CEO Blog: More is Not Always Better — Empowering Providers and Patients to Choose Wisely

Did you know that Canadians have more than one million potentially unnecessary medical tests and treatments each year? In medicine, as it is in life, more is not always better. This is the premise of the “Choosing Wisely” campaign.

Choosing Wisely Canada is a grassroots physician-led campaign that has been championed by passionate health care providers from coast-to-coast with a goal to help clinicians and patients engage in conversations about unnecessary tests and treatments, and make smart choices. Tests and treatments often come with risks and harm. The goal of choosing wisely is to reduce care that is unnecessary and by doing this we ensure we are not subjecting patients to risks or harm needlessly. As well, this allows us to allocate hospital resources where they are needed and best utilized, and this too, improves patient care.

When Choosing Wisely Canada invited hospitals across Canada to join the global movement by making changes, small or large, to reduce overuse, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) was keen to get involved. Read more…