Hospital Corporation of America, one of the nation's largest hospital chains, came under scrutiny this week for performing more than a thousand unnecessary heart procedures; however,  the practice is far from unique in U.S. health care , ProPublica's Marshall Allen reports.

 

In 2011, Medicare alone spent nearly $1 billion on non-emergency heart catheterizations -- a procedure where tiny balloons and stents are used to clear blocked arteries. "While they boost revenues for doctors and hospitals, unnecessary procedures consume taxpayer money, raise insurance premiums and put patients at risk," Allen writes. One cardiologist even told Allen that "the medical system is addicted" to the revenue these procedures generate.

 

He goes on to note that there is some debate about the scope of the problem and that previous studies have shown that medicine alone is as effective in patients with stable heart disease.

 

Read the full story here -  http://www.propublica.org/article/to-stent-or-not-to-stent-that-is-in-question. You can also check out ProPublica's Patient Harm Community on Facebook.