Table 2

Total cost of low-value services in Alberta between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2015

Low-value service	Total number performed	Cost per test ($)	Total cost ($)
1. PSA testing for men 75 or older with no history of prostate cancer	128 818	43	5 539 174
2. Routine cancer screening (breast, cervical, colon, prostate) in dialysis patients 75 years or older	479	284	136 036
3. Cervical cancer screening for women over 65 with no history of cervical dysplasia or genital cancer	56 512	320	18 083 840
4. Bone mineral density testing within 2 years of prior scan	32 242	75	2 418 150
5. Hypercoagulability testing in patients with first DVT/PE	887	41	36 367
6. Preoperative coronary CT scan or cardiac stress tests before non-cardiac surgery	8849	586	5 185 514
7. Colorectal cancer screening in people 75 years or older	4035	669	269 415
7a. Colorectal cancer screening for people 85 years or older	147	669	98 343
8. Homocysteine testing without B₁₂ or folate testing or history of B₁₂/folate deficiency	13 546	31	419 926
9. Carotid artery imaging but without history of stroke or TIA	2946	345	1 016 370
10. Carotid artery imaging for patients with syncope but no history of stroke or TIA	361	345	124 545