Older U.S. adults may get too many colonoscopies, costing Medicare money and putting patients at an increased risk of side effects, including bleeding and hospitalization, researchers found.
About one-quarter of colonoscopies in Medicare recipients ages 70 and older may be inappropriate based on screening guidelines, according to a study released Monday."The harms are greater than the expected benefit," said Kristin Sheffield, a study official at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
