The first step in preparing for surgery is for you and your Physician to both agree surgery is necessary. This includes taking into consideration what it will take to recover from your injury or illness.
Next, your Physician will schedule your procedure by contacting the schedulers here at Advanced Surgical Institute. The office will send us what is called a “routing” slip, which contains all of the information necessary to formally book your procedure date. PLEASE NOTE: The Physician’s services are not included in Advanced Surgical Institute’s charges. Your Physician may or may not participate with your health plan so be sure to check with your Physician prior to your procedure to make that determination.
It is very important for you to provide both your physician and Advanced Surgical Institute with the most up-to-date information regarding your insurance. In these changing times many patients have payment responsibilities that often are not fully understood. Also, patients may have more than one type of insurance coverage or may have a primary insurance and a secondary insurance.
These are some definitions that you need to be aware of:
- Co-Pay: This is what you owe at the time of treatment or surgery. The amount is determined by your insurance carrier, not the center. By regulation the Co-Pay can not be waived or reduced. Co-Pays can range from $20.00 to over $100.00.
- Co-Insurance: This is the part of the bill that your insurance company determines is the patient’s responsibility. For example, if you have an 80%/20% insurance plan, your part of the payment is 20% of the bill. Therefore if the bill is $100.00, you are responsible for $20.00.
- Deductible: This is the amount of money you must pay out-of-pocket prior to the insurance benefit covering any costs. In today’s world we are seeing very high deductibles, up to $5,000.00. This is done to help reduce the premium you pay, but many times patients do not realize how high it can be.
1. It is also very important to make sure the center has your most current contact information. This will help ensure that important phone calls reach you and that anything we mail will safely arrive to your attention. A very important element of this is your emergency contact information. While we do not expect any emergencies, if we have one we want to make sure your support team is well informed.
2. You will also be asked to fill out a Personal Health History. This is an important tool used by our Pre-Operative Staff and Anesthesia Department to make sure you are properly taken care of while here at Advanced Surgical Institute. Your safety is our first priority.
3. In some cases you may be asked to have certain X-rays or blood tests preformed prior to your surgery. Again, this helps us customize your “Care Plan” to fit your medical needs so we can ensure we’re taking care of you in the safest possible manner. Please make sure you follow through on these very important requests.
4. The day before your surgery you will receive a phone call from one of our Pre-Operative Nurses. At this time they will go over final instructions about eating and drinking, taking medications, and arrival time. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you have to increase your comfort level before surgery. If you do not receive a phone call by 2:00pm the day before your scheduled procedure (2:00pm Friday for Monday appointments), please call the Center directly.
5. We will also ask you to remove all jewelry and leave all valuables at home or in the care of your family member who is with you. We do not want to see anything lost or misplaced.
6. It is also very important for you to know that if you are receiving anesthesia, or sedation you must have a responsible adult accompany you and take you home. You will be instructed not to drive for 24 hours after your procedure. This is also a requirement of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, so we can not make any exceptions to this rule.
We encourage you to ask as many questions as you may have throughout this process. Having you well-informed helps us take better care of you and increases the potential for you to have a safe, successful procedure and outcome you are seeking.
