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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Fire destroys two RVs, leaves man homeless ... Heavy snow in Siskiyous and Cascades puts travelers on alert ... Mt. Ashland closed by power problems, blizzard conditions ... Fire destroys two RVs, leaves man homeless ... Heavy snow in Siskiyous and Cascades puts travelers on alert ... Mt. Ashland closed by power problems, blizzard conditions ... Dr. Murray Feingold: Is pre-op testing for cataract surgery necessary? Comment By Dr. Murray Feingold Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Dr. Murray Feingold Wicked Local Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 8:39 AM By Dr. Murray Feingold Wicked Local Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 8:39 AM » Social News It wasn’t that long ago that cataract surgery meant two or three days in the hospital. Not so today. Cataract surgery is the most common type of elective surgical procedure done on Medicare patients. And, it is a safe procedure. Less than 1 percent of the patients who undergo cataract surgery experience severe heart problems or death. The surgery is done on an outpatient basis under local or topical anesthesia. What is really remarkable is that the procedure usually takes less than 20 minutes. Improvement in vision is almost immediate. However, a recent article raised some questions, not about the surgery itself, but the tests ordered by the ophthalmologist prior to surgery. The majority of patients who undergo such surgery are older individuals, therefore, they may have more health problems. But, does this mean that certain tests should be done prior to surgery such as an electrocardiogram or chest X-ray examination? Many studies have been done to determine if routine preoperative testing decreases the number of adverse events or improves the outcome of the surgery. The studies showed that such testing did not have any effect on decreasing adverse events or the outcome of surgery. As a result of these findings, since 2002, guidelines have been promulgated stating that routine preoperative testing is unnecessary. Of course, there are exceptions. A recent study was done to determine if these 13-year-old guidelines are being followed. Over 440,000 Medicare patients who had cataract surgery were studied. Results showed that 53 percent of these patients had at least one preoperative test. The percentage of tests ordered depended mainly on the ophthalmologist’s view concerning his or her clinical management of these patients. For example, 36 percent of ophthalmologists ordered tests on 75 percent of their patients. Since it is considered that ordering these tests is unnecessary, a great deal of patient and laboratory staff time is wasted, along with a tremendous amount of health care dollars. It is estimated that millions of dollars are spent on these tests. Such unnecessary testing is a microcosm of what takes place in other medical specialties. Ordering tests because of fear of a malpractice suit is a good example. Let’s appreciate the great advances that have been made in cataract surgery, but we can’t overlook the negative fallout — unnecessary testing — that is associated with this procedure. Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of The Feingold Center for Children and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases. By Dr. Murray Feingold Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Dr. Murray Feingold Wicked Local Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 8:39 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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