FAQ

Yes. It is encouraged to bring all completed paperwork with you to the surgery center on your scheduled surgery date. Your doctors will give you all required paperwork during your office visit with them. You can also download pre-registration documents located in the Patient Resources section of our website.

All surgeries are scheduled through your doctor’s office once prior authorization has been obtained from your insurance carrier. Once insurance verification and authorization has been confirmed, the scheduler at your doctor’s office will call to notify you of your scheduled surgery date. A nurse from the surgery center will also call you to gather medical history and deliver instructions 1-2 days prior to your scheduled surgery date.

For any financial inquiries, please contact 215 Surgery Center and ask to speak with administration. You can also direct inquiries via email to mikec@215sc.com.

Please contact the scheduler at your doctor’s office if you feel you will need to cancel or reschedule any appointments.

Please bring your driver’s license or valid form of ID, along with your current insurance card, and list of medications you are currently taking. Also, bring the necessary pre-registration forms.

With general anesthesia you will be asleep and unable to communicate with the doctors. Monitored anesthesia (MAC) is conscious sedation, keeping you comfortable without putting you completely under. You will be relaxed, but also able to respond if the doctors ask you questions.

For general anesthesia cases, your doctor may require you get an EKG, labs, or other required diagnostic tests prior to your scheduled surgery. For all cases, a recent medical history and physical will need to be completed by your surgeon within 30 days of your scheduled surgery date.

Yes. It is a patient preference, however, all decisions should be discussed with your doctor.

For patients who require sedation, you must fast for six hours before the scheduled procedure time. DOT NOT CONSUME any chewing gum, breath-mints, hard candies, etc. Furthermore, two hours before your scheduled procedure DO NOT drink any beverages. This is for your safety. Stomach content can be aspirated into the lungs and cause serious complications.

Procedures usually last 10-20 minutes. Total estimated length of time here at our facility can be anywhere between 1 ½-2 ½ hours. If the designated person taking you home plans to leave the facility, please ensure they stay reasonably close, as procedure times can sometimes vary.

Yes, BUT ONLY if you have a designated responsible person with you. We cannot release you by yourself without a responsible person accompanying you upon your discharge.

Side effects may vary from person to person. Common post procedural effects can be weakness in the extremities (depending where the injections or procedure areas being focused on).
If you are a diabetic and are getting a steroid injection, it is not uncommon for the steroid to increase your blood sugar. Monitor your glucose levels closely and if you seem to have any difficulty afterwards, follow-up with your doctor, or go to the nearest emergency care center.

This may vary depending which particular procedure you are scheduled for. The focused surgical area will be cleaned and prepped. We will attach ECG leads to your upper back to safely monitor you during the entire procedure. A “time-out” will be called to ensure all is correct: patient, procedure, site, etc. The doctor will then proceed with the intended procedure with the use of X-ray, fluoroscopy, or ultrasound.

Yes. All metal jewelry and any metal on clothing should be taken off and left at home, if possible. With radiofrequency ablation the presence of metal could potentially subject you to getting burned.

This depends on the location of your injections. For example, if you are having a lower lumbar injection, as long as the team can pull your pant line to a reasonable position for your injections, you should be fine. We generally advise patients to wear loose, comfortable clothing.

The type of procedure you are having will affect how you need to prepare for your arrival. Let’s get started on a walk-through of the process.

Upon scheduling your appointment through your surgeon’s office at 215 Surgery Center, you will be given a folder with paperwork and an information packet. Please look over this information, as it will help you understand some of the rights and responsibilities of the patient, general information, and a map to assist in locating our facility.  Also within this folder is a Pre-Anesthesia Questionnaire and Medication page that is required upon check-in and will become part of your medical record.

The Pre-Anesthesia form and medication sheet is required even if anesthesia is not being administered.

In the event that your surgery requires lab work and/or testing to be completed prior to your arrival at the center, it is very important to see that this is completed in order to keep your scheduled procedure. Patient safety is our number one goal.  The results will be given to your surgeon(s) office and a copy will be forwarded to 215 Surgery Center.

Approximately two days before your scheduled procedure, a registered nurse will contact you to perform a pre-operative phone interview. During this call you will be told when you should begin fasting. You will also be asked to leave personal belongings and jewelry at home. Your medications will be reviewed and the nurse will tell you which medications can and can’t be taken that morning.

In the event that general anesthesia is required, you will also receive a call from the anesthesiologist who will be taking care of you during your procedure. Although providing this information sometimes seems repetitive, it is necessary to ensure your safety.

Please arrive at 215 Surgery Center at the time requested and immediately sign in. The front office staff will ask for your insurance card, driver’s license or state-issued photo ID, and the completed pre-registration paperwork (given to you at your doctor’s office). Front desk personnel will give you additional paperwork to be completed prior to admission. If you have to use the restroom and are a female within the childbearing age, we require a urine pregnancy test prior to your procedure.

After the admitting process is complete, a nurse will take you into the preoperative unit. You will be asked to state your name, birthdate, and procedure. Any questions that you may have will be answered at this time. Once in the bay, the nurse will have you change into a surgical gown.  Next, your medical history will be reviewed and an IV will be placed for anesthesia.  Certain procedures will require that you have all metal removed from your body. Immediately prior to your procedure, the anesthesiologist will speak to you about the medications you will be receiving in the operating room and inform you of what to expect.  Your preoperative nurse will then have you put on a hat to cover your hair and oxygen tubing will be placed at this time.  The physician performing the surgery will also discuss the procedure you are having, answer your questions, and mark the location on your body to indicate the surgical site. The next person you will meet is the operating room nurse, who will ask you some questions, review your allergies, and answer any questions you may have to confirm that you are ready to be taken to the operating room.

In the operating room the procedure will be confirmed again. At this time the oxygen will be turned on, blood pressure cuff along with other monitoring devices will be placed, and your anesthesiologist will begin to administer the medication to relax you, as well as help with any pain. When the medication has provided the appropriate response the surgery will begin.

Upon completion of the procedure, the anesthesiologist will give the approval to transfer you to the recovery staff. At this time all of the monitoring devices will be removed and the nurse, anesthesiologist, surgical tech, and radiation tech will assist you back into your bed.

The recovery nurse will get a report of how the procedure went and if there are any special measures or instructions that need to be taken. Expect to stay with our recovery staff for at least 25 to 30 minutes. Your recover time in the facility may be longer depending on if you meet the discharge standards. You will be given something to eat and drink at this time, and your functions will be assessed. Within the last five minutes of your stay, the individual whom is listed as your responsible adult will be contacted and asked to bring the car around for your departure. The nurse will make sure you have all of your belongings and discharge instructions prior to your discharge. For your safety, you will be taken out to the vehicle in a wheelchair and assisted into your car by one of our nurses or medical assistants.

The day after your procedure a nurse will contact you to see how you are doing and ask a few questions ensuring that we are meeting your expectations. When the nurse contacts you, and you would like to speak with the physician, your request will be handled promptly. We encourage hassle free communication. If your physician is unable to return your call we will promptly have the physician who is taking calls that day make you a priority.