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Have I been over-tested by doctors?
On August 9, 2024, around 4 a.m., I sought medical attention due to suspected food poisoning from takeout, with symptoms of headache and nausea. The attending physician diagnosed me and ordered 28 tests. However, I disagree with 19 of these tests, believing they are unreasonable and excessive. The 19 tests in question are as follows: serum creatine kinase test, serum creatine kinase MB test, serum lactate dehydrogenase test, serum α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase test, glycylproline dipeptide test, serum amyloid protein test, glucose test, serum alkaline phosphatase test, serum cholinesterase test, serum total protein test, serum albumin test, serum uric acid test, serum total bilirubin test, serum direct bilirubin test, serum indirect bilirubin test, serum total bile acid test, serum aspartate aminotransferase test, serum alanine aminotransferase test, serum potassium, sodium, chloride, and calcium tests. I believe these tests exceed the necessary scope of diagnosis and may constitute over-medicalization, resulting in an unnecessary financial burden. Please have relevant peers review whether this constitutes over-medicalization.
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@wangzhen
Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!
I agree that testing seems excessive for food poisoning.
You would just need the basic chemistries unless you were told of other suspected illness.
An explanation is warranted.
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Hug
2 ReactionsHeadache and nausea can be caused by several different problems. Liver, kidneys and elevated glucose. As an ER doctor he has to rule out other possibilities. Let’s say it would have been something else and he did not do the chemistry panel he did you would probably be mad and angry he missed something. It happens all the time. There are going to rule out other possibilities before saying it’s food poisoning even as an RNI can go to the emergency room and tell them what’s wrong. They will rule out all possibilities before agreeing with you. I am glad it wasn’t anything major.
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Hug
1 ReactionI’m not sure why you’re upset.
I vomitted badly after breathlessness. Thank goodness for all the tests. I had stage 4 appendix cancer.
Would you be suing these doctors if they missed something?
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Hug
2 ReactionsBetter to be over tested than not at all. There can be many reasons for your symptoms. I can see why you associated the food and food poisoning as the reason. But the food could have just been a trigger and not the cause. Hopefully the results of testing will reveal something and you can get the help you need so this doesn’t happen again.
Best to you.
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Hug
1 ReactionI’m poor.
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Hug
1 ReactionSome of your tests are packaged together in a group
ordered as a battery of metabolic parameters. In other words one test is actually a dozen different findings.
If you go to a busy ER and mention poisoning without
vomiting or diarrhea the possibility of diagnosis other
than “food poisoning” are very broad. Hence the shotgun approach. Glad you recovered. Did you have any insurance that covered or rejected the billing?
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Hug
1 ReactionI’m sorry to hear of your circumstances and I hope your family and friends can help you out if your insurances don’t cover the cost.
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Hug
1 ReactionAfter I left my job, my health insurance was canceled. However, it's okay; I'm just worried that the hospital might conduct excessive tests on me to make money.
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Hug
1 ReactionWhen you go to an ER, they automatically order a blood panel. It’s absolutely routine because your bloodwork shows everything going on in your body. It sounds like they ordered a CBC, CMP panel which is normal.
@wangzhen
There are some tests that you mentioned that are not routinely ordered in an ER- they would usually be ordered by a specialist.
You can get a copy of your ER visit notes to see what diagnosis the doctor was looking for and what the final diagnosis was. Do you still have a primary care doctor who can review the ER visit with you?