PRIOR TO SURGERY

If you decide that you would like to proceed with surgery, there are a number of administrative steps that must be completed prior to your surgery day. We have included some information below to help you understand what is required of you and ensure that you are 100% prepared for your surgery.

Hospital Pre-Admission Pack.
Upon making the decision to proceed with surgery, you will be given a hospital pre-admission pack to read over and complete. The forms inside ask for important information such as your contact details, previous and current health conditions, medications and allergies. You need to be as accurate as possible with these forms as they are used by the healthcare team treating you during your stay.

You will need to complete and return these forms to the hospital no later than one week prior to your operation. Information on where to send the forms is included within the pack.

Anaesthetic Assessment.
Prior to surgery, you will be required to complete a questionnaire to provide information for your anaesthetist.

If you are fit and healthy then generally you will not require a formal anaesthetic assessment. Your anaesthetist will either call you the day before surgery, or see you on the day of your operation to talk about your anaesthetic.

If you have any significant medical health conditions you may be required to meet with your anaesthetist prior to your surgery. They may recommend that further testing take place such as blood tests, cardiac tests or to get reviewed by another specialist such as a cardiologist. This is to all ensure you are safe to proceed with surgery.

Pre-admission Clinic.
In some cases, the hospital may make contact with you the week prior to your surgery to arrange for you to come in for a pre-admission assessment. At this appointment they may take your blood pressure, complete an electrocardiogram (ECG), take your weight and discuss your medications. All of this information is then passed on to your anaesthetist.

Arranging Surgery Date.
Once you have made the decision to proceed with surgery, you will need to advise us how the surgery to be funded. Once we know this, we can start the process for getting pre-approval for your surgery and booking your surgery date.

1. For ACC claims, we will submit the request for surgery on your behalf. Please note that ACC's approval process can take 2-8 weeks to complete before a decision is made. Mr Karpik will advise you as soon as we receive a decision from ACC. If your request is approved, we can then arrange a surgery date with you.
2. If you have private health insurance, you will need to submit an application to ensure your procedure is covered - we are able to provide all of the documentation that your insurer will require in order to submit your claim. If you are with Southern Cross Health Insurance or NIB, we can submit an application on your behalf for some procedures. Once your claim is approved, you will be able to arrange a date for surgery.
3. If you are self-funding your surgery, we will provide you with an estimate for all costs before you decide to proceed.

Hospital Stay.
With improved techniques for managing your pain post-operatively, most patients are able to go home the same day of surgery.  Procedures such as knee arthroscopy are day case operations. Rotator cuff repair, shoulder stabilization, ACL reconstruction are overnight stays.  Knee and hip replacements typically are in hospital for 3-4 nights and shoulder replacements 2 nights.

Transport Home.
You are not able to drive yourself home after surgery. Therefore, you will need to arrange for someone take you home. For day-stay procedures, you will take around 2-4 hours to fully wake up from your anaesthetic. If you are staying in hospital overnight, you will normally be discharged around 10am on the final day of your stay.

Surgery Locations.
Mr Karpik operates at two private hospitals; Mercy Hospital and Brightside Hospital. Your pre-admission pack will specify which of these hospitals your surgery is taking place in and will contain all of the necessary information. Please find addresses for these locations below.