Physicians should start including a screening for financial risk when treating patients, suggest authors of a viewpoint article published online this month in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
That wouldn’t prevent service or treatment to patients, wrote lead author Christopher Moriates, M.D., University of California in San Francisco, and his colleagues.
 
Rather physicians should broach the subject out of concern for the patient’s own financial well-being. A 2009 study found that medical bills attributed to more than 60% of bankruptcies in the United States during 2007.
 
While financial circumstances may be uncomfortable to talk about, authors note that physicians already “participate in difficult discussions with patients about opiate abuse, domestic violence and end-of-life decisions.” Financial health should be another appropriate topic to cover.
 
“One of the best ways to deflate medical bills would be to avoid interventions that do not make patients healthier. With up to one-third of total health care costs currently estimated to be wasteful, physicians should concentrate on providing appropriate care,” wrote the authors.
 
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