Pre-Admission Testing (PAT)
Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) is the set of evaluations completed before a scheduled surgery — labs, EKG, imaging, history, medication review, and any required clearances — to confirm the patient is fit for the procedure and anesthesia and to surface risks early.
What is Pre-Admission Testing (PAT)?
Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) is the assessment a patient completes before a planned surgery to make sure they can safely undergo the procedure and anesthesia. It pulls together the patient's history and the diagnostics a surgeon or anesthesiologist needs to review, such as blood work, an EKG, imaging, and a medication and allergy review.
PAT also confirms that any required clearances — for example a cardiac or primary-care sign-off for higher-risk patients — are in hand. The goal is to identify problems while there is still time to address them, well before the day of surgery.
Why does Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) matter for surgery centers?
Incomplete or last-minute PAT is a leading cause of same-day delays and cancellations, which waste expensive operating-room time and disrupt the surgical schedule. Catching an abnormal lab or a missing clearance days ahead keeps the case on track.
For an ambulatory surgery center, an efficient PAT process protects both throughput and patient safety. Reviewing each chart early and reaching out to patients about labs, medications, and instructions keeps cases ready and the schedule predictable.
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