Surgery Planning and Care

Scheduling a Surgery Date

The date for surgery may be given by a member of our staff during at the time of your consultation or afterwards by our surgical scheduler, Vivian Fonteboa.  Viviane and the rest of Dr. Genden’s clinical team will assist you with coordinating your surgery date and ensure you know what documentation is needed for your medical clearance for your surgery.

Medical Clearance and Preadmission Testing

Please understand that your health and safety are our most important objective. Therefore, surgical scheduling will often depend on medical clearance, cardiology clearance, or other physician clearances. Communication between our surgeons and your physicians is critically important to ensure a safe experience. Obtaining these clearances and collating all of your medical information takes time, so we advise our patients to have their medical clearances sent to our office for review at least TWO weeks prior to their surgical date to help avoid any delays. Helping us to gather this information and schedule your pre-surgical clearances will expedite the surgery.

For some patients, testing and other consultations may be required prior to surgery. You may be asked by your surgeon to visit our Pre-Admission Testing Center (212-241-3188) where you will meet with our medical team, nurses, and patient care associates, who will interview you and may conduct basic tests, such as blood tests, electrocardiogram, and chest X-ray. If you come to our Pre-Admission Testing Center, please bring:

1. A list of all the medications you are taking (including dietary supplements and herbal remedies)
2. Results of heart or lung tests (if you have them).
3. The names and telephone numbers of doctors you see on a regular basis
4. A list of any allergies you have (i.e. to medications, foods, and/or substances like latex or iodinated x-ray contrast). Test results can also be faxed to our office at 646-537-9373 as well as, the pre-admission testing center (212-659-8328).

Medications

Special instructions about your medication(s) in the days before your surgery may be given to you by your surgeon or by the anesthesiologist. In particular, drugs that prevent blood clotting (blood thinners, such as Coumadin, Plavix, aspirin, NSAIDs, and some herbal supplements) will require special instructions. Do not stop your blood thinners unless you are told to stop by your doctor.

Stop Smoking

Research has clearly shown that smoking can increase the chances of complications of anesthesia and surgery, and also causes many long-term health problems. In addition, smoking is not permitted inside the hospital facilities. So now would be a perfect time to break the smoking habit. For help quitting (counseling, support, nicotine replacement, and other aids) speak with your doctor or read the Smoke Free for Surgery brochure.

Confirming the time of your surgery

If you are scheduled for surgery, our office scheduler will call you the day before surgery to tell you what time to be at the hospital. Although your date of surgery is confirmed weeks in advance, the time of surgery will be confirmed the day prior.

Financial Planning

Our Financial coordinators will work with you to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses, if any. 

We will communicate with the hospital and your insurance company to inform them of your surgical plan. You may receive a call from your insurance company, the hospital billing office, or our financial coordinator regarding your insurance benefits.

If you have any questions about your financial responsibilities, you may reach out to our billing manager, Marsha Moua at 212 241-2267.

Hospital charges
Questions related to hospital charges for your surgery can be addressed to Hospital Financial Screening (212-731-3600). If your surgery/procedure requires anesthesia services, you will receive a bill for anesthesia services separate from the hospital and surgeon. The anesthesiologists participate with many, but not all insurance plans. The surgeon's participation (or lack thereof) with an insurance plan may affect the anesthesia bill. Questions about billing and payment can be addressed in advance by calling our anesthesia billing providers (800-627-4470).