but useful for screening as to whether the more expensive test is needed. Given the crisis of health care spending, he asks:
Are cardiologists willing to take the initiative and take steps to limit the "runaway use of echocardiography"
Shouldn't cardiologist be part of the solution?
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