Was founded in 1913 and is the oldest organization devoted to safety and health practices in all venues?

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is a professional organization with more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. This membership includes allergist/immunologists, other medical specialists, allied health and related health care professionals dedicated to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of allergy, asthma and immunology for optimal patient care. The AAAAI is honored to participate as a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. This campaign is a natural extension of our organization’s ongoing commitment to empowering physicians and patients with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions regarding the diagnosis, treatment and management of allergic and immunologic diseases. Our commitment is met through the provision of cutting-edge educational opportunities; practice improvement initiatives and partnerships; leadership in the development of related guidelines, statements and practice parameters; and an award-winning website that serves as a valuable resource for professionals and patients alike.

American Academy of Clinical Toxicology

The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) is proud to participate in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Founded in 1968, the AACT is a multidisciplinary organization uniting scientists and clinicians in the advancement of research, education, prevention, and treatment of diseases caused by chemicals, drugs and toxins. Given the vast and growing array of occupational, environmental and pharmaceutical poisonings, the increased awareness of personal health and environmental exposures, and the availability of alternative therapies it is essential that patients have informed conversations with their providers regarding both the diagnosis of suspected poisoning and the most appropriate treatment options once that diagnosis has been confirmed. Choosing Wisely is an extension of positions held by the AACT and publications in our highly cited and peer reviewed journal Clinical Toxicology that focus on optimal testing and treatment strategies for suspected poisoning. We enthusiastically support the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely initiative and are honored to be able to participate.

American Academy of Dermatology

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. With a membership of more than 17,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. Optimizing the quality of dermatology patient care is one of the AAD’s key priorities. The AAD also supports the evidence-based practice of dermatology by developing clinical practice guidelines, measures and Appropriate Use Criteria (AUCs). The AAD’s participation in the Choosing Wisely campaign supports its commitment to providing the most appropriate, cost-effective, evidence-based treatment of skin, hair and nail conditions and allows for a more meaningful dialogue between dermatologists and patients.

American Academy of Family Physicians

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 100,300 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only national medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. The AAFP strongly supports the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care. Care provided in this fashion encourages both doctors and patients to choose wisely when it comes to diagnostic tests, treatments and procedures. The PCMH model improves quality of care and medical outcomes, and helps reduce costs to the patient and the health care system. Health care expenses are crippling families, businesses and governments. We need to carefully examine the type of health care provided and the way it is administered. The Choosing Wisely campaign does just that.

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) is the professional organization for physicians specializing in hospice and palliative medicine. The Academy’s 5,000 members also include nurses and other health care providers committed to improving quality of life for seriously ill patients and their families. AAHPM is pleased to support the goals of the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Academy members believe that palliative care providers and organizations, including hospices, will be essential to the success of any efforts designed to enhance health care quality, coordination and efficiency, particularly for high-need, high-cost patients with serious illness. Studies have demonstrated that high-quality palliative care and hospice care not only improve quality of life and patient and family satisfaction, but achieve these outcomes at a lower cost than usual care, by helping patients to better understand and address their needs, choose the most effective interventions, and avoid unnecessary or unwanted hospitalizations and interventions. For more information, find AAHPM on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Visit AAHPM’s blog or patient site, PalliativeDoctors.org.

American Academy of Neurology

The American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association of neurologists with more than 25,000 members, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care and enhance member career satisfaction. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. As part of our commitment to helping neurologists provide the most appropriate, cost-effective, evidence-based care, the American Academy of Neurology is pleased to support the Choosing Wisely® campaign, as it promotes wise choices by physicians and patients with the ultimate goal of improving health care outcomes through patient-centered care that avoids unnecessary interventions and helps to reduce the rapidly expanding costs of the health care system. The Choosing Wisely campaign also aligns with the Academy’s commitment to the rigorous development of clinical practice guidelines, quality measures and quality improvement programs. For more information, find the American Academy of Neurology on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

American Academy of Nursing

The American Academy of Nursing is pleased to lead the nursing profession’s efforts to participate in Choosing Wisely®. Nurses can contribute to a national effort to help patients, clinicians and systems make wise choices about health care. As the largest group of health professionals and with the most contact with patients and families, nurses are in a significant position to influence decisions about health and health care. Nurses influence quality, cost, and waste through a number of mechanisms, such as engaging in practices that are evidence-based, contributing to decisions about the need for tests and treatments, and observing or contributing to system waste and inefficiency. This is particularly important in areas that contribute substantially to total health care costs, such as falls, delirium, medical error prevention, medication management, care coordination, pain management, and appropriate use of services aligned with changing needs (i.e., palliative and hospice care). Nurses are instrumental in shaping health care practices and redesigning health care systems. With this in mind, the American Academy of Nursing has joined Choosing Wisely and is working to engage in conversations with a broad coalition of stakeholder groups and individuals to identify nursing practices that are unnecessary, inefficient, or harmful; describe the supporting evidence for minimizing these practices; make clear recommendations regarding the use of these practices; and disseminate these recommendations to nurses, health care administrators, the public, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, we will be helping to extend the conversation about wise use of resources and helpful practices to  various disciplines and professions.

American Academy of Ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. The Academy and its 32,000 members worldwide are committed to advancing the highest standards of comprehensive eye care. To accomplish this, the Academy provides a wide variety of educational programs, products and services to ophthalmologists and the patients they serve. The Academy’s EyeSmart® program provides the public with the most trustworthy and medically accurate information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries. The Academy believes an open dialogue between ophthalmologists and their patients is essential to providing the right eye care at the right time. These conversations lead to better-educated patients who are able to make informed vision-care decisions, reducing safety risks from unnecessary tests and procedures and promoting cost savings. The Academy’s participation in the Choosing Wisely® campaign further fosters communications between ophthalmologists and their patients.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. As the premier provider of education for orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, the Academy champions the interests of patients and advances the highest quality of bone and joint health. The more than 37,000 orthopaedic surgeon members aim to increase people’s quality of life by improving mobility, reducing pain, and returning patients to their jobs and hobbies. The AAOS has been a leader in developing quality improvement and safety programs—from the “Sign Your Site” campaign aimed at eliminating wrong-site surgery to the introduction of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and appropriate use criteria to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. By partnering in the Choosing Wisely campaign, the AAOS hopes to facilitate dialogue between patients and physicians about appropriately using diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and avoiding those that are unnecessary.

American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents nearly 12,000 physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat and related structures of the head and neck. The AAO-HNS Foundation is pleased to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign. We are enthusiastic about the potential to address in a very practical manner ways to reduce waste, improve quality care, and engage physicians and their patients in making better health care choices. Choosing Wisely complements the Foundation’s quality agenda that focuses on empowering physicians to provide the best patient care through the development of evidence-based guidelines, identifying tools, services, and processes that lead to safe care in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery.

American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a strong supporter of partnerships that improve the quality of care for patients. The Choosing Wisely® campaign helps to raise awareness of the need to evaluate tests and treatments thoughtfully. This is particularly important when treating children because they are still growing and developing. The AAP believes that health care for children, in addition to being delivered in a patient-centered medical home, should be evidence-based or informed, efficient and based on quality improvement measures relevant to the pediatric population. The AAP also encourages patient and family engagement in promoting their child’s well-being. These hallmarks of the patient-centered medical home are integral to the Choosing Wisely campaign.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The AASM is a professional society exclusively representing the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine and has a combined membership of more than 11,000 accredited member sleep centers and individual members, including physicians, advanced practice providers, technologists, psychologists, scientists, and other health care professionals. The AASM and its members are dedicated to advancing sleep care and enhancing sleep health to improve lives. In addition to developing evidence-based guidance for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders in adults and children and providing members valuable educational resources and courses, the AASM is on the forefront of providing up-to-date information on rapidly evolving consumer and clinical sleep technology. The AASM also accredits sleep centers to ensure that patients receive high-quality care, and provides patients with reliable information about sleep health, sleep disorders, and treatment options in a concise manner that is easy to understand. By partnering in the Choosing Wisely campaign, the AASM hopes to enhance the quality of care patients with sleep disorders receive by encouraging dialogue between patients and physicians about the most appropriate, evidence-based, and cost-effective diagnostic and treatment options for them, while avoiding those that are unnecessary.

American Association of Blood Banks

AABB is a not-for-profit association representing individuals and institutions involved in the field of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. The association is committed to improving health by delivering standards, accreditation and professional educational programs that focus on optimizing patient and donor care and safety. AABB membership consists of approximately 1,800 institutions and 8,000 professional individuals, including roughly 1,600 physicians.

American Association of Neurological Surgeons

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 8,100 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. Fellows of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC.  Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves. Participating in the Choosing Wisely® campaign aligns with AANS’ commitment to evidence-based medicine, informed decision-making and quality improvement initiatives focusing on patient-centered care. For more information, find the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) on Facebook, Twitter and Neurosurgery Blog.

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) is the largest association of eye physicians and surgeons dedicated to promoting the highest quality medical and surgical eye care worldwide for children and for adults with strabismus. AAPOS’s goals are to advance the quality of children’s eye care, support the training of pediatric ophthalmologists, support research activities in pediatric ophthalmology, and advance the care of adults with strabismus. AAPOS establishes practice guidelines for pediatric ophthalmology at the highest level of competence and ethics, and fosters concepts that benefit children’s eye health through preventive as well as remedial activities. Children deserve eye care that is evidence-based, and the adults who care for children need the necessary information to make informed choices about their care. AAPOS collaborates with groups interested in improving the quality of care that our patients receive, and the Choosing Wisely® campaign helps to foster communication that will help patients to receive their best eye care.

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) is the leading organization of scientists and health care professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease. AASLD was founded in 1950 by a small group of leading liver specialists to bring together those who had contributed to the field of hepatology. AASLD has grown to an international society responsible for all aspects of hepatology, and its annual meeting, The Liver Meeting®, has grown in attendance from 12 to more than 9,500 physicians, surgeons, researchers, and allied health professionals from around the world. Hepatology has been recognized as a discipline only in the last few decades, and AASLD played a seminal and unifying role in focusing interest on hepatological problems, as well as the founding of other hepatological societies.

American Chiropractic Association

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractors focus on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health and function. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat conditions such as back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Widely known for their expertise in spinal manipulation, chiropractors practice a hands-on, drug-free approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. On behalf of its members, ACA educates the public about the benefits of chiropractic services, supports research, and provides professional and educational opportunities for chiropractors, with the goal of advancing high-quality patient care. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and evidence-informed patient care, and is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely campaign. To learn more about ACA, visit www.acatoday.org.

American College of Cardiology

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The ACC is a 39,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers. For more than 60 years, the College has led in the development of health policy, data registries, evidence-based standards and guidelines and cutting-edge professional education. The ACC believes that partnerships between patients and health care providers are crucial to achieving better outcomes and lowering health care costs. To that end, we are excited to join with Choosing Wisely to encourage open communication about the costs and benefits of tests and treatments. From our CardioSmart National Care Initiative, aimed at helping patients better understand and/or prevent heart disease, to our state-of-the-art educational programming and decision-support tools that place evidence-based guidelines at a clinician’s fingertips, we are committed to ensuring the most appropriate, cost-effective care.

American College of Chest Physicians

As the global leader in clinical chest medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) represents more than 18,700 members who provide patient care in the areas of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine in the United States and more than 100 countries worldwide. From cutting-edge medical research in the journal CHEST; evidence-based guidelines in antithrombotic therapy, lung cancer, and chronic cough; to innovative clinical education delivered through the CHEST annual meeting, simulation education program, and Board Review courses, CHEST strives to fulfill its mission – to promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research.

American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is pleased to join the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Our board certified specialists include clinical geneticists as well as directors of clinical biochemical, cytogenetic, and molecular genetics laboratories. Tests performed by the laboratories are utilized by clinical geneticists as well as other medical specialists and primary care physicians. The number and complexity of genetic tests are increasing as genomic advances occur. Health care professionals in all disciplines with an admitted low level of comfort with their knowledge in this area, create the potential for misuse and incorrect or inappropriate ordering of genetic tests. Some large genetics laboratories have reported considerable incorrect ordering of tests or misuse that has a significant impact on quality of care, as well as health care costs. It also leads to unnecessary patient anxiety. In part, this has led to the establishment of alternative forms of oversight of genetic testing by payers and institutions. ACMG looks forward to working with the broader medical community to find ways to improve the use and ordering of genetic and genomic tests.

American College of Medical Toxicology

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is an association of physicians with recognized expertise in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of human poisoning and other adverse health effects due to medications, occupational and environmental toxins, and biological agents. ACMT is proud to join the Choosing Wisely® campaign, as it directly aligns with its mission of advancing quality care of poisoned patients and public health. Concern for adverse health effects resulting from exposure to environmental toxins and medications used to treat disease affects all members of the population, and information available to the public and physicians regarding the diagnosis and management of poisoning can be confusing and conflicted.  As the only organization representing Board Certified Medical Toxicologists, ACMT values the importance of research and evidence based practice in combating human poisoning. The Choosing Wisely campaign connects with these values and promotes awareness for patients and physicians of practices that are not cost-effective, necessary, or are potentially harmful. Joining this campaign supports ACMT’s goals of advancing the optimal care of poisoned patients and of being the pre-eminent education resource for all issues related to human poisoning.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), representing over 56,000 physicians and partners in women’s health, is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The College promotes quality, safety and efficiency in the delivery of women’s health care services. The College believes that the efforts of the Choosing Wisely campaign will directly contribute to these goals. Recommendations that are based on specific medical evidence should be discussed between physicians and their patients to help make wise decisions about appropriate care. These efforts are particularly important since women are the primary decision makers for themselves and their families with regard to health care.

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), representing nearly 4,500 physicians who specialize in occupational and environmental medicine, is proud to support the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the nation’s largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, disability management, research, and education. ACOEM members are leaders in treating job-related diseases, recognizing and resolving workplace hazards, instituting rehabilitation methods, and providing well-managed care. ACOEM sponsors the annual American Occupational Health Conference, the nation’s largest conference of its kind, and periodically issues position papers and reports that set practice guidelines for a variety of workplace/environmental settings. ACOEM publishes the monthly Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and sponsors the Corporate Health Achievement Award to recognize the finest health programs in North American companies. ACOEM has also established a Code of Ethical Conduct to guide occupational and environmental physicians. Through efforts such as our strategic partnership with the Choosing Wisely® campaign, ACOEM is pledged to advancing the principles of evidence-based care to deliver quality outcomes for patients.

American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians (ACP) supports the Choosing Wisely® campaign, which complements and builds upon ACP’s ongoing efforts in its High Value, Cost-Conscious Care initiative to help physicians provide the best possible care to their patients while simultaneously reducing unnecessary health care costs. Founded in 1915, ACP is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. Our 132,000 members include internal medicine physicians and related subspecialists. ACP is committed to producing evidence-based clinical recommendations; educating physicians and patients about the benefits, harms and costs of an intervention; and providing guidance about reducing the unsustainable costs of health care while preserving or increasing the delivery of high-value, high-quality care.

American College of Preventive Medicine

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) fully supports the mission and goals of the Choosing Wisely® campaign. As the professional medical society for the specialty of Preventive Medicine and physicians dedicated to prevention, ACPM supports evidence- and systems-based approaches to improving health and health care. By publicizing the overutilized or unnecessary tests, treatments and practices unique to each specialty, we believe that the Choosing Wisely campaign will go a long way towards supporting primary care quality improvement, improving patient care practices and outcomes, and maximizing use of limited health care resources.

American College of Radiology

The American College of Radiology (ACR) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. With 34,000 members, including radiologists, radiation oncologists and medical physicists, ACR has long initiated quality and safety efforts in medical imaging and radiation therapy. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® help doctors prescribe the best imaging exam for a patient’s condition and reduce unnecessary scans. ACR facility accreditation programs set stringent physician, equipment and personnel standards and are recognized as the Gold Standard in quality assurance. The College is a founding member of the Image Wisely and Image Gently initiatives to lower radiation dose received from medical imaging exams. ACR co-founded RadiologyInfo.org to equip patients with information on imaging scans and radiation therapy they may receive. The College’s participation in Choosing Wisely is an extension of ACR’s longstanding commitment to keep medical imaging and radiation oncology safe, effective and accessible to those who need it.

American College of Rheumatology

As the largest professional medical society devoted to the field of rheumatology, the American College of Rheumatology is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Over 50 million Americans — including nearly 300,000 children — suffer from the painful, disabling and sometimes fatal effects of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. As care leaders, rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals play a uniquely vital role in guiding patients toward the most effective care. The American College of Rheumatology helps ensure patient access to appropriate and timely care, participates in the formulation of public health policy, develops clinical practice guidelines that increase quality of care for patients with rheumatic disease, and provides premier educational and practice improvement opportunities to health care providers. Participating in the Choosing Wisely campaign is an important extension of these and other American College of Rheumatology efforts to ensure optimal care for patients with rheumatic disease.

American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 79,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

American Dental Association

The American Dental Association (ADA) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit dental association, representing 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA is proud and honored to participate as the only dental and one of the first nonmedical participants in the Choosing Wisely® campaign, as advancing the oral health of the public is part of the ADA’s mission. Oral health is an integral part of overall health. Evidence-Based Dentistry is an approach to oral health care that combines scientific evidence, the dentist’s clinical expertise and the patient’s treatment needs and preferences to make personalized health care decisions. The ADA’s Center for Evidence Based Dentistry (EBD) helps dentists identify the most current scientific evidence by providing clinical practice guidelines, critical appraisal of the evidence through our critical summaries and plain language summaries of scientific evidence for the general public. The Center also helps dentists learn about EBD and develop strategies and skills to identify clinically relevant scientific evidence. The Choosing Wisely campaign complements EBD and other ongoing ADA efforts to provide dentists and consumers with valuable oral health resources, including The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), the ADA’s monthly flagship publication and best-read scientific journal in dentistry; and the ADA’s Seal of Acceptance program, a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. Health professionals can visit the American Dental Association web site, ADA.org, for information about dental standards, ongoing dental research, evidence-based dentistry, advocacy programs and more. The ADA’s consumer web site, MouthHealthy.org features videos, quizzes and articles to help educate people about the basics of good oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease.

American Epilepsy Society

The American Epilepsy Society believes in the importance of engaging patients and providers in conversations that empower patients and lead to improved care. People living with epilepsy, a complex spectrum of disorders, connect with our health system in many different ways and across multiple areas. Assuring not only that appropriate tests, procedures and treatments are offered but also that unnecessary interventions are avoided is critical to those living with one of the most common neurological disorders.

American Gastroenterological Association

In support of our 16,000 members who are committed to high-quality patient care, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is pleased to join the ABIM Foundation and many other esteemed medical societies in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. By developing clinical guidelines and quality measures, the AGA ensures that the patient care decisions made by gastroenterologists are guided by scientific evidence. Through the Choosing Wisely campaign, we hope to further increase physician and patient understanding of which tests and procedures will benefit which patients, and in doing so minimize the misuse of costly screening and diagnostic tests.

American Geriatrics Society

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is pleased to be participating in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The campaign complements AGS efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care through initiatives focused on quality measures, clinician competency and guidance for clinicians in other specialties. Founded in 1945, AGS is the leading not-for-profit organization representing over 6,000 health professionals devoted to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The Society is committed to providing guidance that will help individual clinicians to provide the highest quality care to older adults. The Society pursues its mission through a variety of activities, including development of evidence-based guidelines, educating clinicians and the public, and advancing public policy that supports high-quality, patient-centered health care.

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine

AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. AMDA, the national professional association of medical directors, attending physicians, and other professionals practicing long term care medicine, is dedicated to excellence in patient care. AMDA provides education, advocacy, information, and professional development to enable its 5,000-plus members to deliver quality long term care.

AMDA and its members are committed to practicing quality person-centered care that considers individuals’ need, choices, preferences, financial resources, spiritual beliefs, and other issues in care. Such care involves physicians and patients (and their families) working together to make individualized, informed, and wise choices regarding diagnostic tests, treatments, and procedures. AMDA believes that the physicians and other interdisciplinary team leaders are important allies for patients and families, and the need is great for the providers, patients, and families to work as partners in decision-making regarding care planning and end-of-life decision making. AMDA understands that elders and their families need support, guidance, information, and compassion as they face frailty, illness, loss of independence, and even death. AMDA is committed to providing excellent, appropriate, and cost-effective care and to ensuring that patients have the best possible quality of life that includes dignity, respect, compassion, and choice.

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Founded in 1991, AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of 2,500 sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with the U.S. Olympic Team. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams, or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This partnership with the Choosing Wisely campaign aligns with AMSSM’s dedication to providing the highest standard of comprehensive care of the athlete, while reducing unnecessary use of health care resources.

American Occupational Therapy Association

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is pleased to have made a commitment to join the Choosing Wisely campaign. 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. AOTA’s participation is an important demonstration to health care decision makers that occupational therapy practitioners are committed to providing high-quality, efficient care.

AOTA is the national professional association representing the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students. AOTA educates the public and advances the profession by providing resources, setting standards, and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Occupational therapy practitioners help people of all ages and abilities take part in what they want to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (or “occupations”) ranging from playing on the playground and eating in the cafeteria, managing medications and dressing to driving and being successful at work. Using a client-centered approach, the practitioner considers each person’s physical and mental health and abilities, along with their environment, to create an individual treatment plan. Research supports occupational therapy’s effectiveness in helping clients meet their goals through personally meaningful activities.

American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) promotes quality, ethical and cost-effective patient care through education, research and training of orthopaedic surgeons and other health care providers. It creates public awareness for the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle disorders, provides leadership in the treatment and understanding of these conditions.  The AOFAS serves as a resource for government, industry and the national and international health care community. The  2,000+ AOFAS members are orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system of the foot and ankle.  AOFAS is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign, as it complements the AOFAS public education, evidence- based medicine and patient outcomes initiatives to improve the quality of patient care.

American Physical Therapy Association

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is pleased to be one of the first non-physician organizations to join the Choosing Wisely® campaign. APTA is undertaking the “Integrity in Practice” campaign, a new, multifaceted initiative to educate patients and health care professionals to streamline health care, eliminate waste and ensure people are receiving the highest quality care possible. Choosing Wisely is an outstanding effort, and its mission to foster better, more efficient care through informative dialogue between patient and health care providers dovetails perfectly with the goals of our campaign. APTA represents more than 88,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Physical therapists apply research and proven treatment to help people reduce pain and restore movement after injury, illness, or surgery; prevent injury; and achieve fitness, health, and wellness. No matter what area of the body, physical therapists have an established history of helping individuals improve their quality of life.

American Podiatric Medical Association

Founded in 1912, the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), headquartered in Bethesda, MD, is the largest and most influential organization supporting podiatrists. As a 501(c)6 organization, APMA represents its nearly 13,000 members as the voice to legislators, regulators and other decision makers. APMA provides foot and ankle health-care education to patients and the public, and is a primary source of education, leadership development, and collaboration for today’s podiatrist. Together with its 53 component organizations, APMA is leading the charge in advocating for the role of podiatrists and the health of their patients. APMA is proud to share our evidence-based recommendations that will encourage open communication between patients with foot and ankle conditions and their providers. The aim of the Choosing Wisely campaign aligns well with APMA’s goal to educate members, consumers and the health-care community and APMA is proud to be a partner.

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association (APA), founded in 1844, is the world’s largest psychiatric organization. It is a medical specialty society representing more than 33,000 psychiatric physicians from the United States and around the world. Its member physicians work together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for all persons with mental disorders, including intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders. APA is the voice and conscience of modern psychiatry. Participating in the Choosing Wisely® campaign furthers APA’s mission to promote the highest quality care for individuals with mental disorders (including intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders) and their families.

American Society of Anesthesiologists

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Founded in 1905, ASA is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 50,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves. For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit ASA’s website at www.asahq.org. For patient information, visit www.LifeLineToModernMedicine.com. Connect with ASA on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Through our strategic partnership with the Choosing Wisely campaign, ASA will encourage ongoing dialogue between patients and physician anesthesiologists to eliminate unnecessary tests and procedures, improve patient safety and deliver quality outcomes.

American Society for Apheresis

The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) is an organization of physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals whose mission is to advance apheresis medicine for patients, donors and practitioners through education, evidence-based practice, research and advocacy. ASFA represents a broad range of professionals involved in: donor apheresis, apheresis in transplantation, and therapeutic apheresis. ASFA is proud to join the Choosing Wisely campaign and advance efforts to reduce waste and overuse in health care.

American Society of Clinical Oncology

Fueled by the increasing cost of new technology and prescription drugs, health care costs are rising and oncology is no exception. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has identified rising health care costs as a critical barrier to high-quality care for many cancer patients. To address this issue, ASCO’s Cost of Care Task Force is defining the challenges related to the cost of cancer care and developing strategies to address these challenges. ASCO is committed to providing practical educational tools and resources to assist both oncologists and patients in addressing and discussing the cost of treatment as a component of high-quality care. Resources developed specifically for patients are available on ASCO’s consumer website, www.Cancer.Net. ASCO is further committed to addressing the fundamental policy issues related to the rising cost of cancer care at the national level.

American Society for Clinical Pathology

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) supports the Choosing Wisely® campaign, which complements and builds on ASCP’s efforts to raise awareness about reducing unnecessary or inappropriate use of laboratory testing practices. As health care reform evolves, ASCP is committed to ensuring evidence-based practices, underscored by the axiom, “right test, right patient, right time, at the right cost.” Founded in 1922, ASCP is the world’s largest society representing the entire laboratory team. ASCP’s more than 100,000 members include pathologists, pathologists’ assistants, clinical laboratory scientists and certified laboratory professionals. ASCP is working strategically on collaborative projects, including Choosing Wisely, with like-minded medical association partners to heighten the awareness of cost-prohibitive poor practices and eventually garner the attention of government and third-party payers. The Society is dedicated to developing sustainable solutions to stop the overuse or misuse of medical tests and procedures that provide little or no benefit to patients.

American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology

The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), representing a multi-disciplinary network of over 2500 health professionals, is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign. ASCCP is committed to improving health through the study, prevention, diagnosis, and management of lower genital tract disorders. ASCCP’s goals include improving clinician competence, performance and patient outcomes through educational activities focused around the study, prevention, diagnosis, and management of lower genital tract disorders. ASCCP believes that the efforts of the Choosing Wisely campaign will directly contribute to these goals by promoting adherence to evidence-based guidelines to ensure that women receive appropriate screening and treatment for the prevention of cervical cancer.

American Society of Echocardiography

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is looking forward to being actively engaged as a member of the Choosing Wisely® campaign and is dedicated to working with our campaign partners to foster the safe, effective and appropriate use of ultrasound. ASE believes that highlighting the proper application of appropriate use (AUC) guidelines will enable referring physicians and their patients to make more informed decisions, and enable a more cost-effective use of health care resources. Since 1976, ASE has been leading the field in urging quality in cardiovascular imaging through the development of clinical guidelines, professional education and patient outreach. As the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging, ASE is comprised of over 17,000 physicians, sonographers, nurses and scientists. ASE provides guidance, expertise and education to its members to improve the practice of ultrasound of the heart and cardiovascular system for better patient outcomes. Publishing over 80 guidelines on best practices and standards for clinical decision-making, ASE is committed to providing resources to health practitioners to facilitate the incorporation of quality and appropriateness into the practice of cardiovascular medicine.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) strongly supports the Choosing Wisely campaign and its efforts to advance a national dialogue on avoiding wasteful or unnecessary medical tests, treatments, and procedures. For nearly 75 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety, and participating in the Choosing Wisely campaign furthers ASHP’s vision of ensuring that medication use is optimal, safe, and effective for all people all of the time. ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings. The organization’s more than 43,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists advance healthcare, visit ASHP’s website, www.ashp.org, or its consumer website, www.SafeMedication.com

American Society of Hematology

Representing approximately 14,000 members from nearly 100 countries, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) is the world’s largest professional society of clinicians and scientists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training and advocacy in hematology. One of ASH’s core values is to promote the highest quality care of patients with hematologic diseases. Accordingly, ASH ensures that the practice of hematology is characterized by high professional standards, reliance on evidence and promotion of awareness and appreciation of the contribution of hematologists to the health care system. As part of this effort, ASH supports the Choosing Wisely® campaign and applauds its evidence-based approach to creating a dialogue about the use of health care resources in the United States.

American Society of Microbiology

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of 30,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM’s mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.

American Society of Nephrology

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is pleased to join other leading societies in participating in the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® campaign. ASN is a not-for-profit organization of nearly 14,000 physicians, scientists and other health professionals dedicated to leading the fight against kidney disease. Foremost among ASN’s goals is ensuring the highest quality of care for the nearly 30 million Americans with kidney disease. Achieving this goal requires that clinicians, scientists and patients work together to determine appropriate, patient-centered treatments. ASN believes that highlighting tests and procedures that are seldom useful — or even potentially harmful — will enable nephrologists and their patients to make more informed decisions, and promote the most cost-effective use of health care resources. ASN is proud to partner with the ABIM Foundation to reduce unnecessary tests and procedures, improve the quality of care for all patients and lower health care costs nationwide.

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) is pleased to announce its support of the Choosing Wisely® campaign. Representing more than 4,500 nuclear cardiology professionals from around the world, ASNC is committed to ensuring patients receive the right test at the right time in the right place. Since 1993, ASNC has been establishing the standard for excellence in cardiovascular imaging through the development of clinical guidelines, professional education and research development. As the first cardiovascular subspecialty organization to develop and promote appropriate use criteria for cardiac imaging, ASNC understands the imperative of providing a patient-centered approach to imaging. The Choosing Wisely campaign aligns with ASNC’s initiatives to promote optimal use of nuclear cardiology testing. ASNC looks forward to working with our campaign partners to continue this critical dialogue about high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered care.

American Society for Radiation Oncology

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. As the leading organization in radiation oncology with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies, our highest priority continues to be to provide our members with tools and professional guidance to ensure patients receive the safest, most effective treatments. ASTRO has been developing and refining our quality improvement and safety programs for a number of years, and they have had a significant and positive impact on the value of cancer patient care. One of the five goals in our strategic plan is to shape the framework for the delivery of safe, high-quality, high-value health care to all patients by the radiation oncology team. In 2010, ASTRO launched Target Safely, a six-point patient protection plan to improve safety and quality and to reduce the chances of medical errors during radiation treatments. By committing to Choosing Wisely, ASTRO reinforces our dedication to improving patient care through education, clinical practice and the advancement of science and advocacy.

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), founded in 1944, is the oldest and largest society devoted to reproductive medicine in the world with approximately 8000 members. ASRM is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign and its focus on encouraging a dialog between health care providers and patients. As the leading multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the advancement of the art, science, and practice of reproductive medicine worldwide, ASRM attempts to educate both the public and its members about the best practices in the field and views this campaign as consistent with its goals. The Society views this campaign as complementary to its development of evidence-based practice guidelines for its members and the translation of these guidelines into patient information materials for the public.

American Thoracic Society

The American Thoracic Society’s mission is to improve health worldwide by advancing research, clinical care, and public health in respiratory disease, critical illness, and sleep disorders. Founded in 1905 to combat tuberculosis, the ATS is the world’s oldest respiratory society. While the scope of the Society’s activities have expanded greatly, its founding philosophy–that disease is vanquished faster when knowledge is shared–remains a touchstone for its programs and people, including 15,000 members. For more information, please visit www.thoracic.org.

American Urogynecologic Society

The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) is proud to partner with the Choosing Wiselycampaign. Founded in 1979, AUGS is the premier non-profit organization representing more than 1,800 members including practicing physicians, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, nurses and health care professionals, as well as researchers from many disciplines, all dedicated to treating female pelvic floor disorders.

As the leader in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, AUGS promotes the highest quality patient care through excellence in education, research and advocacy. Participation in Choosing Wisely® complements AUGS’ commitment to quality improvement, and improving patient care practices and outcomes.

American Urological Association

Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association (AUA) is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has more than 18,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it fosters the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and formulation of health policy. Participating in Choosing Wisely® affirms the AUA’s belief of providing the finest care possible while adhering to the highest standards of medicine. Through our well-regarded guidelines process and burgeoning measure development, the AUA strives to instruct urologists and other health care providers on the proper way to provide urologic care. Choosing Wisely is another venue to share this philosophy with both health care professionals and patients.

Commission on Cancer

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a consortium of 50 professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922, the multidisciplinary CoC establishes standards to ensure quality, multidisciplinary and comprehensive cancer care delivery in health care settings; conducts surveys in health care settings to assess compliance with those standards; collects standardized data from CoC-accredited health care settings to measure cancer care quality; uses data to monitor treatment patterns and outcomes and enhance cancer control and clinical surveillance activities, and develops effective educational interventions to improve cancer prevention, early detection, cancer care delivery and outcomes in health care settings.

Congress of Neurological Surgeons

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), with 8,700 members worldwide, is a leader in education and innovation, and is dedicated to advancing neurosurgery by providing members with the educational and career development opportunities they need to become leaders and innovators in the field.  The CNS exists to enhance health and improve lives worldwide through the advancement of neurosurgical education and scientific exchange. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves. Participating in the Choosing Wisely® campaign aligns with AANS’ commitment to evidence-based medicine, informed decision-making and quality improvement initiatives focusing on patient-centered care. For more information, find the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) on Facebook, Twitter and Neurosurgery Blog.

Endocrine Society

The Endocrine Society is a proud partner of the Choosing Wisely® campaign.Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. The Society is an international body with more than 16,000 members from over 100 countries, and represents the full range of disciplines associated with endocrinologists: clinicians, researchers, educators, fellows and students, industry professionals and health professionals who are involved in the field of endocrinology. Our members are dedicated to the research and treatment of the full range of endocrine disorders: diabetes, reproduction, infertility, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, obesity/lipids, growth hormone, pituitary tumors, and adrenal insufficiency. The goals of the Choosing Wisely campaign match closely with the Society’s efforts to educate physicians and patients about appropriate tests and treatments for various endocrine disorders. The Society supports patient-centered approaches to the treatment of and care for patients with endocrine conditions and has been working to help develop programs for the Patient-Centered Medical Home and PCMH-Neighbor care models. The Society believes that patient-centeredness can help eliminate unnecessary or redundant testing through individualized treatment approaches and supports the aims of Choosing Wisely.

Heart Rhythm Society

The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) is the international leader in science, education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and patients, and the primary information resource on heart rhythm disorders. Its mission is to improve the care of patients by promoting research, education and optimal health care policies and standards. Representing more than 5,800 heart rhythm professionals in more than 70 countries around the world, HRS is pleased to partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign to help ensure that people living with heart rhythm disorders receive optimal care and improved quality of life. The Society also is a leader of the “Apples and Oranges” Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Campaign aimed at sharing the differences between SCA and heart attack and the “AFib Feels Like” Awareness Campaign aimed at helping people understand the symptoms, risks, and treatment options for Atrial Fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder. For more information, follow HRS on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or the society’s blog, EP Insights.

HIV Medicine Association

HIVMA is pleased to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign to raise awareness of inappropriate, wasteful clinical actions that harm patients and lead to wasteful health costs. Consistent with the mission of Choosing Wisely®, HIVMA is committed to evidence-based medicine and continually develops and updates clinical practice guidelines that inform the use of high-quality, truly necessary medicine.

Infectious Diseases Society of America

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign to raise awareness of inappropriate, wasteful clinical actions that harm patients and lead to costly healthcare. Supporting the aims of Choosing Wisely®, IDSA is committed to evidenced-based medicine and develops clinical practice guidelines that inform the use of high-quality, truly necessary medicine. Founded in 1963, IDSA represents more than 10,000 infectious diseases physicians and scientists devoted to patient care, prevention, population health, education and research in the area of infectious disease (ID). Our members care for patients of all ages with serious infections, including meningitis, pandemic influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, surgical infections, immunocompromised cancer or transplant patients who have life threatening infections caused by uncommon or drug-resistant microorganisms, HIV and AIDS patients, and new and emerging infections, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Ebola. For more information on infectious diseases specialists and IDSA, please visit the IDSA website.

National Physicians Alliance

The National Physicians Alliance (NPA) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign, because the best way to solve the problem of high-cost medical care is first to ensure high-quality care, emphasizing value over volume. The Choosing Wisely campaign, an expansion of the NPA’s Good Stewardship Project funded by the ABIM Foundation, is building momentum across medical specialties for evidence-based treatment decisions. Founded in 2005, the NPA represents physicians across medical specialties who share a commitment to professional integrity and high-quality, affordable health care for all. The NPA creates research and education programs that promote health and foster active engagement of physicians with their communities. Through evidence-based practice, responsible stewardship of resources, cross-specialty collaboration and coalition work with consumers, we seek to make our health care system as safe, responsive and effective as possible. Believing that the best way to win public trust is to earn it, the organization accepts no funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies.

North American Spine Society

The North American Spine Society (NASS) is pleased to join the Choosing Wisely® campaign effort to bring quality, cost-effective care to all patients. NASS is comprised of more than 7,500 members from several disciplines, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, pain management, neurology, radiology, anesthesiology, research, physical therapy and other spine care professions. The Choosing Wisely campaign supports NASS’ mission to foster the highest-quality, evidence-based and ethical spine care by promoting education, research and advocacy.  This campaign will encourage active discussion between physicians and patients about the most appropriate care, based on the patient’s situation and the very latest in research and treatment. NASS’ commitment to high quality, safe spine care is conveyed through the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and appropriateness use criteria, supporting multidisciplinary spine care research, advocating on behalf of members and patients on issues affecting spine care, and providing a venue for the presentation of research, techniques, current concepts and new technologies related to spine care.

Society for the Advancement of Blood Management

Founded in 2001, the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SABM) was started by a group of dedicated volunteers who saw a need for a new way of thinking. The SABM founders realized that blood management ought to be the standard of care, and that blood transfusion should be viewed as the alternative. Today, SABM is recognized as a key educational resource for patient blood management. SABM is grounded in scientific validation, evidence-based practices and focused on promoting the patients’ best interest through effective and optimal blood management.

SABM defines its mission as the improvement of health outcomes by advancing comprehensive patient blood management practices, promoting innovative research, and providing quality professional and public education.

Given our mission and message, SABM is truly honored and proud to partner with the Choosing Wisely® campaign.

Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) is the only U.S.-based professional medical society focused exclusively on adult and pediatric invasive/interventional cardiovascular care. For more than 35 years, SCAI has supported optimal patient care through education, advocacy and the advancement of quality standards. SCAI is a recognized leader in quality improvement and a proponent of efforts that help patients and their families make informed decisions about prevention, symptom recognition, testing and treatment. This is the primary goal of www.SecondsCount.org, SCAI’s comprehensive website that encourages collaborative decision-making between patients and their health care providers. SCAI is pleased to join the Choosing Wisely® campaign and looks forward to furthering its goal of promoting conversations among patients and physicians.

Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) is the professional society devoted exclusively to cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT). SCCT is acknowledged and recognized as the representative and advocate for research, education, and clinical excellence in the use of cardiovascular CT. SCCT is proud to support the Choosing Wisely® campaign. This campaign echoes SCCT’s commitment of providing optimal clinical effectiveness of CCT through professional and patient education, establishment of standards for quality assurance and professional training, and development of evidence-based guidelines to enhance patient care and improve the quality of cardiovascular medical practice. SCCT looks forward to collaborating with the Choosing Wisely campaign and the other campaign partners to provide the best care and education to patients.

Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is proud to announce that it has joined other prominent medical societies in the Choosing Wisely® campaign which was developed to provide the tools to enable patients and physicians to engage in conversations so they can choose the right test at the right time. Founded in 1994, SCMR is an international professional association of physicians, scientists and technologists working in the field of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging to improve patient outcomes through excellence in education, training, standards, research and development. SCMR has been an active participant in the development of appropriate use criteria and clinical guidelines whose purpose closely parallels the objectives of the Choosing Wisely campaign. Through the shared experience of its members, SCMR contributes to improving the knowledge of health care providers and the health awareness of patients around the world, leading to more effective health services delivery.

Society of Critical Care Medicine

As the world’s largest multi-professional organization dedicated to ensuring excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) enthusiastically supports the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The campaign integrates with the efforts of 16,000 members in more than 100 countries who are devoted to patient care, education and research. From heart attack and stroke, to severe respiratory insufficiency, overwhelming infection, burns and gunshot wounds, the SCCM recognizes the unique needs of the critically ill patient of any age—infant to adult—and strives to secure the highest quality care for all patients facing life-threatening conditions.

Society of General Internal Medicine

The Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) is pleased to support the goals of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® campaign. The membership of SGIM consists of academic general internal medicine faculty practicing, teaching and conducting research in outpatient settings as well as in our nation’s teaching hospitals. As leading teachers of the next generation of physicians, we are committed to moving the practice of medicine to a more evidence-based approach. We are deeply committed to using science to improve our knowledge base so that our patients can receive the best treatments, the optimal prevention care and the highest quality of life. We believe that the Choosing Wisely campaign mirrors these same commitments to the evidence-based practice of medicine for the benefit of our patients.

Society of Gynecologic Oncology

A proud member of the Choosing Wisely® campaign, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) is the premier medical specialty society for health care professionals trained in the comprehensive management of gynecologic cancers. SGO contributes to the advancement of women’s cancer care by encouraging research, providing education, raising standards of practice, advocating for patients and members and collaborating with other domestic and international organizations. SGO has more than 1,700 members representing the entire gynecologic oncology team in the United States and abroad. Members include primarily gynecologic oncologists, as well as medical oncologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists, surgical oncologists, obstetrician/gynecologists, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, fellows-in-training, residents and other allied health care professionals interested in the treatment and care of women’s cancer.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

As a leading voice in infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) strongly supports the goals of the Choosing Wisely® campaign and is a proud to partner in helping raise awareness of inappropriate clinical actions that can harm patients and increase the cost of care. SHEA is a professional society representing physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world with expertise in healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antibiotic stewardship. The society is on the forefront of the education, research, and guideline development for the appropriate and safe use of antibiotics, as well as clinical practices that reduce healthcare-associated infections, optimize patient safety, control costs, and reduce resistance to antimicrobials.

Society of Hospital Medicine

On behalf of more than 34,000 hospitalists across the country, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is proud to support the goals of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® campaign. Hospitalists are at the forefront of making decisions that promote high-quality and high-value care for hospitalized patients. Together, in thousands of hospitals, hospitalists and patients are already making better informed choices about diagnostics and treatments that lead to the best possible care for the patient and limit unnecessary procedures. SHM’s Center for Hospital Center for Hospital Innovation and Improvement has already delivered real measureable performance improvement at more than 300 hospitals nationwide. As the National Quality Forum and Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award winner for national innovation in patient safety and quality, being a part of the Choosing Wisely campaign is a key component of SHM’s goals to transform health care and revolutionize patient care.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) is a society of physicians and scientists who are dedicated to the optimization of pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. SMFM was established in 1977 and is the membership organization for obstetricians/gynecologists who have additional formal education and training in maternal-fetal medicine. There are currently about 2,000 active members of SMFM. The Society hosts an annual scientific meeting in which new ideas and research in the area of maternal-fetal medicine are presented. The Society is also an advocate for improving public policy and expanding research funding and opportunities in the area of maternal-fetal medicine.

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) strongly supports the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The SNMMI is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging and how they can help provide patients with the best health care possible. Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging can eliminate the need for exploratory surgery, providing a painless and safe alternative for diagnosing and treating patients. They can help physicians to diagnose, stage and assess the effectiveness of a treatment, allowing highly targeted, personalized treatments to be directed precisely at problem areas and helping patients receive the most effective and most cost-effective treatment sooner. The SNMMI believes that the right test should be performed and interpreted for the right patients by appropriately trained personnel on equipment that is operating safely. Thus, the guiding principles of the SNMMI are in close agreement with those of the Choosing Wisely campaign.

Society of Thoracic Surgeons

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), founded in 1964, is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 6,500 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers and other health care professionals in 85 countries who are part of the cardiothoracic surgery team. STS members are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. STS is honored to be among the first surgical groups to partner with the ABIM Foundation in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. This campaign extends the Society’s strong commitment to quality improvement and patient safety. As a nationally recognized leader in outcomes-based research, STS is dedicated to providing scientific evidence and support for discoveries that will ultimately help cardiothoracic surgeons, government, industry and others improve surgical outcomes and the quality of patient care.

Society for Vascular Medicine

The Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) is proud to be a partner in the Choosing Wisely® campaign. The SVM is a nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and vascular interventionists. For nearly 25 years, one of the goals of the Society has been to maintain high standards of clinical vascular medicine. The Society believes that optimal vascular care is best accomplished by the collegial interaction of a community of vascular professionals working with the patient. The Society recognizes the importance of individuals with diverse backgrounds in achieving ideal standards of research and clinical practice. The SVM believes that partnerships between patients and health care providers are crucial to improving vascular health, achieving better outcomes and lowering health care costs. We are excited to participate in the Choosing Wisely campaign to encourage open communication about the costs and benefits of tests and treatments. We are committed to ensuring the most appropriate, cost-effective care.