AP: "First-of-its-kind" study explores why doctors order medical tests

A widely distributed Associated Press story described a Pennsylvania study that found that roughly one-fifth of CT scans, MRIs and other pricey imaging tests ordered by bone and joint specialists were done out of fear of lawsuits rather than patient need. Doctors who have been sued in the last five years were more likely to order tests defensively, said Robert Miller, a student at Temple's School of Medicine who helped lead the study and presented the results at an American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons conference.
Feb. 16, 2011 | USA Today, NPR, CBS News, MSNBC, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Detroit News, Yahoo! News, Bloomberg, Business Week, Salon, many more