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Phone: 301-631-3881
Fax: 301-631-3883

Pre-Op Screening

Prior to your surgery:

  • Your surgeon will discuss your surgery with you and schedule it at the surgery center. Please complete your online registration as soon as possible after scheduling your surgery. Once this is completed, our nursing staff will review the information and contact you if we are in need of any additional information. Your surgeon’s office will give you the date and your time of arrival for your surgery. If they do not, the surgery center will notify you two days prior to your procedure.
  • Please let your surgeon’s office know the best way to reach you by phone. If you have any questions, please call 301-631-3881.
  • Make sure you gather the following items to bring with you:
    • For your comfort, please bring a sweater or a light jacket as the waiting room will be chilly.
    • Health insurance information and prescription cards.
    • Identification.
    • Form of payment: cash, check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, CareCredit (www.carecredit.com)
    • Advance Directives, Living Will
    • Post-operative accessories provided by your surgeons office at pre-op visit (if applicable)
    • Though we offer crayons, coloring books, stickers and FREE Wi-Fi, please be sure to bring your child’s favorite quiet toy.
  • If you are receiving anesthesia, make sure that you arrange to have a family member or an adult wait for you during your surgical stay. You will not be able to drive yourself home from the surgery center and will require someone to transport you.
  • Please contact us if you develop an illness prior to surgery, such as a cold, fever, persistent cough, or rash.

Night Before Surgery:

  • If you are receiving anesthesia, please do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
  • This includes water, gum, vitamins or mints.
  • This is for your own safety during anesthesia and surgery.
  • Please confirm with your surgeon any medications that will need to be stopped prior to surgery and which medications, if any, can be taken day of surgery.
  • If you do not follow this guideline, your procedure may be cancelled and rescheduled for another day.

Day Of Surgery:

  • Remember not to eat or drink anything in the morning unless you have special instructions from the pre-operative nurse.
  • Wear comfortable clothing that you can change in and out of easily and that will not bind the site of your surgery.
  • Do not wear contact lenses and please leave your jewelry and other valuables at home.
  • Please arrive at the surgery center one (1) hour and 15 minutes prior to your scheduled surgery time to begin your surgical experience.
  • Upon arrival, please approach the receptionist. She will get you started on reviewing all of our surgical forms.
  • Persons under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian with them to sign the forms.
  • The surgery center staff will ask you for your companions name and contact information. If your companion is NOT present or able to be contacted, your procedure may be delayed or cancelled.
  • Anesthesia personnel will meet with you to discuss your anesthesia. They will explain exactly what will happen before, during, and after your surgery. They will answer any questions you have prior to proceeding to the operating suite.

After Surgery

You can expect to rest in our recovery room for approximately 40 minutes, under the care of specially trained nurses. Your anesthesiologist will monitor and be apprised of your condition while in the recovery room until you are discharged.

Our staff will answer your questions and give you post-operative instructions as ordered by your physician. You will receive a written copy of these instructions prior to discharge.

You may be dizzy, sleepy, and nauseated after your surgery, even after spending time in the recovery room. You must have a responsible adult with you to drive you home. You will not be discharged from the recovery room until you have a responsible person over the age of 18 to drive you home.

We are interested in your complete and uncomplicated recovery. The following guidelines, used in conjunction with your doctor’s specific postoperative instructions, will help you achieve that goal.

Medications

  • Some of the medications you received during your procedure can stay in your body for up to 24 hours. Because these drugs can affect your reflexes and sense of balance, you should go straight home and rest for the remainder of the day. We strongly suggest that you have a responsible adult with you for the first 24 hours.
  • Resume taking any medications prescribed for you prior to surgery as instructed by your surgeon or primary physician. If you did not receive instructions or are unsure about what to do, please call your doctor.
  • Take prescribed pain medications as needed, but do not take pain pills if you are not experiencing pain. Always take pain medication with food, as directed.
  • Start taking prescribed antibiotics soon after your procedure, as directed. Remember to take all pills in your antibiotic prescription, as directed. Be sure to follow specific instructions about taking antibiotics with certain foods and/or milk.
  • A rash, itching, swelling or difficulty with breathing, are some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction to medications. If you develop any of these symptoms, stop taking the medication immediately and notify your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room.

Diet

  • Fluid intake is especially important after surgery. Try to drink at least one glass of water or juice every hour.
  • If you become nauseated or vomit, reduce your intake to ice chips. As the nausea subsides, gradually increase your fluid intake again.
  • Your first meal after surgery should be on the light side, such as crackers, toast or clear soups. Return to your regular diet as tolerated.
  • If you have consumed adequate fluid after surgery, you should be able to urinate within 6 to 8 hours.

Activity

  • Most people feel tired or sleepy after surgery. You should take frequent rest periods and gradually increase your physical activity until you can maintain your normal activity level.

I.V. Site

  • It is normal for the I.V. site to be bruised, slightly reddened and a little sore. Warm packs applied to the site will help relieve some of the discomfort.
  • If the area becomes hard and swollen, or if a reddened line appears along the vein above the insertion site, please notify your surgeon.

Extremities

  • If surgery was performed on your arm or leg, remember to elevate the limb above the level of the heart using two pillows.
  • Apply ice packs to the area, as needed, for the first 24-48 hours to help control pain and swelling. Apply the ice pack to the area intermittently (30 minutes on, 30 minutes off). Never apply ice packs directly to the skin. Instead, cover the area with a towel or some clothing, then apply the ice pack.
  • Wiggle your fingers and toes of the affected limb, and compare with the other side to make certain both are equally warm and pink. If you notice significant swelling, discoloration, numbness or tingling, please call your surgeon immediately.
  • Keep your dressing clean and dry.

Diabetic Patients

  • If you are a diabetic, you should have received specific instructions about how to modify and/or resume your diet and insulin routine. If you did not, and you are unsure about what to do, please call your doctor.
  • Diabetic patients need to maintain good hygiene and nutrition to ensure proper healing after surgery.

When To Call Your Doctor

  • Although most postoperative complications occur in a very small number of cases, you should be aware of some of the most obvious symptoms. Do not hesitate to notify your doctor if you develop any of the following symptoms:
        • Temperature of 101° or greater
        • Redness, swelling or tenderness at he site of you incision
        • Any unusual or foul smelling discharge
        • Excessive bleeding at the site of the incision
        • Pain that is not relieved by pain medication
        • Persistent nausea and vomiting
        • Pain, redness and/or significant swelling of your calf (lower leg muscle)
Returning Home
  • Even though you may feel fine, have someone plan to stay at home with you through the night. Do not make important decisions, consume alcoholic beverages, take medications not prescribed by your physician, or operate machinery during the 24 hour period following your surgery.
  • Remember the recovery process continues even after you have returned home. You may experience minor after-effects such as drowsiness, muscle aches, sore throat and occasional dizziness or headaches. Nausea may also be present but vomiting is less common. You will begin to feel better within hours, but it may take several days before after effects are gone completely.
  • Plan to take it easy for a few days, as the majority of patients do not feel up to their typical activities right away, usually due to general tiredness or surgical discomfort.
  • Call your surgeon if you have questions about what you can and cannot do, when you can return to work and your regular activities. These items will be discussed with you when receiving your post-operative instructions, but if you are unsure; please do not hesitate to call.
  • Please complete your Patient Satisfaction Survey.
Patient Financial Responsibility Policy

The Center is committed to providing you quality care. Providing quality care depends on the Center being paid for the services that it provides. This form describes the Center’s Patient Financial Responsibility Policy. You must read and sign this Patient Financial Responsibility Policy before you receive treatment at the Center.

You must pay the Center your co-payment/co-insurance obligation before or on the day of your surgery. The Center accepts cash, checks and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover). You are responsible for paying the balance of the Center’s fee after your surgery, which may be satisfied by either you or your insurance company paying the Center’s fee. The Center charges what is usual and customary for this area. You are responsible for paying the Center’s full charge, even if your insurance company pays a lesser amount based on its arbitrary determination of what constitutes usual and customary rates.

The Center does not have the authority to bill your insurance company unless you provide the Center the correct insurance information and assign your benefits under you insurance plan to the Center (in a separate form). Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. The Center is not a party to that contract, and therefore, has no right to require the insurance company to pay it for the services that you receive at the Center.

If your insurance company does not pay your account in full within 90 days of your surgery, or if your insurance company issues a check directly to you to pay the account, the Center will bill you the balance of the account. If you do not pay the balance, the Center has the right to initiate collection proceedings against you. In that case, you will be responsible for not only the balance of your bill, but you will also be responsible for all the fees that the Center incurs in the process of collecting this amount, including collection agent fees, attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Out of Network Patient Explanation:

Since we are a new facility we may have not yet signed a contract with your insurance company. Because of this, your insurance company will pay your  claim at the out of network rate and in most instances will pay you directly. We want to support your use of the facility, so we will only be charging you the amount (co-payments, co-insurnace) that you would have been responsible for had you used an in-network facility.

Insurance companies will not disclose their out of network payment until the claim is filed and the payment rendered. Because of this, we will base your co-payment and co-insurance on our usual and customary fee. Once the insurance company has paid your claim, we will forward any overpayment to you promptly. Should the payment be sent to you, we ask that you forward the payment to us promptly.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the business office at 301.631.3881.