Older and sicker patients are at increased risk of poor surgical outcomes, with more complications, longer lengths of stay, more utilization of skilled nursing facilities, increased mortality, and high costs when compared with younger and healthier patients undergoing similar procedures. In addition, more high-risk patients are having surgery, as overall surgical volumes are predicted to increase up to 47% (from 2000 to 2020). Within this context, efforts to improve surgical quality among high-risk patients have become of paramount importance and new proven strategies to improve surgical outcomes are needed.