AOTA’s Top 5 Choosing Wisely® Recommendations

Health care spending in the United States continues to grow at an unsustainable rate. In 2015, spending increased 5.8%, to reach $3.2 trillion, or $9,990 per person. As a share of the nation’s gross domestic product, health spending accounted for 17.8% (Morgan et al., 2016). A critical component of addressing this issue is eliminating wasteful spending without reducing quality and appropriate care. In 2012, Choosing Wisely®, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation (American Board of Internal Medicine), started with the aim to encourage meaningful conversations between health care practitioners and clients to ensure that appropriate and quality care is being provided. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) made a commitment to join Choosing Wisely in 2016. With support and input from AOTA members, the Board of Directors, and staff, AOTA implemented a three-phase process to develop and publish the list, “Five Things Patients and Providers Should Question.” The goal of AOTA’s participation in this initiative is to start dialogue within the occupational therapy profession about providing quality services that are supported by evidence, not duplicative, free from harm, and truly necessary.