The Article in Brief

Physicians who participate in specially designed meetings with their peers order fewer diagnostic tests than physicians who receive only written reports about test ordering. The small-group meetings were held among primary care physicians in the Netherlands to discuss tests they ordered for patients with cardiovascular conditions (such as high cholesterol levels) and upper and lower abdominal complaints, and to review national guidelines on those topics. Meeting participants ordered fewer tests than physicians who received only written feedback about their test-ordering behavior. This strategy may be an effective way to reduce unnecessary test ordering and is being implemented throughout the Netherlands.