Everything you need to know as a patient.
Have you ever been “put under” before? If you have then you might already know some of the information below. Either way the more you know about anesthesia the more comfortable you will feel during any medical procedures that require it.
Patient Instructions
Before you receive anesthesia:
- Do not eat anything in the 8 hours before your surgery.
- Do not drink anything in the 4 hours before your surgery.
- Do not consume mints, gum or hard candy.
- Take necessary AM medications the morning prior to your surgery with only a small sip of water.
- If you have asthma or COPD please bring an inhaler to your appointment if necessary.
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing with sleeves that can be rolled up.
- Do not wear any jewelry, eyewear, or makeup to your appointment.
- Do not smoke for at least 24 hours before your procedure.
- If you have a fever over 100º F, a cough with a sore throat, or feel sick (signs of infection), contact the office as soon as possible to reschedule your procedure.
- See your cardiologist or pulmonologist for clearance and disease optimization if you have any history of heart disease (i.e. high blood pressure, heart surgery, catheterization or stent, abnormal rhythm or pacemaker) or lung disease (i.e. COPD, emphysema, bronchitis, sleep apnea).
After you receive anesthesia:
- Make sure you arrange a ride home. You should not drive for at least 24 hours.
- Have a dependable adult accompany you for at least 8 hours after the procedure.
- As soon as you are awake, you may have a popsicle or ice chips. Slowly add light foods as tolerated before returning to a normal diet.
- If you experience uncontrolled bleeding, swelling, a fever of 100º F, nausea/vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours, rash or flushed skin that increases over time, call your healthcare provider.
- Call 911 immediately if the patient goes unresponsive, experiences chest pain, or has trouble breathing.
Please be advised:
These instructions are necessary for anesthesia to be provided safely – please read them carefully. Your procedure may be delayed or cancelled if you do not follow the instructions provided.
Types of Anesthesia:
Information is key when it comes to understanding your procedure. We want to make sure you know what to expect.
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia involves both intravenous and inhaled anesthetics and causes total loss of consciousness. It requires breathing support, which is often administered through a temporary breathing tube. The patient will have no awareness of the surgical experience and feel nothing throughout the process.
Local Anesthesia
Local anesthesia is one of the simplest forms. This procedure involves administering a local anesthetic to one spot on the body for small procedures. The patient will normally stay awake throughout these procedures unless they need to be sedated for additional comfortability.
Regional Anesthesia
Regional anesthesia uses a local anesthetic to numb specific regions of the body. This can be done by targeting major nerves or areas of the spinal cord. Regional anesthesia usually comes in the form of a “block” (i.e. axillary nerve, interscalene nerve, femoral nerve, ankle, or bier).
Spinal Anesthesia
This anesthesia involves injecting local anesthetic into the spinal fluid or around the nerves as they leave the spine and produces temporary loss of sensation and strength in the legs and abdomen. It is used for operations on the low abdomen or legs and is often coupled with intravenous sedation.
Epidural Anesthesia
Most commonly used during procedures during labor and GI tract surgeries, epidural anesthesia is similar to spinal anesthesia but involves a catheter that can be used to control the flow of anesthetics.
Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC)
MAC involves the use of mild intravenous sedatives that will relax the patient during minor procedures that don’t require general anesthesia. MAC is typically paired with a local anesthetic to numb the surgical site.
You can pay your bill online.
If you used our anesthesia services and still need to pay for them, you can do so online by clicking the button below.
Insurance Questions
Sleepsmith is proudly in-network with most medical insurance plans. We use the nationally recognized firm-Anesthesia Billing Consultants for our patient billing services.
What if I can’t pay for services?
Sleepsmith is willing to work with any patient, entity, or hospital to figure out how our services can fit into your budget. Even if you have an odd or non-traditional insurance, reach out to see if we can figure out an appropriate coverage plan.
What about surprise billing?
“Surprise billing” refers to a situation in which your health insurance covers the cost of a certain procedure but not the cost of the anesthesia associated with that procedure. You might think you do not have a large out-of-pocket expense, then receive a very large bill in the mail from the anesthesia provider.
We work with our patients to ensure that they are not surprise-billed by discussing coverage options ahead of time.
How Medical Information is Used
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.
Your Rights in Regards to Your Medical Information:
This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
- We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
- We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations.
- We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
- If you pay for a service or health care item out- of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer.
- We will say “yes” unless a law required us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
- We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
- You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
- If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
- We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on the back page.
- You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696- 6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/ complaints/.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Uses and Disclosures:
How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Treat you
- We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
Run our organization
- We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services
- We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about your to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
How else can we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
- We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting adverse reactions to medications
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research
- We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
- We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
- We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
- We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Our Responsibilities:
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/ understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of This Notice We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.
Questions or Concerns?
Send us a message, or call us at 1-800-222-1442