Preparing For Your Surgery
At New Mexico Surgery Center Orthopaedics (NMSCO)
Pre Anesthesia Screening
You must complete a pre-anesthesia screening prior to your surgery date. This can be completed one of two ways:
Visit: www.onemedicalpassport.com (Click here to download instructions.)
If you meet any of the following criteria, you must visit NMSCO (8300 Constitution Avenue NE) in person:
- Kidney / Hepatic Disorders
- Cancer
- Bleeding Disorder
- Diuretics
- Taking Coumadin
- Hypertensive Medications (High Blood Pressure)
- Next Day Surgery
- 65+ Years Old
- Body Mass Index (BMI) > 40
- Diabetic
- Heart Problems
- COPD / Emphysema
If you have any questions regarding your pre-anesthesia screening, you can call NMSCO at: (505) 291-2388.
The Surgery Schedulers at NMSCO will call to confirm your appointment and your arrival time the day before your scheduled surgery. We finalize the schedule the day prior to accommodate specific patient needs, such as children going first, diabetic patients going early in the morning to limit the negative effects of fasting, or placing patients with potential infections at the end of the day for room sterilization purposes.
NMSCO may require various specialty clearances. If so, these must be provided to your physician’s office at New Mexico Orthopaedics prior to your surgery.
Additional Resources
Pre Surgery Instructions
Anytime
- If you are sick or on any antibiotics, please let us know as soon as possible!
14 Days Before
- Stop taking weight loss medication.
5 Days Before
- Stop taking herbal supplements and vitamins, unless instructed by your doctor.
- Talk with your doctor about stopping Coumadin, Plavix, Aggrenox, or other blood thinners.
- With your prescribing physician’s approval, stop taking aspirin and other NSAID’s like Ibuprofen, Aleve, or Naprosyn. Tylenol is okay to take.
2 Days Before
- Do not shave the surgical site. We will shave for you the day of surgery if needed.
- Drink plenty of fluids, this helps with dehydration.
24 Hours Prior
- No alcoholic beverages 24 hours prior to surgery. Drink plenty of fluids – this helps with dehydration.
- No tobacco products 24 hours prior to surgery. If you use medical cannabis, please contact NMSCO to discuss this further.
Night Before Surgery
- Please shower or bathe.
Midnight
- Do not eat or drink anything after midnight or your surgery will be rescheduled.
Day of Surgery Instructions
Morning of Surgery
- You may use deodorant and brush your teeth. Wear clean, loose-fitting clothing. Do not wear body lotion, make-up, jewelry, nail polish, hairspray, or contacts. Leave your valuables at home. Remove body piercings prior to arrival for surgery.
- Don’t take any oral diabetic medications the morning of surgery, as this will be administered by NMSCO Staff.
- Do not take insulin. If you take Lantus, take your dose the morning of, or night before surgery. Bring your insulin with you. If you use an insulin pump, leave it on basal rate only.
- If you take medications for your heart, blood pressure, asthma, thyroid, or reflux; take your normal dose the day of surgery with a small sip of water.
- Bring a current and valid photo ID, insurance card, list of current medications, and form of payment.
- You may leave your crutches in the car unless you need them to get to the surgery center. A member of our team will transport you to your car after your surgery.
After Surgery
- You must have an adult, 18 years or older, stay with you at the surgery center until discharge to drive you home. An adult must remain with you for 24 hours after surgery.
- Parents of children 18 and under must stay in the surgery center lobby for the child’s entire stay. Please no children visiting in the recovery room under the age of 12. No more than 2 visitors per patient at a time.
Surgery Day
What to Expect
You will check in for your procedure at NMSCO located in the Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital. Remember to bring a list of all current medications, a current and valid photo ID, and your insurance card. Without these items, your surgery will be rescheduled.
After check-in, a nurse will greet you and escort you to the pre-operative holding area where they will confirm your information and type of surgery. You will be provided a personal bag for your belongings and a surgical gown to change into.
The nurse will then prepare you for surgery. This may include:
- Starting an IV line.
- Shaving the surgical site.
- Cleaning the body part using an alcohol based or iodine antiseptic.
Your physician will greet you, discuss the procedure, and mark the surgical site with their initials using a surgical skin marker.
An anesthesiologist will discuss the anesthesia being used and verify you do not have any adverse reactions to the medication. You will need to sign a consent form for the anesthesia.
You will then be wheeled into the operating room on a stretcher. Once the procedure is complete, you will be moved to the recovery area. You will be monitored for up to two hours while the effects of the anesthesia wear off.
At this time, visitors will be allowed to see you. Please remember all visitors must be 12 or older and no more than 2 visitors at a time.
After you’ve recovered, you’ll be discharged from the surgery center and escorted to your car in a wheelchair by a surgery center staff member. We will provide you with a post-surgical information packet from your physician.
What Should I Bring?
- Current and valid photo id
- Health insurance & prescription cards
- Valid form of payment
- Any forms that your surgeon’s office asked you to complete
- List of allergies you have and medications you’re taking, along with times and dosages
- Eyeglasses & case (do not wear contact lenses)
- Clean, comfortable, loose-fitting clothing
- Inhaler or insulin pump, if necessary
- An adult to drive you home
- Brace, sling, crutches, etc. (any devices dispensed to you from your physician’s office)
Additional
Information
Contact & Billing
How to Contact Us
If you have questions after your surgery, you can contact your care team directly. However, they may be seeing other patients, so you may need to contact our main number to have a message sent to them. If you have an emergency after hours pertaining to your surgery, please call your physician’s office at New Mexico Orthopaedics – (505) 724-4300 and follow the prompts to speak with the physician on call.
Billing Information
Three companies are involved in your surgery: NMSCO (the facility), New Mexico Orthopaedics (the physician), and Anesthesia Associates (the Anesthesiologist). Due to this, you will likely receive 3 separate bills. NMSCO will contact you prior to your surgery to collect your out of pocket expense. If you have any questions regarding these bills, below are the contact numbers for each company:
- NMSCO (505) 291-2300, option 1
- New Mexico Orthopaedics (505) 224-8222
- Anesthesia Associates (505) 260-4343
Surgical Outcomes
New Mexico Orthopaedics is continually striving to improve the quality of care that we provide. Upon scheduling a surgery with New Mexico Orthopaedics, you may receive an email directing you to a set of surveys regarding your current condition. You will be asked the same questions both before and after your procedure. Your answers allow us to track your improvement after surgery. We appreciate you taking the time to answer the questions.
Disclaimer
NMSCO is owned in part by physicians who are members of New Mexico Orthopaedics, which may include your physician. Consequently, your physician may have a financial interest in NMSCO. You have the right to choose an alternative source of service. Should you desire to do so, please contact your physician’s office and ask for a list of sites where he/she has privileges to practice.