Overdiagnosis Can Cause Health Problems, Doctor Says

In health care, the conventional wisdom is that early diagnosis can lead to better outcomes, but a group of doctors are Dartmouth say that we are suffering an epidemic of overdiagnosis. Dr. Gilbert Welch of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Research believes American doctors are over-treating for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and even cancer. Welch is the co-author of a new book, Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick In Pursuit of Health. In it, he addresses the implications for health care costs and attitudes toward treatment.