Study questions value of annual medical check-up

Not new, but serves to illustrate a point.

"The customary annual physical check-up at the doctor's office may not be worth the time or money, researchers said on Monday...

The institution of the annual medical check-up, intended to detect or prevent unseen health problems, dates back about a century in the United States, Mehrotra said.

But large studies in 1960s and 1970s failed to show these check-ups provide a significant medical benefit to the patient, and there has been a debate about their value ever since."

Where else but in sick care does "preventive maintenance" fail and still continue to live to see another day and payment?

Similar to expert diet advice, this is another example of a huge mistake in the system that survives like a cockroach.

The difference is that expert diet advice kills directly.

"'Is a physical harmful at all? To the patient, there's likely little harm. The potential downsides of a physical are the money and people's time,' as well eating up a doctor's time that might be better used elsewhere, Mehrotra said."

Better it and expert diet advice should die, than you.

Time to make these mainstays of sick care go away.