11 tests and procedures you don't want ...

[Star Tribune, September 19, 2013] When Dr. Michael Mooney of Allina Health threads a catheter inside the arteries of a heart-attack patient, he often finds an obstruction beyond the big blockage that is his main target. But, as tempting as it would be to remove the obstruction and prevent it from causing the next heart attack, Mooney follows advice from leading medical authorities to leave it and exit his patient’s circulatory system as quickly as possible.

“It can be tempting,” he said, “but restraint is clearly in the patients’ best interests.”

Restraint is the theme of a new campaign called Choosing Wisely Minnesota, which is confronting the American obsession to scan, screen and treat every medical issue whether it presents a threat to the patient or not. Read more at startribune.com.