By Kelly A. Briganti, Editorial Director, G2 Intelligence
In the effort to reduce unnecessary utilization and health care costs and focus on quality and value, pre-operative testing has been receiving significant attention. In last week’s Insider, we highlighted a study indicating that guidance addressing overutilization of preoperative testing had not led to a significant decrease in pre-op testing.
A new app, PreOpGuide, aims to reduce unnecessary pre-operative testing. The app is designed by a team of anesthesiologists at TeamHealth, which offers staffing solutions for hospitals. The app asks ordering health care professionals questions about the patient’s procedure and medical condition. Based on those answers an algorithm identifies recommended preoperative tests. The identified preoperative tests are “based on current recommendations for preoperative testing and is designed to be updated as necessary.”
“Delays and unnecessary testing can result in preventable expenses for both the patient and hospital. PreOpGuide creates greater efficiency for hospitals and patients by offering a more consistent pre-operative testing process, keeping surgeries on schedule and saving hospitals and patients the time and expense of unnecessary tests,” said the app’s co-creators Johan Santa-Eulalia, MD, Jonathan Slonin, MD, and Roy S. Winston, MD in a press release. The app is available for Apple devices now and Android devices in the near future.