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A new study found waste accounts for roughly one-quarter of all U.S. healthcare spending, an estimate that’s in the same ballpark as its predecessors.
The cost of waste in the U.S. healthcare system ranges from $760 billion to $935 billion annually, according to a JAMA review of 54 peer-reviewed studies, government reports and other information, released Monday. The study found one-quarter of that could be cut using interventions found to reduce waste.
Two previous studies on the subject from 2012 estimated waste at roughly 30% and 34% of total healthcare spending.
Shrank undertook the research with a Humana colleague and a third researcher from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.