Evidence-Based Care Reduces Unnecessary Medical Procedures and Healthcare Costs in the Outpatient Setting

The study aimed to examine the number of unnecessary medical procedures and healthcare costs with the use of the educational intervention in Poland. Secondary data were collected between 2014 and 2015. Analysis of events and cost per patient revealed significant variability and overutilization of diagnostics and other services by physicians practicing in a network of private outpatient clinics in Poland. To reduce unjustified referrals and costs, a 2-year educational intervention was carried out, which included printed evidence-based practice recommendations and quarterly verification of the results from each of the 617 participating physicians. We analyzed the effects of the intervention on the number of medical events and costs with 17 diagnoses generating the highest costs. After 2 years of the intervention, the number of medical events per patient decreased by over 20% compared to baseline, primarily in orthopedics (by 31%-37%). Moreover, the healthcare costs per patient decreased by about 18% at the end of the intervention. Patient satisfaction remained high during the intervention. Intervention based on evidence-based practice reduced both the number of unnecessary medical procedures and healthcare costs in the outpatient setting, while not affecting patient satisfaction.