Patient Information

A Guide to Day Surgery

Welcome to McCourt Street Day Surgery where we offer patient-centred care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values. It is our belief that partnering with consumers is key to guiding clinical decisions.

 

We understand that for many of our patients, this is their first experience having a procedure in a day surgery. On this page we have put together some answers to questions other patients, their families or carers, have asked us in the past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shower or bathe prior to arrival

Wear comfortable, loose clothing, cotton-blend underwear and socks

Leave all jewellery and valuables at home.  While we have lockers for your belongings, the day hospital is unable to accept responsibility for lost or misplaced items.

A list of your current medications.

Any medications which may need to be taken immediately following the procedure (ie: insulin).

Your private health fund membership details.

Your Medicare card.

Any xrays requested by your surgeon.

Socks (it can be very cool in the operating theatres, even in summer).

Our receptionist will greet you on the day of admission where you will be asked to complete some paperwork and finalise your day hospital bill.  A nurse will take you through to an interview room where your health history will be confirmed and a nursing assessment will occur.  Depending on your type of surgery, you may be asked to put on a hospital gown and hat.

 

An anaesthetic nurse or technician will collect you from the interview area and walk you through to the operating theatre.  There may be many people in the room, including the surgeon, an anaesthetist, some technicians, therapists and nurses.

 

After your procedure you will be taken to our recovery room where you will be monitored by some registered nurses, until you are ready to go home.

You will be contacted in the week before your surgery to advise what time you are required to arrive at the day hospital.  This information may be sent via your nominated email or you may receive a telephone call from one of our day hospital nurses.

We welcome compliments, comments and even complaints about your interaction with our healthcare team.  If a concern arises it is always best to tell the staff so they can resolve the issue immediately.

Be assured that we deal with complaints quickly and confidentially.  Making a complaint will absolutely not impact on the service you receive, and we take these as opportunities to learn and provide an improved service in the future. 

Patients are usually able to go home two hours after their procedure has finished.  Our staff are able to provide you with an estimated time of discharge, based on how long your procedure is.

Our safety policy does not permit patients to discharge unaccompanied by an adult or to drive themselves home.

Detailed instructions to assist you in the days after your surgery will be provided at the time of discharge by the recovery nurse.

Patients are usually able to go home immediately after their procedure has finished, however in some cases, we may recommend 30 minutes resting in recovery before you depart.

For safety and legal reasons, we advise patients not to drive for 24 hours following an anaesthetic.

Having a general anaesthetic or intravenous sedation requires that you DO NOT EAT for at least six hours prior to your surgery. This is to help avoid the risk of any food entering your lungs while you are under sedation.

You may drink water up until two hours prior to surgery.  This does not include tea, coffee, sweet drinks, sports drinks, sports water, sparkling water, or alcohol.

 

This information will be provided to you before your surgery.  Please note some anaesthetists will have different rules about fasting, so you need to abide by the information given to you by the pre-operative nurse phone call or email information.

DO NOT eat sweets or chewing gum on the day of surgery.

 

If you normally take medications in the morning, please confirm with your anaesthetist if it is safe to take them on the day of surgery.

 

If you are diabetic, you will need to confirm with your anaesthetist about any special fasting requirements.

All relevant details relating to your visit will be billed directly to your private health fund provider.  You will be asked to sign a claim form prior to the procedure giving us permission to bill your health fund. In the event the account is posted to you, please sign the claim form and send it directly to your health fund as soon as possible.

Most health funds have a hospital excess.  This is payable on the day of surgery.

All other accounts such as from your treating doctor, anaesthetist or pathology will be billed separately.  Each hospital visit may generate the following charges:

Hospital Account:

Paid directly to hospital by direct transfer from health fund or in full on the day if uninsured.

Surgeon’s Account:

Mostly claimed from Medicare and health fund

Anaesthetist’s Account:

Mostly claimed from Medicare and health fund

Pathology Account:

Pathology Company if specimens are taken during the procedure.

Hand hygiene is the most effective measure in preventing transmission of infections. You will see all our clinicians washing hands or using alcohol based hand rub often during your admission. We will encourage you, and any visitors, to use the alcohol based hand rub on arrival at reception.

As each health fund varies, it is advisable to contact your health fund to ensure you are covered for the procedure booked.  There may be a gap between what you are covered for and the cost of the procedure.

The day hospital has fees separate to the surgeon’s fees.  You will be asked to sign a claim form prior to the procedure for the hospital procedure fee.  This gives us permission to claim directly to the health fund. 

 

In the event the claim form is posted to you, please sign the claim form and send it directly to your health fund as soon as possible. 

 

Patients with excess tables are required to pay health fund excess on admission.  Patients with less than top hospital cover (ie: basic) will be required to pay the balance on the day of the procedure.

McCourt Street Day Surgery does not yet link to the MyHealth Record system. Security of individual health records is of the utmost importance to the staff within the day surgery and until all issues surrounding the security of the MyHealth Record system interfacing with our records system are mitigated, we will delay linking the two systems.

 

Individual patients may request information from their day hospital medical records for their GP to upload on their behalf. Such requests must be in writing to the Manager for approval.

The day hospital is open from Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00 hours on non-operating days. On operating days the hospital opens at 06:30 am, which now include Saturdays and public holidays. Please ensure you confirm you date and time of your procedure with our administration team.

Payments can be made using all major credit cards, including American Express, EFTPOS or cash.  Direct funds transfers can be made prior to the day of surgery.

Our day hospital does not provide payment plan options.

McCourt Street Day Surgery complies with the National Privacy Principals in the gathering, storage and sharing of private health information.  Information collected is directly related to care and treatment of the patient, government, statistical gathering and private health billing requirements.  Accrediting bodies and the Health Department have access to medical records in accordance with legislative requirements.

Only under certain circumstances may patient information be shared without the patient’s consent and these circumstances are strictly covered by health legislation. 

Medical records are owned by the hospital and a patient will need to request permission to access their medical records. A fee may be charged to provide a copy.

The day surgery supports Version 2 of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.

All patients are welcome at McCourt Street Day Surgery.  A person without health insurance will be required to pay the total cost of the procedure on admission. The surgery will not proceed until payment is completed.