Don’t perform serological, imaging, or genetic tests without checking for and considering past available results.

In addition to increasing healthcare costs and blood draws from patients, redundant diagnostic testing for rheumatic disease adds carbon emissions through sample procurement, equipment, and processing. Beyond the tests themselves, patient transport to/from facilities and sample transport (including, for some tests, across institutions, provinces, or countries) adds to the carbon footprint. Ordering providers need to consider the reliability and validity of prior results, as well as the patients’ clinical evolution, when deciding whether repeat testing could be justified.

Because repeat testing may occur if test results performed elsewhere are not readily available, integrating electronic medical records across systems to facilitate rapid retrieval of external test results may curb redundant testing without contributing to providers’ administrative burden. Within a single health system, testing algorithms could prevent inadvertent repeat testing.