Preparing for Surgery
Your doctor will give you instructions to prepare for the surgery.
The information below should not replace your doctor’s instructions, but it can prepare you for your hospital visit/stay.
Pre-Admission Testing
Pre-Admission Call from Mon Health Medical Center
Day Before Surgery – Plan Ahead
Where To Go and What to Bring for Registration
What To Expect Immediately Before and After Surgery
Information for Friends and Family and Caregivers
Going Home
Pre-Admission Testing
Not all patients require pre-admission testing. But if you do, come to the “Lab/Pre-Admission Testing” area, which is adjacent to the main lobby of the hospital. Enter the building at the Main Entrance.
304-285-2920.
Pre-Admission Call from Mon Health Medical Center
Orthopedic patients: Your doctor’s instructions will tell you when to expect a phone call from the pre-admission nurse, and when to arrive at the hospital for your procedure.
All other surgical patients: A Mon Health Medical Center nurse will call you the day before your surgery or procedure. If your surgery is scheduled on a Monday, you will be called on Friday. The nurse will tell you:
- What time to arrive at Mon Health Medical Center
- When (what time) you should stop eating or drinking
All Patients:
The pre-admission nurse will ask you for some health information, such as a history of your past surgeries, as well as your medications.
It is helpful to have a list of your medications available for this phone call. Include over-the-counter drugs that you routinely take. It might be easier to gather the medicine containers and read the labels to the nurse.
If you have any pre-admission questions, please call:
Please
do not call these numbers to cancel your procedure. If you wish to cancel, contact your doctor’s office. If it is after hours, you may call Mon Health Medical Center’s house supervisor at
304-285-6648.
The Day Before Surgery – Plan Ahead
We want your visit with us to flow as quickly and smoothly as possible. Please assist us by following these instructions:
- NO solid food, infant formula, milk products or alcohol after midnight before your surgery, unless you are otherwise instructed by your doctor or the pre-admission nurse.
- NO chewing gum or tobacco use after midnight before your surgery.
- DO NOT wear makeup, nail polish, perfume, hairpins or jewelry on the day of your surgery. This includes piercing jewelry.
- If you wear glasses, contact lenses, dentures or hearing aids, remember to bring protective cases.
- Leave ALL valuables at home.
There are some documents you need to bring to the hospital. See below
Where To Go and What to Bring for Registration.
For outpatients (going home the same day): Arrange to have an adult (over the age of 18) to:
- Wait for you on the hospital campus for the ENTIRE duration of your stay.
- Drive you home. (You may use public transportation as long as an adult accompanies you.) Failure to comply may cause your procedure to be cancelled.
- Stay with you for 24 hours after your procedure.
For inpatients (staying at the hospital overnight): Arrange to have an adult (over the age of 18) to accompany you home when you are discharged from the hospital.
See below
Going Home for more information about being discharged from the hospital.
Where To Go and What to Bring for Registration
Please review your doctor’s instructions before you come to the hospital for your surgery. The instructions will tell you to arrive at a specific surgery center at Mon Health Medical Center. Your pre-admission call will reinforce this information. If you have questions, please call in advance:
304-285-2920
For directions to your specific surgery center, as well as parking information, please click below:
Endoscopy Center
SurgiCare North
SurgiCare South
Center for Outpatient Surgery
The following items/documents are important to bring with you:
- Physician order
- Insurance Cards
- Photo Identification
- Copays and Deductibles
- Living Will/Medical Power of Attorney (also known as “Advance Directive”) if it is not already on file.
- Medicare/Medicaid Card (if applicable)
- List of medications
Even if you stay in the hospital overnight, you may NOT be considered an “inpatient.” Make sure you understand if you are a
hospital inpatient or outpatient.
When you arrive at your specific surgical center, please check in at the front desk. There will be a lobby with magazines and other amenities to provide a comfortable wait.
You will be taken to a private room where the registration process will begin. Registration staff will gather information such as your address, birth date, telephone number, Social Security number, insurance, etc. You will also be issued an ID bracelet. One family member/friend/caregiver is permitted to be with you during the registration process.
We strive for patient privacy. Each patient has the option to have their name listed in the hospital information directory. If you choose not to list your name, we will turn away flowers, visitors who don’t know your room number and phone calls (including family members.)
What To Expect Immediately Before and After Surgery
Pre-Surgery
Before your surgery, you will undergo the admission phase of your stay. A nurse will collect your vital signs, such as temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure. After that, you will be brought to a prep room where you will be provided with appropriate hospital clothing. Before you are taken to the operating room, your anesthesiologist and your surgeon will check in to review the details of your surgery.
After your preparation is complete and your questions have been answered, you will be transported to your procedure room. Once you arrive, the staff will begin your final surgical prep.
Post-Surgery
When your surgery is complete, you will be transferred to a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) or “recovery room” for continuous monitoring. This is dependent on your procedure and center. Once you are fully awake and alert, you will receive instructions on what needs to happen until you may be discharged.
When you are discharged from the hospital, make sure that you understand the post-surgical instructions given to you by your physician and nursing staff. We can coordinate post-surgical instructions with a caregiver whom you designate, such as a family member or friend, to assist you once you get home.
Information for Friends and Family and Caregivers
All three surgical centers have comfortable waiting rooms for family, friends and/or caregivers. Patients should direct them to the specific surgical center. Click below for directions.
Endoscopy Center
Orthopedic Center
SurgiCare Center
Center for Outpatient Surgery
During Surgery: Waiting for the Patient
Different procedures can take different amounts of time. The doctor will usually give waiting family/friends/caregivers an approximate length of time for the procedure. The staff member or volunteer at the desk can answer questions.
When patients are admitted, they are issued a “patient number”. Family/friends/caregivers can use this number to track the patient’s progress on the Patient Tracking Monitors in the waiting areas. These monitors will show when the procedure is complete, and when the patient is in the recovery area.
- Endoscopy Center: At least one adult (over the age of 18) must come to the hospital with you and stay in the waiting area during the entire procedure. The procedures do not take long. Children under the age of 14 should not be left unattended, including when the designated adult is with the patient after surgery.
- SurgiCare North and South: At least one adult (over the age of 18) must stay on the hospital grounds, either in the waiting area, café or cafeteria. (Please let the person at the desk know if you leave the waiting area.) Children under the age of 12 should not be left unattended, including when the designated adult is with the patient after surgery.
- Center for Outpatient Surgery: One designated adult (over the age of 18) will be given a beeper. When the beeper sounds, the individual should report to the waiting room and await the doctor’s update. Please do not leave the building with the beeper. Children under the age of 12 should not be left unattended, including when the designated adult is with the patient after surgery.
Immediately Post-Surgery
- Outpatients (going home the same day): One designated adult (over the age of 18) is permitted at the patient’s bedside in the post-procedure area.
- Inpatients (staying overnight in the hospital): One person at a time may be permitted to come to the patient’s hospital room after discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU)
Going Home
After your physician has authorized your discharge, a member of the nursing staff will assist you with the discharge procedure.
There must be an adult (over the age of 18) to:
- Drive you home. You may use public transportation, as long as an adult accompanies you.
- Stay with you for 24 hours after your procedure and/or discharge.
When you return home from the hospital, we hope you will tell us how well we met your expectations. You will receive a questionnaire from the hospital within a week of your discharge. We truly appreciate your completing it and returning it to us. Your input will help us make improvements so that we may continue to provide the best possible care.