According to a report by the Institute of Medicine, approximately 30 percent of all medical procedures, tests, and medications may in fact be unnecessary, at a cost of more than $750 billion a year.2 The worst part is that gross overtreatment is making Americans sicker, rather than healthier.

When you consider drug reactions and unnecessary interventions that typically come with multiple side effects, as well as the financial and emotional stress involved with medical treatment, there is more likely an inverse relationship between money spent on health care and wellness.

An approach that tends to be underutilized today is “watchful waiting.”

In many situations, your body is capable of healing itself when treated with lifestyle modifications like diet, exercise, sleep and movement. Many patients will opt for a more moderate approach if their physician presents the option.

Intermountain Health Care in Utah is an excellent example of how the game can be changed. The hospital has reduced its surgical rates by 40 to 60 percent by simply giving patients a choice between having surgery and taking a more “watchful waiting” approach—with no worsening of outcomes.

Interestingly, this rate is about the same as that shown by physicians themselves when they make similar medical decisions for their own families.

Medical Care Is the Third Leading Cause of Death in the US

When you add up medical errors, drug interactions, and hospital-acquired infections, medical care is the third leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer. Preventable medical mistakes account for one-sixth of all American deaths.

According to the latest estimates, 210,000 to 440,000 Americans die from egregious hospital errors each year, with hospitals that cater primarily to Medicare patients tending to rank the worst. Types of errors include the following: