The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation recently released a status report for the Choosing Wisely campaign, which started in April 2012 with the release of the first "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" lists from nine medical specialty societies.
Now, three years later, the ABIM Foundation reported the following:
* There are now 70 participating specialty societies, with more in the works;
* The combined lists have included approximately 400 recommendations of overused or unnecessary tests, treatments, and procedures;
* Approximately 100 different patient brochures related to the campaign have been produced;
* 274 journal articles have been published;
* 23 grantees worked for approximately two years to advance Choosing Wisely in their communities and within their specialties, resulting in new smartphone apps, initiatives to reduce antibiotic overuse, and communications skills training; and
* The campaign has been adopted in 11 other countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, and New Zealand;
* The campaign has been implemented by health systems across the country, including Cedars-Sinai, Crystal Run Healthcare, and Intermountain Healthcare
Still, a news release notes, "while these accomplishments are worthy of celebrating, there is much work to be done, and the mission of Choosing Wisely continues. A new learning community is exploring innovations and ideas to advance stewardship competencies and high value care in medical education and training, and later this year the ABIM Foundation will announce a new cohort of grantees, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that will work to reduce overuse in their communities."