Everything you need to know to prepare for your surgery at SeaCrest Surgery Center. Please read this guide carefully and follow all instructions.
Important Financial Information - Please Read
In accordance with Florida law, the facility is required to let you know that you may or may not pay less for the services at another facility or in another health care setting. Please know that your attending doctor who booked your procedure(s) at the facility may not be on the medical staff of such other facilities or health care settings.
Furthermore, your attending physician who booked your procedures to be done at facility, and other health care providers not limited to but as example anesthesiologists, intraoperative monitoring services, durable medical suppliers, and anatomical pathologists may provide services to you at the facility that are not a part of facility's fees. If any of their services are provided to you while being a patient of facility, the provider(s) will bill separately for their services rendered.
Patients and prospective patients may request from this facility and other health care providers a more personalized estimate of charges and other information including specific contact information prior to service.
Patients and prospective patients should contact each health care practitioner who will provide services in the facility or as an external service to determine the health insurers and health maintenance organizations with which the health care practitioner participates as a network provider or preferred provider. Please see the list of providers associated with our center.
The patient and their provider(s) are responsible to elect and determine which services, diagnostics, and planned procedures will be authorized to perform based on their intended payment plan and policies. The facility's billing office are always available as resources for the patient pre-procedure for assistance.
Please contact the facility directly for guidance during regular business hours for assistance. Questions related to financial assistance, payment plans, charity care policy, and collection procedures are always welcomed and encouraged if they arise.
Patients may access the State of Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration website at www.floridahealthfinder.gov for information about this facility.
To expedite your check-in process, we need to receive your registration information prior to your procedure date. The Registration Department will be contacting you prior to your date of service if we require further information.
A Nurse will call you prior to your surgery to collect information about your health history, review your specific instructions and answer any questions you may have. If you have not received a call by 4:00 PM the day before your surgery or have additional questions please call us at 561-877-8335.
Please leave valuables at home except your:
Anesthesia may be provided by a combination of board certified physicians and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA). The SeaCrest Medical Team are highly qualified to assist surgeons in even the most technically advanced procedures. Our board certified anesthesiologists have worked in area hospitals and all are trained specifically in outpatient surgical care.
Each patient should be given his or her own instructions. Please note that if you eat or drink when you were not supposed to, you could markedly increase the risks of anesthesia. Please follow your instructions very carefully.
Some medications should be taken and others should not. It is important to discuss this with your physicians. Please bring a list of all your medications with you on the day of surgery.
In addition to pain medications, we offer several nerve blocks for some types of surgery. Most blocks can be performed in the preoperative area under mild sedation and are tolerated very well. Your anesthesia team will discuss a nerve block if one is available for your type of surgery.
A nerve block or blocks are available for surgery on your shoulder, arms, hands, legs, knees, ankles. Eligible types of surgery include broken bones, shoulder surgery, tears in tendons. An injection placed under ultrasound guidance can mostly reduce or completely eliminate the pain of surgery for 8 to 24 hours.
We can also numb the abdomen for laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, umbilical hernia surgery, inguinal hernia repair, and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). These blocks are recommended but are not required. For self pay patients, these blocks are an additional cost.
Your anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will interview you prior to the procedure. The anesthesiologist will ask questions about your medical history and review any laboratory tests. You and your anesthesiologist together will formulate an anesthetic plan tailored specifically for you.
Your anesthesiologist is uniquely qualified and personally responsible for directing your anesthetic. Your physical status is closely monitored. Vital functions such as heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, temperature and breathing are managed. A member of the anesthesia care team will be with you throughout your procedure.
You will be taken to the post-anesthetic care unit, often called the recovery room. Your vital functions will be closely monitored by specially trained nurses. Most patients are ready to go home about an hour after surgery is completed. Verbal and written instructions will be given.
All other patients will need an up-to-date medical history. In some cases anesthesia may want to see you prior to the day of surgery and we will notify you if that is necessary. Some patients may need blood tests, EKG, x-rays or medical clearance from their primary care physician. Your surgeon will advise if you need these and where you will have these done.
Please wear comfortable clothing. Button-down shirts or blouses are best. Wear comfortable, well fitted shoes, no flip flops or heels. Leave all jewelry at home, including body-piercings. If you wear contact lenses, consider wearing glasses. If you have to wear your contacts, please bring contact solution and a case. Please do not wear any make-up as this can hide certain clinical signs.
You refrain from eating and drinking prior to surgery in order to prevent the risks of aspirating gastric contents during your surgery. This complication is very serious and you need to strictly abide by our recommendations. We have very clear policies as to specific times before surgery when you must refrain from eating and drinking. These are all based on safety standards.
We will instruct you as to which medications to take on the day of surgery. This will be individualized. We will usually hold diabetic medicines and manage your sugar because you will not be eating. Some medications will be stopped for the surgery, particularly blood thinners. If you use an inhaler, bring it with you on the day of surgery.
Herbal medications may have harmful effects on the surgery. Many of these remedies may affect your clotting mechanism and interfere with the anesthetic agents. We generally request that you stop these medications two weeks before surgery. Please remember to mention these remedies when being asked about your medications.
You are welcome to bring one person with you to the Center. That person will be allowed to be in your room with you before surgery and may sit with you after the surgery if you so choose. When a patient is a child often two parents and/or guardians will accompany him or her to the Center. Please refrain from bringing young children to the Center as guests.
Yes. We call each patient before the surgery to gather information and to hopefully answer any of your questions. Preoperative instructions will be given by the nurse who calls you. You can also call the Center directly with any questions.
Yes. You can comfortably take a shower, bathe, brush your teeth, etc. Please do not use make up, hair spray, nail polish or toiletries. These may interfere with the anesthesia monitoring and possibly hide clinical signs from the anesthesiologist.
If you are not feeling well, please contact your surgeon immediately. During normal business hours, you can call the Center for advice. There are some surgeries which are safer if delayed when you are sick. We need to know specific details to make the decision. Please do not delay in contacting your surgeon or the Center.
It is very important for us to be aware of this possibility. Only essential surgery is done on pregnant patients. If there is any doubt please contact us immediately.
All patients will be seen by the anesthesiologist on the day of surgery prior to entering the operating room. If you need to speak to the anesthesiologist before the day of surgery, you are welcome to call the Center and we will arrange for you to speak with an anesthesiologist.
We will make every effort to accommodate any special need you may have. We strongly encourage you to call the Surgery Center in advance so that we can properly prepare to make you comfortable. Please bring any walkers, post-op crutches, hearing aids, etc.
The management of your pain is of great importance to us. We will be assessing your level of pain from the time of admission until you receive our postoperative call at home. We will often use a combination of different modalities to help make you comfortable, choosing from oral medications, intravenous medications, nerve blocks, injection of local anesthetic during the surgery, etc.
All operations and all anesthetics have risks and they are dependent upon many factors including the type of surgery and the medical condition of the patient. Most patients operated on in surgery centers are of the healthier group of patients, and in these circumstances serious complications, while they can occur, are fortunately very rare.
All patients must have a ride home and be received by a responsible adult when they arrive home. Patients will not be allowed to drive, walk or take public transportation home after sedation or anesthesia. Please make the appropriate arrangements.
Contact us if you have any questions about your upcoming procedure or need clarification on any instructions