Consumer Reports is a partner in the Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference, set for Sept. 10-12, 2013, at Dartmouth College.

The U.S. spends more than $200 billion on unnecessary medical care each year, according to recent estimates published in the BMJ. Ever-more sensitive screening tests, combined with the broadening of disease definitions leads to patients experiencing increasing amount of medic,al treatments and test they do not need, and which may actually cause them harm. Documented conditions in the medical literature that are prone to this happening include: ADHD, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer.

Following its support of programs like “Choosing Wisely” with ABIM Foundation and many national specialty medical societies, Consumer Reports has teamed with The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, the BMJ and Bond University as a partner and consumer translator for this important series of topics.

Building on existing knowledge and activity, the goal of the 2013 conference on overdiagnosis is provide a forum for learning more, increasing awareness, and developing ways to prevent the problem.  The conference is designed to provide researchers working in this field with the chance to share and debate methods and further advance research agendas.

Consumer Reports is proud to support this effort. For more detailed information, visit: www.preventingoverdiagnosis.net .