The role of testing in the preoperative evaluation.

Preoperative laboratory and electrocardiographic testing should be driven by the patient's history and physical examination and the risk of the surgical procedure. A test is likely to be indicated only if it can correctly identify abnormalities and will change the diagnosis, the management plan, or the patient's outcome. Needless testing is expensive, may unnecessarily delay the operation, and puts the patient at risk for unnecessary interventions. Preoperative evaluation centers can help hospitals standardize and optimize preoperative testing while fostering more consistent regulatory documentation and appropriate coding for reimbursement.