The present invention involves approaches for selecting one or more electrode combinations. Various method embodiments can include implanting a plurality of cardiac electrodes supported by one or more leads in a patient, attaching the one or more leads to a patient external analyzer circuit, delivering electrical stimulation to the patient's heart using the plurality of cardiac electrodes and the analyzer circuit, evaluating, for each electrode combination of a plurality of electrode combinations of the plurality of cardiac electrodes, one or more first parameters and one or more second parameters produced by the electrical stimulation delivered using the electrode combination, selecting one or more electrode combinations of the plurality of cardiac electrodes based on the evaluation, and programming an implantable pacing circuit to deliver a cardiac pacing therapy that preferentially uses the selected one or more electrode combinations relative to other electrode combinations of the plurality of cardiac electrodes.
