Some forward thinking patients however, decide to bank their own blood in case it may be needed during or after their procedure. Banking your own blood is one way to ensure availability, a perfect match and avoid rejection, if any blood is indeed necessary.

There are some considerations however in banking your own blood.

• The blood you bank may not be usable when it comes time for the transfusion. In this case, you may have to receive blood from a centralized source anyway.

• After banking blood, you may have to supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals before your procedure to ensure that your body is ready for surgery. You need to be in as good shape as possible when you undergo a surgical procedure.

• Depending on your health, you may not be able to give blood beforehand. This is something to discuss with your medical team.

Blood can be collected as far as 6 weeks in advance or as soon as a few days before surgery. Speak your surgical team about the suitability of banking blood. While the benefits of doing so a clear, there are also considerations to be understood and evaluated.

During this call or review, one of the terms that patients will likely encounter is that of ‘medical necessity.’ Medical necessity is a term used by the healthcare industry to delineate whether a patient truly needs a procedure. However, medical necessity is not as cut and dried as it may seem. Indeed, medical necessity can mean different things to different people and ultimately it can cause a great deal of confusion in patients who are just trying to understand their insurance options.

If they need help understanding this terminology, patients should speak to their primary care physician, specialist or surgeon. Their office will help determine whether or not the procedure is covered under the guidelines of the insurance plan. Remember, they will likely have dealt with similar situations in past. This verification of benefits is often performed when the patient first calls to schedule their consultation. Take, for example, an elective procedure that will quite obviously help the patient’s health. While the benefit is obvious, the condition may not pose an immediate threat to their health. Is the procedure therefore truly a medical necessity? Understanding how an insurance company deals with cases like these may help ensure that the surgery will be covered.

If for any reason, after the procedure is performed, your insurance company rejects the claim, make sure you assemble your physicians’ resources to evaluate the denial and see how it can be overturned through the available appeals process.

Patients should make a point of sitting down with their medical team to understand how their procedure will be treated by their insurance company. Doing so may offer some clarity before a major life event like surgery.

It is very important to understand the procedure itself. Doing so can often eliminate many of the jitters associated with a fear of the unknown. Understanding how the procedure is performed, the benefits, the possible complications and what to expect is always very helpful.

Getting a little healthier before surgery is also conducive to a successful procedure and recovery. You must stop smoking as soon as possible before surgery. Eating well, especially a diet high in protein, leafy greens and fruits is helpful too. Exercising and losing some excess weight before a procedure can also reduce the strain on your body – this may lead to a quicker recovery after surgery.

Prepare for life after surgery. Make sure that you have a family member or friend to bring you home from the hospital. Also be sure that your caretaker is fully aware of your physical limitations and how to care for your incisions. If you have any questions at all about the post-surgical requirements, don’t hesitate to speak to your surgeon or physician.

Finally, be sure to discuss any relevant medical information with your surgeon before surgery – no matter how trivial they may seem. Understanding your lifestyle and habits can help your surgeon mitigate some of the possible risks of surgery specific to your circumstances. This is not a time to withhold information for any reason.

Just remember, ask many questions and learn as much as you can to help ensure a safe and effective procedure.

Recovery requires the body to heal itself, which is no easy task. The trauma to the body after surgery is significant and everybody reacts differently to their surgical procedure. We do know however that the following tips can significantly shorten the recovery time of any patient, young or old:

• First, while still in the hospital or outpatient surgery center, patients should begin walking as soon as they are asked to by the nursing staff. Walking increases blood flow throughout the body which can, in turn, ward off infection. Patients who do not walk immediately or shortly after surgery are prone to developing blood clots in their legs and other complications as a result of circulatory issues. Those who previously smoked or have diabetes are particularly prone to circulation problems after surgery.
• Once the patient has been sent home, again depending on the procedure, it is important that patient stay well hydrated and eats the right foods. A diet plan will be created for each patient so that they understand what, exactly, they need to consume after surgery to speed recovery. Hydration is important and water can do wonders for the body. Further, eating the right items and avoiding bad food such as high fat or high sugar items can help the body heal more quickly after surgery.
• Wound care is a significant part of after surgery care as well. The incisions created by the surgical procedure, especially after an open procedure, will take some time to heal. This requires the patient to regularly clean and dress the wound. Making sure that hands are washed and dressings are clean will help speed up wound healing and reduce the chance of infection.
• Finally, knowing what to look out for can save a patient’s as well. Any serious pain in the extremities or excruciating constant pain in the incision site may be a sign of infection. Foul smelling discharge as well as anything other than clear discharge may also be a sign of the beginnings of an infection. If any signs of infection begin to develop, call your physician immediately or dial 911 if you believe it is a true emergency.

Recovery after surgery is never easy, but it is an inevitable part of the surgical process. By following directions closely, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to recover in a safe and quick manner avoiding infection and any complications that could arise after surgery.

For that reason, we suggest that as soon as the patient knows they’re undergoing a surgical procedure, they contact their insurance company to see exactly what their coverage entails.  Learning more about their coverage will not only help them understand their policy more clearly, but also avoid unexpected out-of-pocket expenses and costs. When speaking to an insurance company, it is important to understand deductibles, coinsurance as well as the renewal date of the policy. This ensures that the patient knows exactly what they will be responsible for. In cases such as Medicare and Medicaid, pre-approval is not an option, therefore understanding what they cover is all the more important.

For those who may not have insurance, there’s always the option of paying cash for the procedure. Depending on the scope of the procedure, it is sometimes possible to bundle hospital and surgical practice services for a small discount. Patients can also benefit by not having to worry about insurance company restrictions and getting their procedure scheduled and performed more quickly.

Of course there are third-party medical financing options as well as other loan programs available to most patients. Oftentimes a secured loan, such as a home-equity or personal loan can be tapped to pay for surgery. Third-party companies that specialize in medical care offer financing options for qualifying patients. No matter what financing option a patient uses, it is important to understand the risks of financing, which include potential fluctuation in annual percentage rate as well as possibly severe penalties for non- or late payment.

No matter what procedure you expect to undergo, we have a billing department here at Advanced Surgical Associates that is ready and able to help you with the details of your procedure and how to pay for it. Please contact us to learn more about the options in your particular circumstance.

While we try to discharge our patients at the earliest possible opportunity, we’re also acutely aware that the patient should be stable in their recovery before they leave a controlled medical environment like a hospital. Hospitals are uniquely qualified and equipped to handle all sorts of emergencies, small or large. That’s why we try to ensure that our patients have a very low risk of complications once they are discharged. If a complication arises at home, it will take significantly longer to receive the critical medical care in a moment where time is of the essence.

Your hospital stay can vary based on the procedure and how well you are able to recover. For example, elderly patients may take longer to recovery from a complex procedure than a simpler procedure performed on a younger patient. Some procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis, while others may need one, two or more nights in the hospital. The purpose of the hospital stay is to evaluate the patient’s progress in recovery and manage any pain that the patient may experience as the general anesthetic starts to wear off.

It is worth noting that patients who closely follow their post-surgical care guidelines, such as plenty of walking when asked by the medical team, will help speed recovery and ward off infection. Post-surgical care guidelines are a result of seeing thousands of recoveries. Trust us, we know what works best!

Ultimately, we implore you to remember that the hospital stay is an important part of your recovery and nothing should compromise your safety after a surgical procedure. If you have any questions at all about hospital stay and how it can be minimized safely, we are more than happy to discuss options with you.

Your pain can be managed using over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen or stronger narcotic drugs such as OxyContin and other opiates. Generally speaking, we emphasize using the least amount of the lightest drug to alleviate your pain.

While it is tempting to take stronger drugs and eliminate the pain entirely, it is not the best or safest course of action. First, strong narcotics can cause an impairment of judgment leading to the possibility of injury. These drugs can be addictive too. Narcotic and opiate drugs may also mask specific pain that can be point to a complication. For example, severe or searing pain in the surgical site may suggest the onset of infection. Pain in the extremities or in parts of the body that are relatively far away from the incision point may also suggest a complication that needs to be handled immediately.

Please bear in mind that feeling some pain and being able to describe that pain to your doctor or nurse is a very important part of your recovery. Taking only the dose of painkiller that you need and no more will not only help ensure your safety, but also reduce the risk of a complication going unnoticed.

For more information about the pain that you may experience after any given surgical procedure, we welcome you to contact our office to learn more.

Minimally invasive surgery differs from traditional open surgery primarily in the way the surgical field is accessed. Rather than cutting a large 5-8 inch incision, which for example in abdominal surgery cuts right through the abdominal muscle, just a few tiny ½ to 1 inch incisions are needed.

These small incisions allow long-handled surgical tools including a laparoscope or high definition camera to pass though, offering the surgeon a view of the area via a screen mounted above the operating table. The visibility and dexterity that the surgeon retains is impressive and more than acceptable for most applications.

Some of the major benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:

• Reduced risk of overall complications
• Reduced risk of infection
• Less recovery time
• Less pain
• Less visible scarring
• Reduced chance of an incisional hernia

There are certain risks and considerations of minimally invasive surgery and not every candidate is suited to a minimally invasive procedure. For a full rundown of minimally invasive surgery benefits and risks, please schedule a consultation with us to learn more.

You can also visit our page on minimally invasive surgery, which will offer additional information on the procedures we are able to perform laparoscopically.

Hernia surgery has been performed in a minimally invasive manner for years and laparoscopy has become the standard by which these surgical procedures are measured. In the case of a hernia however, laparoscopic surgery is not always the answer. In certain cases, such as the ones that follow, a traditional open surgery may be more effective for a particular patient.

• Minimally invasive surgery can lead to a greater incidence of hernia recurrence.

• If the incision points are occluded by a significant amount of scar tissue, say from a previous surgery in the same area, the laparoscopic tools may not be suitable.

• If the surgeon needs a particularly wide view of the surgical field the laparoscope, or camera, used to project the images of the surgery may not be suitable.

• Multiple hernias may also necessitate an open procedure. If the surgical tools are not able to reach both hernias through the same incisions, it may be beneficial to opt for a traditional open surgery.

Of course the decision to undergo a minimally invasive or open procedure is a discussion that requires a thorough medical review of your personal circumstances, so please schedule a consultation with one of our surgeons to learn more.

Minimally invasive surgery has been touted as one of the biggest advances in surgical technique and right so. Minimally invasive surgery, especially in the general and bariatric surgery spheres, has become the dominant and preferred method of performing surgery. Here at Advanced Surgical Associates, over 85% of our surgeries are performed laparoscopically.

The most important consideration with respect to minimally invasive surgery is that it is not right for everyone. These cases may include:

• Patients who have had previous surgeries in the same area. If there is a significant degree of scar tissue at the surgical site, minimally invasive surgery will not be possible.
• Surgeries that need a greater degree of dexterity and flexibility may need to be performed traditionally. Simply put, there are just times where minimally invasive surgery just doesn’t offer enough latitude.
• Surgeries that require the surgeon to be able to see directly into the surgical field. Of course minimally invasive surgery relies on a high definition camera called a laparoscope, which cannot fully substitute for direct line of sight.
• If the surgeon believes that the procedure cannot be performed laparoscopically while in the operating room. The surgeon may, at that point, convert the surgery to an open procedure to make sure that the patient is best served.

Ultimately there are risks inherent to every surgical procedure and they cannot be fully avoided. While minimally invasive surgery is an excellent option in complication reduction, it is not suitable for everyone and should be discussed with your medical practitioner and surgical team.