Surgery can be a stressful time for patients and their loved ones. While you may meet your surgeon prior to your procedure day, such an encounter with your anesthesia provider is not typically the norm. Preparing for surgery and anesthesia is a process that should be outlined in a complete set of instructions provided by your surgeon. Additionally, there should be an active dialogue between the surgeon, her/his staff, you, and your loved ones that includes discussing the risks and benefits of the procedure, what to expect during the recovery phase, and the costs associated with your procedure or surgery.

Patients are often not oriented thoroughly on the expected costs from the multiple specialists and other entities such as hospitals and labs involved in the care continuum. There are many complex changes taking place in healthcare and it can be confusing and frustrating for the patient and their families to try to fully understand the process especially during the stressful perioperative period. Doctors’ offices, outpatient healthcare facilities, and hospitals are merging in order to provide a more streamlined approach to care delivery and lower healthcare costs for consumers, employers, private insurers, and the government. There is a push at the state and federal level to create greater transparency for patients concerning their out-of-pocket costs and to protect them from unexpected bills from healthcare providers and delivery systems.

For all clinical questions, please thoroughly discuss and understand the process with your care team. If you feel that your questions and concerns about anesthesia care are not satisfactorily answered to the depth and breadth with which you expect them to be, we will be more than willing to have a detailed dialogue with you. Please ask your surgeon’s office to arrange a discussion with one of our clinical staff members. Additionally, we are champions of the movement toward greater cost transparency for patients and are more than willing to discuss your potential financial responsibilities as they relate to anesthesia services with you. You can reach us directly at 888.894.5413 for any and all anesthesia billing-related inquiries.