A study in the New England Journal of Medicine, titled "Preoperative Medical Testing in Medicare Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery," found pre-cataract testing was more "strongly associated with provider practice patterns than with patient characteristics."
Here are three key points on the study:
1. Routine testing before cataract surgery is not recommended for patients and does not improve outcomes or prevent adverse effects, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology
2. The study analyzed Medicare beneficiaries undergoing cataract in 2011.
3. Of 4440,857, a little over half the subjects had at least one preoperative test the month before surgery and "expenditures on testing during that month were $4.8 million higher and expenditures on office visits $12.4 million higher."