Our Process

You Decide You Need/Want Surgery

After visiting your physician, it has been determined that outpatient surgery, or ambulatory surgery, is the course of action upon which you have decided is your next step. Your family physician has either referred you to one or more surgeons, or you have visited a Trinitas surgeon already and having surgery is your decision. Your surgeon may give you printouts of information about your forthcoming surgery and what is involved. Your surgeon may have given you time to ask as many questions as you need to in order to give you the understanding of what's involved and the comfort to move ahead with the procedure. It's around this point in the process where you begin to interact with Trinitas and the team we have assembled to help your surgeon, and, in turn, you in your time of need.

How To Pre-Register

Your surgeon's staff may give you all the paperwork you need, or we may get the paperwork from the surgeon's office before the date of your surgery. In some cases, there may be some additional paperwork you might need to have completed before the day of your surgery, and we require you to pay any co-payments or other fees that might not be covered before your surgery can be performed.

Our staff will work with you, and your surgeon's staff, to go over all of the details ahead of time.

Pre-Surgical Preparations

Your surgeon's office staff will contact us to schedule your procedure and, at that time, we will go over what is needed in order to make it happen on-time and on-schedule. This can involve receiving test results, x-rays or other radiologic tests and associated reports, lab work, blood work, your medical history and other pertinent information. Please note that every patient must have a history and physical examination before surgery can commence. If you need any of these tests performed before your surgery, we stand ready to book any needed pre-surgical testing here at Trinitas Regional Medical Center. We will contact you before your date of surgery to go over what we have, what we need and whether or not your surgery can go forward as planned or if additional information is still needed.

When Surgery Is Imminent

In most cases, patients receive instructions from their surgeon pertaining to refraining from eating or drinking for certain time periods before undergoing surgery the next day. You may be asked about not wearing jewelry, if possible, or if you have a hearing aid, a pacemaker, an artificial limb, or if you're taking medications. We may ask you to bring your medications with you so we can verify/double-check the dosage information and instructions for each, and how they might interact with anesthesia, for instance.

NOTE: Any patients for gynecological procedures that begin menstruation must notify us immediately, as it may impact whether the surgical procedure can be performed, or if it must be postponed or cancelled.

If you are undergoing general anesthesia or sedation you must have someone accompany you to Trinitas for your procedure. And, you may be prohibited from driving a car, walking or using public transportation for 12-24 hours following your surgery. This is for your safety and protection, and not intended to be punitive in nature.

Your surgeon will instruct you as to whether or not you can eat the night before, how much you can/can't eat, and so on. If you have any questions, you are free to call your surgeon's office or you can call us and we'll do our best to assist you in this process. Unless a procedure depends on it, we don't want you to fast (refrain from eating at all).

Finally, if the patient is a minor we must have a parent or guardian accompany the minor child throughout the entire process, from arrival to departure. Of course, the parent or guardian may not be present when the surgical procedure is performed, unless permitted to do so by the surgeon. It is also the parent or guardian's responsibility to bring the child home, or from the hospital to a destination where it is generally agreed that a patient should rest afterwards.

Your Date of Surgery Is Here

As we prepare in advance for your surgeon to perform your surgery, and for you to arrive and have everything prepared and ready in advance, here are some of the things you will need to take into consideration the morning of your surgery:

• Do you have our address?
• Do you have our phone number in case you run into any problems immediately prior to your surgery?
• Do you have someone to accompany you to/from your surgery?
• Do you have a cane, walker, or other medical equipment we need to know about?
• Do you have makeup on that may need to be removed?
• Do you have any jewelry that needs to be removed?
• Do you have any contact lenses that need to be removed?
• Do you have any body piercings that need to be removed?
• Do you have to bring in your medications for review?
• Do you have clothes on that are comfortable and loose?
• Do you have identification with you that may be needed?
• Do you have insurance cards or other documentation you were instructed to provide?
• Do you have any co-pays that need to be paid before your surgery?
• Do you have any "special needs" that we may need to be aware of in your case?

These are all typical questions that may be asked, along with others. If you have additional questions, or "special needs," please feel free to call us at (908) 994-5000. When you get through the voice prompts, ask for the Ambulatory Surgery Center or, if that doesn't work, ask for the Operator and then ask to be connected to the Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Our goal is to make the entire process as smooth and as problem-free as possible. Your questions are welcome, and we hope to be able to answer each of them to your satisfaction.

Your Surgery Begins

It is at this point that your surgeon will take over and perform your outpatient surgery. Our surgeons are well-versed in our procedures, and our staff is fully-equipped and trained to help your surgeon every step of the way.

Finding the Ambulatory Surgery Center

If you enter the main entrance of our Williamson St. campus, and proceed to the Main Information Desk, our staff will direct you to the Ambulatory Surgery Center. It is located on the second floor of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, but entry to the ASC is gained by going through the main hospital entrance. From the elevator bank adjacent to the Main Lobby you can take the elevator up to the second floor and follow the signs to the Ambulatory Surgery Center.

From Recpetion To Completion

After presenting your identification to our receptionist you will be registered and the process of finalizing your pre-surgical testing can begin in advance of your actual procedure. If everything has been completed in advance, and you are ready to go, great. If you need tests done at the last minute in order to be cleared for surgery, we can help you complete all of the requirements here at Trinitas so that your surgical procedure can commence.

To recap what we mentioned previously, we will have already worked with your physician's office and your insurance company to determine the necessary approvals, co-pays and other financial arrangements that will be in effect. If there are any co-pays that are required from you we will ask you for those at this time.

From a medical standpoint, we will go over the list of pre-preparations that are also described above and make sure you have completed everything correctly in order for your surgery to take place. If there are any issues at that time we will address them.

Our Ambulatory Surgery Suites

We have three Ambulatory Surgery Suites in our Center, each equipped with everything that will be needed for your surgical procedure. You can take great comfort in knowing the ASC is fully integrated with the rest of the acute care capabilities of Trinitas Regional Medical Center. It's located on the same floor as our ICU, CCU, Operating Rooms, Recovery Room, Same-Day Surgery and other life-saving services. This is a distinct advantage when compared to many Ambulatory Surgical Centers that are not hospital-based. If a problem were to occur, and you are already here at Trinitas, your chances of receiving escalated levels of care are not chances at all--they're instantaneous and seamless.

After Your Procedure

When your surgeon has finished and you are in our recovery area, it is our goal to make the balance of your stay comfortable and smooth, but also to help you get home so you can get the rest you'll need to complete your recovery. The person you have brought with you will be a key player in helping you in this period of transition. And, as expected, your physician will have left post-surgical instructions and information for you to read, understand and follow that will help you through your experience. In most cases, you will follow up with either your surgeon, or your primary care physician, or both, depending on your surgical procedure, your age, your general overall health and other related factors.

How Did We Do?

To close the loop and make sure we have done our job correctly, we will contact you by phone at some point during your recovery to ask you to complete a brief telephone survey. If you don't have a phone number where we can reach you we will probably mail a survey to you instead. In either case, our goal is to constantly review our quality levels, our delivery of services and, of course, customer satisfaction. Just like a for-profit business, we are also keenly interested in maintaining a superior level of customer satisfaction. This is done, in large part, by your feedback.