About the Ambulatory Care
Unit
The Ambulatory Care Unit is
for patients whose surgery can be completed in a single day. You arrive in the morning, undergo surgery,
and return home the same day. The brief
stay in the Hospital will cost less for you and your insurance company and is
often more convenient for you and your family.
Your surgeon
will schedule the date of your operation during your office visit, and the
Hospital admission clerk will contact you the evening before your surgery with
your arrival time. This arrival time is NOT the time your surgery is scheduled;
it will allow an ample period of time to prepare you for surgery. The admission clerk will also be asking you about
your insurance and method of payment.
Patients and families are encouraged to bring books or
personal music devices on the day of the surgery to enjoy during their wait
times.
If for any
reason you know you will be away from home the evening before surgery, please
call the Hospital at (814) 643-8404 anytime after 4:00 p.m. to ask for your
arrival time.
Pre-Admission Testing
Before your surgery, your
surgeon’s office will be arranging pre-admission testing for you. On the day of
your testing, please plan to arrive at Central Registration in the Main Lobby
fifteen (15) minutes prior to the time of your appointment. This fifteen
minutes will be used for completion of your paperwork prior to testing.
Pre-admission testing is done in the Outpatient Care Department. Please plan to
spend at least 1 to 1 ½ hours at the Hospital for your testing, as it may take
this long, depending on the tests ordered.
At the Outpatient Care
Department, during your testing you will:
receive instructions from the Ambulatory
Care Unit nurse,
be
interviewed by the anesthesia department,
may
be asked to give a urine sample,
have
your lab work completed,
may
have an EKG, if an EKG is medically indicated, and
may
have a chest x-ray if you have had any recent respiratory problems.
Please bring your health insurance
card to Central Registration and a list of current medications to your testing
appointment. (If you do not have health insurance, arrangements for payment
need to be made. You must call (814)
643-8844 to discuss payment arrangements.)
If you are diabetic, make
sure you have an early appointment. If you have been told to fast, do not eat
or drink past midnight, but please take your medications with a sip of water,
unless instructed by doctor otherwise.
We can give you juice and crackers when your lab work has been
completed.
If you use the CART for
transportation, be sure to alert your surgeon’s office personnel to this, so
they can schedule your appointment accordingly.
On the Day of Your Surgery
DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING AFTER 12:00 MIDNIGHT ON
THE NIGHT BEFORE SURGERY OR THE MORNING OF YOUR SURGERY.
Your cooperation is required
to help ensure your safety and comfort. Please follow these important
instructions before you arrive for surgery.
When you arrive at the
Hospital on the day of surgery you should report to the Hospitality Volunteer
at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby or the Emergency Department Clerk if
a volunteer is not available. When the
Ambulatory Care Unit calls for you, you will be directed to the Unit and asked to
put on a Hospital gown and prepare for surgery.
Informed Consent
You will be
asked to sign an informed consent if you have not signed one at your
physician’s office. Patients under 18
must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to complete this
process. Without this informed consent,
surgery will not be performed.
Support Persons
Since you will be given
anesthetic drugs, you will not be permitted to drive home. Please arrange to
have a responsible adult available to drive you home after surgery. This person may wait with you in the
Ambulatory Care Unit until the time of surgery. When you are taken to the
Operating Room, they are requested to wait in the Main Lobby until you return
from surgery to the Unit. They should be
sure to check in with the Hospitality Volunteer at the front desk. The volunteer will alert them when the
surgeon calls and when you are ready for them to return to the Unit. After you return to the Unit, this person may
stay with you until you are discharged. We ask that no more than one person
come you your bedside.
Families are encouraged to
choose only one or two designated persons to wait in the Main Lobby. A clergy member may also be present. Do not bring children. If your family exceeds
two persons, alternate between the lobby waiting area and the bedside.
Hospital Instructions for
Patients
Leave all jewelry, money, and
other valuables at home or with your family. Wear comfortable clothing which
will be easy to take off and put on.
Do not wear any eye or facial
make-up, fingernail or toenail polish.
If you wear dentures, partial
plate, contact lenses, or any other prosthesis, you will probably be asked to
remove them before surgery.
If you wish to bring with any
personal care items (such as toothbrush, comb, toiletries, etc.) feel free to
do so.
Since there is sometimes a
need for longer post-operative observation, please be prepared for the
possibility that it may be necessary to admit you to the Hospital or keep you
longer than expected in the Ambulatory Care Unit.
If you develop
a fever, cold, rash, or any other acute illness prior to your surgery, CALL YOUR
PHYSICIAN.
If you choose to cancel your
surgery and cannot reach your surgeon, contact the Hospital’s Admission Office
at (814) 643-8404.
Specialcare Extended Stay
Program
The
Specialcare Extended Stay Program provides the option for patients to stay in
the Hospital the night before and/or after their outpatient surgery. This is a self-pay service, not covered by
insurance. The charge covers required nursing care, meals, local phone calls
and television accommodations.
If you plan to use this
service or desire more information, please call the Hospital’s Outpatient Care
Department at (814) 643-8537 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. any weekday.
When You Are Ready to
Leave the Hospital
When the
anesthesiologist is certain you are ready to go home, the Ambulatory Care Unit
will discharge you by wheelchair to the person who has accompanied you.
You will receive follow up
instructions to assist in your recovery.
Call your doctor if you
experience any problems upon returning home after surgery and be sure to have a
responsible person stay with you at home overnight on the day of your surgery.
Billing for Services
In addition to charges from your
physician-rendered services, you will receive a bill from the Hospital for the
use of its facilities, services and supplies. Also you will be billed by the
radiologist, pathologist, anesthesiologist and other consultants in your care.
If you do not understand any
of the charges, call the office of the doctor who sent you the bill.
Parking
J.C. Blair Memorial
Hospital provides free parking. Please use parking area A and
B.
To the Support Persons,
while you wait
Please keep the Hospitality
Volunteer at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby informed of your
whereabouts. The volunteer will let you
know when the surgeon calls to speak with you and when you are allowed to
return to the patient’s bedside.
While you are waiting,
Relax
and enjoy a snack in the Hospital’s cafeteria or vending area
Go
online to search the Internet in the Community Health Resource Library
For
your convenience, public telephones and restrooms are available at several
locations on the Main Floor. Cell phones
may not be used in patient care areas.
Please let the Hospitality
Volunteer know if you need anything while you wait.
Thank
you for choosing J.C.
Blair Memorial
Hospital as your
healthcare provider.
Outpatient Surgery Information for Patients