Preparing for surgery can feel overwhelming or scary if you don’t know what to expect. You may have some unanswered questions and worries that make you feel this way. Knowing what to expect will help you feel less nervous and more in control.

What You Need the Day of the Surgery:

• Information to Bring: Insurance cards, photo ID, Medicare or Medical Assistance information, numbers and addresses.
• Driver: You must plan to have someone drive you home. Do not plan to use taxis or other public transportation.
• Escort: A friend, relative or dedicated caregiver MUST stay with you for 24 hours.
• Legal Guardian: A legal guardian must be in the center AT ALL TIMES for children and dependent adults.
• Care for Children: If you have young children at home for whom you normally care for, plan for someone else to care for them for at least the first 24 hours following your surgery.
• Interpreter: If the patient cannot read, speak English or use sign language, an interpreter is required. If you need assistance arranging for an interpreter, please contact the Scheduling department at 256-736-2811 as soon as possible.

Check-in: When you arrive at our center we ask that you check-in at the registration desk to verify personal, escort and insurance information.

Following Admission: After checking in at our center, you will be brought to the pre-op area where the nurse will do a health interview and prepare you for surgery. You and your family or escort will stay in the room until it is time for your surgery. An anesthesiologist will discuss your anesthesia with you and answer any questions. At the appropriate time you will be escorted to the operating room. During surgery your escort will stay in a waiting area and will rejoin you in the recovery area after your surgery.

Once you are in stable condition, you will be discharged. It is normal to experience sleepiness and dizziness for 12 to 24 hours after surgery.

Post Care: You will receive verbal and written post-surgical care instructions (please follow these instructions). Your escort must be available to discuss and sign these instructions before you will be allowed to go home. If you experience anything unusual after your surgery, please call your surgeon or go to the nearest emergency room. A nurse from our center will call you the day after your surgery to see how you are feeling and to see if you are having any problems.

Transportation: DO NOT PLAN TO DRIVE yourself home or use public transportation after your procedure. A friend or relative or dedicated caregiver MUST stay with you for 24 hours.

Children

We give children the extra care they need in an unfamiliar setting.

Drink: Children may have less than 1 cup (8 oz) of clear liquids up to three hours before their arrival. This includes water, apple juice, soft drinks and Kool-Aid. NO milk or orange juice.

Food: Children must not eat anything for eight hours before their arrival. Please do not allow them to suck on candy or swallow toothpaste before surgery.

Parental Care: We require at least one parent to remain in the center during the surgery and recovery. Please do not bring other young children along. If your child’s surgery is scheduled near noon, you may want to bring a lunch for yourself while you are waiting.

Personal Comforts: Please bring your child’s favorite blanket, stuffed animal or toy for added security.

After Surgery: You will be able to be with your child as soon as he/she is awake and medically safe for transfer after recovery.

Special Needs Patients

We understand that loved ones who depend upon others for daily living require special attention. The following tips, will help make care for these adults easier:

Consent: The legal guardian needs to sign the consent for surgery and anesthesia on or before the day of surgery.

For Admission: Please bring the patient’s recent health history and medication information. Be certain to follow the food and drink rules in the Preparing for Surgery section.

Personal Attendant: As with other patients, special needs patients require a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult to remain at the center from admission through recovery. A personal attendant will be required to stay with the patient for 24 hours after discharge.

The types of anesthesia provided range from sedation, regional, and general anesthesia. It is important that you follow all preoperative orders in order to reduce risks associated with anesthesia.

What to Expect

• Pain Relief

We offer several types of pain management procedures and medications. The type of anesthesia you receive will be based on the type of surgery being performed. We will be constantly assessing your pain from the time you are admitted until you receive our postoperative call at home using the Visual Analog or Faces Pain Scale (insert image). This allows us to determine if there has been any significant pain increase or decrease.

• Developing Your Anesthesia Plan

Your anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will talk to you prior to your surgery. This usually takes place on the day of surgery and includes questions about your medical history, review of any laboratory tests and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions or discuss any concerns you have regarding anesthesia. This allows your anesthesiologist to make a recommended plan specific for you based on your surgical procedure, your general medical condition and your preferences.

• In the Operating Room

Your anesthesiologist is uniquely qualified and personally responsible for directing your anesthetic while in the operating room. A member of the anesthesia care team will monitor your physical status closely and insure all vital functions such as heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, temperature and breathing are managed properly.

• Recovery after Surgery

Following your surgery, your vital functions will continue to be monitored by nurses. Medications may be given to minimize postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, as needed. When you are ready, you will be offered something to drink, a family member or friend will be allowed to come and sit with you, and you will be assisted in getting up. Most patients are ready to go home between 1-2 hours after surgery.

– Pain Control or Complications at Home: 

You will receive oral and written instructions on how to manage your pain and care for yourself once you arrive home. You will be given a phone number to call if you have questions or concerns after you get home. Be prepared to go home and continue recovery there.

– In general, for the first 24 hours after your anesthesia:

> Do not drink alcohol

> Do not drive a car

> Do not make important decisions

> Family – do not leave the patient alone for the first day

Common side effects include drowsiness, muscle aches, sore throat, headaches, mild nausea which usually decline rapidly in the hours following surgery.

• Resuming Activity

Most patients do not feel up to their usual activities the next day. Plan to take it easy for a few days. The day after surgery, you will be contacted to see how you feel and to see if you are having any problems.

Payment Options

• Insurance

We accept most major insurance providers. If you have any billing questions, call 256-736-2811 and ask for our billing department. We must make a copy of each insurance card at the time of registration.

Select Care

Your Select Care copay amount is due on or before your date of service. We will submit your bill directly to Select Care. A bill will be sent to your secondary insurance upon receipt of payment or denial from Select Care. If you have no secondary insurance, a bill will be sent to you for any balance not covered.

• Self-Pay

You will be contacted prior to your surgery with an estimated procedure cost for the facility fee. A down payment equal to ½ of the total estimated amount due is expected the day of your procedure. If you are unable to pay ½ the day of your procedure, you will be asked to complete a financial agreement. A good faith payment should be made and the remaining balance will be divided up into 3 monthly payments so that your account has been resolved with the 90 day time frame.

Prompt Pay Discount

We offer a 10% discount to self-pay patients whose account estimate is paid in full the day of the surgery/procedure.

Cosmetic Surgery & Elective Surgery

Payment in full must be received 10 days prior to surgery.