Patient Resources

Your pre-operative call is a very important part of your outpatient surgery and our first step toward ensuring both a comfortable and stress-free experience.

During your call, we will explain your surgical process and address any questions or concerns you may have. You will be interviewed by one of our pre-op nurses at our Center, who will ask additional questions about your medical history or physical condition.

This information will be used by our Center to make the best possible decisions concerning your health care. Please call the Center Monday through Thursday, from 6 am to 4:30 pm, or on Friday from 6 am to 3 pm within the week prior to your scheduled surgery. Please have a list of your medications available when you call.

The patient or responsible party should bring their insurance card(s) and a photo ID.

The patient or responsible party should bring their preferred payment method for any co-pays or balances.

The patient or responsible party should review carefully all of their information as listed on the chart. Spellings, addresses, and other demographic information should be reviewed.

All patients should have a ride home and a responsible adult to care for them that evening. For patient safety, we request that a responsible adult remain at the center with the patient at all times.

Parent(s) or legal guardians of pediatric patients (17 years of age or younger) need to remain at the Center at all times until dismissal. Legal guardians should bring with them any legal or guardianship papers.

If you have a Latex allergy, or think you may be pregnant, please call the surgical center at (706) 802-3727 to speak to the pre-op assessment coordinator.

Please follow these steps carefully before your surgery to help ensure your procedure goes as smoothly as possible.

Contact your surgeon or physician before your surgery date if:

• You are not sure what time to arrive at the Center on the day of your procedure
• You experience any changes in your health between your most recent visit to your physician and the day of your procedure (even minor ones like a temperature, cough or a cold)
• You suspect that you are pregnant (anesthesia and medication may be harmful to the developing fetus)
• You have a latex allergy, diabetes, heart conditions, kidney or liver failure
• You take medications regularly (your physician/surgeon may have guidance about which medications you should or should not take on the day of your procedure)

After midnight on the day of your surgery:

• Do not smoke after midnight
• Do not eat anything (including gum, mints, hard candy), as undigested food in the stomach can cause complications

On the morning of surgery:

• Take a bath or shower and brush your teeth
• Remove all makeup, jewelry, and contacts (if you must wear contacts, please bring your storage case for use during surgery)
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can accommodate a bandage, cast or other types of dressing where the procedure is being performed

What to bring with you on the day of your surgery:

• All insurance cards
• A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license
• Your form of payment, if required
• A copy of your consent forms and an Advance Directive if you have one (your signature will be required in accordance with your particular procedure)
• If you take insulin, bring the bottle of insulin and syringes with you

Arrange for a responsible adult to accompany you to the Center, receive discharge instructions and drive you home. It is recommended that someone stay with you for the first 24 hours following surgery.

What not to bring to the surgery center:

• Leave all jewelry, cash and valuables at home, as we cannot be responsible for their safety

On the day of surgery, you should arrive at your scheduled appointment time. You will be admitted to the Center and we will begin preparing you for your procedure.

You will be asked to sign a consent form for your procedure, which acknowledges your permission for the physician and facility to care for you. If the patient is a minor, this form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.

After your procedure, you will be moved to our fully equipped recovery room where the anesthesiologist and our recovery room nurses will observe you closely until you are ready to go home. Your doctor will want to talk with a family member/friend after your surgery, so it is important for this person to remain in the building.

The amount of time you spend in the recovery room will vary depending on the procedure performed and the physician’s instructions, but typically most patients are discharged within approximately 30 minutes after their procedure.

Your surgeon will provide post-operative instructions about diet, rest, exercise and medications. We’ll provide you with a written summary of these instructions before you are discharged.

If you had anesthesia and/or pain medications, arrange for an adult to remain with you at home for at least 24 hours.

If you have any unexpected problems, please call your doctor. A nurse from the Center will attempt to call you the next day to check your progress and discuss any questions you may have.

Your physician will provide post-procedure instructions regarding diet, rest, exercise and medications. The Center will provide you with a written summary of these instructions. We suggest that you pamper yourself for the first 24 hours following your procedure. Arrange for an adult to remain with you at home for at least 24 hours.

Since it is normal to feel drowsy after receiving an anesthetic, we also recommend that you postpone these activities for 24 hours after discharge:

• Driving and operating equipment
• Signing important papers
• Making significant decisions
• Drinking alcoholic beverages

If you have any unexpected problems, please call your doctor. A nurse from the Center will attempt to call you the next day to check your progress and discuss any questions you may have.

Our Pain Management Center is an outpatient facility that provides expertise in treating and diagnosing pain problems. The physicians staffing our Pain Management Center provide more than 25 years of knowledge, expertise and treatment skills in dealing with a broad spectrum of pain syndromes.

Patients are accepted into our program by direct referral(s) from within the medical community, such as primary care physicians, orthopedists, neurosurgeons, or chiropractors, or as patients not presently under the care of a physician. An appropriate treatment plan is created that will best benefit the particular pain problem. If further workup as to the cause of the problem is needed, it will be arranged on an outpatient basis.

What Kinds of Pain Are Treated?

We treat the following types of pain in conjunction with your physician. As with most health problems, the earlier the treatment, the better the chance of relieving the pain.

• Low back and leg pain (lumbago and sciatica), due to herniated disc or spinal stenosis
• Neck and arm pain
• Muscle (myofascial pain)
• Neuralgia or pain following a nerve injury
• Pain resulting from shingles
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy or causalgia
• Pain from cancer
• Pain following an amputation
• Pain from a spinal cord injury
• Pain due to poor blood circulation
• Body wall pain
• Surgical incision pain

Methods of pain relief:

• Selective nerve blocks
• Epidural steroid injections
• Trigger point injections

Appointments

After your referral to the Pain Management Center, our office will try to schedule your appointment at the earliest, most convenient time for you. If you are unable to keep your appointment, we would appreciate 24 hours notification.

Questions and Answers

Before your first visit, you may have specific questions. Whenever possible, please call during office hours. Members of our staff are trained to answer many of your questions. Otherwise, they will refer your questions to a physician who will return your call as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that the staff will discuss your pain problem and the procedures to be performed at the Pain Management Center in detail before any treatment is started.

Since the prospect of a procedure can be frightening to a young child (and also to the child's parents), our staff makes every effort to alleviate the fears of both parent and child. You and your child are invited to get acquainted with our staff and facility, please call and we will arrange a tour.

We recognize that a parent's presence can provide a great source of comfort for the pediatric patient. For this reason, we encourage you to stay with your child in the pre-operative area before the procedure and in the post-recovery area following the procedure. If your child is having a procedure, feel free to bring their favorite stuffed animal, security blanket and/or favorite bottle or cup for added reassurance. You will be able to join them in our recovery room. As a reminder, one parent or legal guardian must remain in the building at all times during the child's stay.

To expedite the payment process, please complete and sign all appropriate insurance forms before your arrival. Insurance forms are available through your insurance provider or your employer's health program. In most cases, we should be able to estimate the cost of your surgery beforehand, and our staff will help you finalize your financial arrangements before surgery.

Billing for our Center and your physician are separate charges. The bill from our Center includes the cost of the operating room, recovery room, certain laboratory tests, and supplies for surgery. Your surgeon, anesthesiologist and pathologist (if applicable) will bill you separately for their services.

We accept most insurance plans, including Medicare. We also accept these forms of payment: cash, check, MasterCard, VISA, Discover or American Express. Satisfying the conditions of your insurance policy is your responsibility, therefore, you should verify that your insurance plan covers "freestanding ambulatory" facilities and that any specific documents such as second surgical opinions or letters of certification are obtained.

Our Center cannot be held responsible if a claim is denied for not meeting specific requirements. Patients who do not have full insurance coverage are required to make a prepayment before their surgery. Certain surgical procedures, such as plastic or dental surgery, may not be covered by insurance. In these instances, full payment is expected on or before the day of surgery. If you have any questions about your insurance or a payment plan, please call us.

No need to worry about hassling with payments after your surgery. We make it quick and easy for you to pay your bill online.