What Every Patient Should Understand Before Having Outpatient Surgery

Checking into an outpatient facility for surgery is serious business. How smooth the process runs depends on how well you follow all instructions and procedures. I have worked as a surgical technologist in the operating room at a trauma hospital and at a private outpatient facility. Even though outpatient surgery is elective, it is still surgery. Anesthesia will be given, an incision will be made by a surgeon, and a procedure will be performed just like in a hospital operating room. To prepare you, here are a few things to remember.

1. Check your health insurance policy. When a doctor advises you that a surgical procedure is necessary, consult your insurance company. Too many people assume that if they have medical insurance, it means that all services are covered 100%. Check your policy. With most outpatient facilities, there is a co-payment that can cost you anywhere from fifty dollars to one hundred dollars. There will also be fees for anesthesia services and twenty-three hour care if your procedure requires an overnight stay within the facility. Know the costs up front.

2. Bring all required monies with you to the outpatient facility. The morning of surgery, make sure that you have a check or cash for the co-payment. If you are not sure of the final amount, call the facility before the day of the surgical procedure. I have seen patients come into the facility on the day of their scheduled surgery and claim that they didn't know anything about a co-payment. Don't let this happen to you. As a result, their procedures were cancelled. Months of preparation and scheduling went straight down the tubes.

3. Follow the physician's preoperative instructions. The instructions that your physician gives you are not guidelines-they must be adhered to. One of the most ignored instructions is the one concerning food and fluid intake. Before any surgery, the intended patient must have an empty stomach. No food or fluids (and this does include water) can be taken by mouth after midnight the day before the scheduled surgical procedure. Children need to be carefully monitored before surgery to make sure they don't sneak a drink or something to eat. Ignoring this instruction could have grave results. Eating or drinking can cause death under general anesthesia. A full stomach could lead to vomiting and subsequent aspiration of fluid into the lungs. Don't let this happen to you or anyone you love.

4. Arrive on time for your procedure. The arrival time for an outpatient procedure is usually an hour to an hour and a half before the surgery is scheduled to start. This time allows for check-in to the facility and a patient work-up with the preoperative nurses. The anesthesiologist will need to talk to you and if any other tests are needed, this is when they will be done. There is nothing a busy doctor dislikes more than a late patient. If that doctor has other surgeries scheduled around yours, it will be a great inconvenience to him if you are late.

5. Bring another adult with you. On the day of your surgery, bring a responsible adult with you. Depending on the procedure, most patients are not fit to operate a motor vehicle after surgery. Someone else needs to be available to take you home. In the case of a minor child having surgery, an adult, either a parent or guardian, must be physically present in the facility for the duration of the time that the child is there.

6. Answer all questions truthfully when asked. Mention all medical conditions, previous surgical procedures, and allergies to medications. Anything that you hide could create a dangerous situation for you later on. For example, allergies to shellfish, iodine, or rubber latex need to be known before surgery. The surgical site is most commonly disinfected with a solution of povidone-iodine. Any patient allergic to shellfish or iodine could have a severe reaction to this solution being used on the skin if the allergy is not revealed to the medical staff. The same goes for rubber latex allergies. Most surgical gloves are made from natural rubber latex. To be safe, mention everything. Let the anesthesiologist determine what information is relevant.

If outpatient surgery is required for your medical condition, make it as pleasant an experience as possible. Following all instructions and procedures beforehand will increase the chances of a favorable surgical outcome.