PSA: on PSA (applicable for men)

[audreyh1]

Our healthcare system, OTOH is abused because no matter what the cost of the procedure we get off with a modest crowpay.

That may be true for many of those with employer HI coverage, but the rest of us usually have a deductible to meet.

 

[Socal Tom]

As I understand it, they're simply responding to how they get paid, which has changed over most of our lifetimes.

They're not paid to keep us healthy (as they are at least to some extent in many other developed countries), they're paid for testing, expensive procedures and volume. So they see as many patients as they can and order as many tests and procedures as they can. Like my example in post #1, a doctor spent 5 minutes with me and scheduled a fairly costly procedure, I am fairly certain he'd already decided what he would recommend before he ever saw me.

And malpractice has undoubtedly pushed doctors to test more often than they otherwise might have.

I suspect the health care our military folks receive may be one of the few models left in the US where doctors are paid to keep the troops healthy, not to order tests and procedures.

The payment issue is a important point, usually the MD that decides whether to biopsy is the one who will be paid to do the biopsy. He gets a lot more for a biopsy than he does for referring you to a different test. I'm not trying to say they are putting profit above care, but it does mean that they have incentive to set the bar very high for replacing biopsy.
Tom

 

[SteveL]

Stay off your bicycle for 5-7 days prior to PSA test. An hour on the saddle makes the number go up.

 

[franco45]

Socal Tom... You can say "profit over care"......Its happens all the time.

 

[kcowan]

Stay off your bicycle for 5-7 days prior to PSA test. An hour on the saddle makes the number go up.

Yes it is odd that riding a bike and having sex are often overlooked as factors that raise PSA readings. Could it be that doctors are not getting enough of either?

(On a related subject, HIFU is a non-invasive procedure for prostate removal that is widely practiced worldwide. A friend here had it done in January after getting 7 positive biopsies.)

 

[Midpack]

Stay off your bicycle for 5-7 days prior to PSA test. An hour on the saddle makes the number go up.

Yes it is odd that riding a bike and having sex are often overlooked as factors that raise PSA readings.

In addition to bike riding & sexual activity - repeating myself, but your doctor should NOT perform a DRE BEFORE the blood draw that will be used for PSA testing (which is the mistake my GP made, and still may not know better). The blood draw should come before the DRE, it can make a (big) difference.

 

[kcowan]

The blood draw should come before the DRE, it can make a (big) difference.

In my case, the reading was 60% higher after the DRE.

 

[Midpack]

The blood draw should come before the DRE, it can make a (big) difference.

In my case, the reading was 60% higher after the DRE.

For me it was 219% higher after the DRE (4.38 vs 1.37), though I assume other factors may have contributed? I know that particular DRE 'took my breath away' - not always the case...