Hospitals see Significant Drop in unnecessary Pre-Surgery Tests with New Collaborative Program
ANN ARBOR, MI – A new program focused on streamlining pre-operative testing is yielding significant results, reducing wasteful healthcare spending and possibly improving patient experience, according to research published today in JAMA Network Open. The initiative,dubbed Right-Sizing Testing Before Elective Surgery (RITE-Size),demonstrated a significant decrease in unnecessary tests for patients undergoing common,low-risk procedures.
The study, led by researchers at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, piloted the RITE-Size program at three hospitals, targeting testing practices for patients scheduled for gallbladder removal, hernia repair, and breast lump removal. These procedures are generally considered safe for healthy individuals, prompting a closer look at routine pre-operative assessments.
Before implementation, a concerning 68% of healthy patients were receiving at least one test deemed unnecessary – examples include electrocardiograms and basic metabolic panels. However, after just six months of utilizing the RITE-Size approach, that figure dropped to 40%. Remarkably, one participating hospital achieved near-total elimination of these low-value tests.
The program’s success hinges on a collaborative approach, bringing together pre-operative nurses and surgical team leaders to critically evaluate the necessity of 11 commonly ordered routine tests. RITE-Size provided tailored support to each hospital, including educational resources, coaching, and regular data reports to inform decision-making.
“Our results show the importance of understanding what factors influence testing decisions at each hospital, and tailoring a multidimensional intervention to that environment,” explained Lesly Dossett, MD, a surgeon and healthcare researcher at U-M Health, and senior author of the study.
Driven by these positive outcomes, the RITE-Size program is now being expanded to an additional 16 hospitals across the state, signaling a broader effort to optimize pre-operative care and reduce healthcare costs. This initiative represents a growing trend towards value-based care, prioritizing efficient and evidence-based practices to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.
