Preoperative Medical Testing and Falls in Medicare Beneficiaries Awaiting Cataract Surgery.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Delaying cataract surgery is associated with an increased risk of falls, but whether routine preoperative testing delays cataract surgery long enough to cause clinical harm is unknown. We sought to determine whether the use of routine preoperative testing leads to harm in the form of delayed surgery and falls in Medicare beneficiaries awaiting cataract surgery.

Design

Retrospective, observational cohort study using 2006-2014 Medicare claims.

Participants

Medicare beneficiaries 66+ years of age with a Current Procedural Terminology claim for ocular biometry.

Methods

We measured the mean and median number of days between biometry and cataract surgery, calculated the proportion of patients waiting ≥ 30 days or ≥ 90 days for surgery, and determined the odds

SUBMITTER: Chen CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8443237 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature