$1B Calif. savings in ending medical waste

SACRAMENTO, July 10 (UPI) -- Californians can save $1 billion a year by avoiding extra medical care and using cheaper but equally effective drugs, a public-interest group said.

Savings could also be realized by reducing other kinds of waste from the healthcare system, the California Public Interest Research Group said.

Some $700 million could be saved if doctors and hospitals followed "best practice" standards recommended by leading medical organizations, the group said.

Government agencies, patient-advocacy groups and health institutes have increased their efforts to end irresponsible medical spending as healthcare costs soar amid a slumping economy, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Medicare pays bonuses to hospitals that excel in using best-practice guidelines, and will soon stop paying for the treatment of infections caused by improper hospital care, the newspaper said.

The CALPIRG report said U.S. health spending topped $7,000 per person in 2006, nearly twice as much as in Canada, Australia, Sweden and Britain.