Before Surgery

Pre-Registration 

A few days prior to your surgery, a representative from Pre Certification might reach out to gather your pre-registration details. If you have any questions about insurance verification, feel free to call the CareLine at 919-350-2273. During this process, our Patient Account Representative will need some personal and financial information from you, so it's a good idea to have everything ready, including your policy numbers and claims addresses for your health insurance. Depending on your coverage, you might also be asked to provide a deposit.

Pre-Op Appointment 

Your surgical evaluation appointment will be arranged by your doctor within two to four weeks before your procedure. This meeting can take place either in person or over the phone with a surgical nurse. Prior to surgery, you’ll need to undergo some pre-operative tests, which may include blood and urine tests, and in some cases, chest X-rays or EKGs. These tests can be done up to 14 days before your surgery, or even on the day of the procedure, depending on what’s required.

Plan for your pre-op visit and lab work to take about two hours. During this time, you’ll meet with a pre-op teaching nurse and a member of the anesthesia team. It’s important to bring a current list of your medications, including dosages and how often you take them. You typically won’t need to fast before this visit unless your doctor specifically instructs you to do so.

If you’ve had any relevant blood tests in the last three months or other tests like a chest X-ray, EKG, heart stress test, heart catheterization, or lung function tests within the past two years, make sure to bring a copy of those reports to your pre-op visit. Alternatively, you can fax them to 919-350-2562.

Requirements

It's important to inform your surgeon if you're taking aspirin or any blood thinners. Before discontinuing these medications prior to surgery, consult with your cardiologist or primary care physician. Common blood thinners include Coumadin (Warfarin®), Dabigatran (Pradaxa®), Enoxaparin (Lovenox®), Clopidogrel (Plavix®), and Prasugrel (Effient®).

  • Stop using alternative medicine, like herbal remedies and weight loss supplements, two weeks before your surgery.
  • Avoid alcohol and smoking for 24 hours leading up to your surgery.
  • For bottle-fed infants, formula is okay up to 6 hours before your appointment. Breastfed infants can nurse up to 4 hours prior.
  • Contact your doctor if you have any symptoms like fever, cold or flu before surgery.
  • Being sedated with food or liquid in your stomach can be dangerous. The night before surgery, don’t eat anything after midnight unless your WakeMed Pre-Op nurse says otherwise. This includes gum, mints and tobacco products and alcohol. You may have clear liquids up to one hour before your arrival time to the hospital. Clear liquids are fluids you can see through and include black coffee (no cream), tea (no cream), soft drinks, apple juice and high carbohydrate nutritional drinks. Do not drink orange juice, broth, gelatin or alcohol.
  • Avoid shaving the area where the surgery will take place.
  • If you regularly take medications (like aspirin or insulin), check with your surgical evaluation nurse about whether to take them the night before.
  • If you receive CHG bath instructions, make sure to follow them. It’s important to minimize the risk of infection, so stick to the bathing guidelines.

Outpatients Only

  • Have an adult accompany you at the hospital during your procedure.
  • Ensure an adult is available to stay with you at home for 24 hours post-surgery.
  • For endoscopy, your family or designated driver must remain on-site until discharge, as these procedures are brief.

Advance Directives

Federal law mandates that we inform all adult patients about advance directives. At WakeMed, we have established policies to respect advance directives that comply with North Carolina law.

During the registration process, you will receive written materials outlining the state's regulations on advance directives. We can also provide you with copies of the living will and health care power of attorney forms. Additionally, feel free to ask for our hospital policies related to these documents.

If you have designated a health care power of attorney, please remember to bring the legal documentation to verify this appointment.

Organ and Tissue Donation

When you choose to donate your organs and tissues, you're offering an incredible gift: the chance for someone else to live. Thanks to recent advancements in medicine, many organs and tissues can now be successfully transplanted. If you're interested in becoming an organ donor, just ask your nurse or doctor for a Uniform Donor Card.

For more details about organ and tissue donation, feel free to reach out to Carolina Donor Services at 1-800-252-2672. They can provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Cancellations

Surgery may be canceled in these instances:
  • Food and drink guidelines are ignored.
  • No responsible adult is available to drive you home or stay with you for 24 hours post-surgery.
  • There are unexpected changes in your medical condition.
  • You arrive late on the day of surgery.
  • Primary care physician, cardiac, medical or specialty evaluations are not received (when deemed necessary) by our surgical evaluation team.

Contact your physician to cancel a surgery in advance.

Billing & Insurance

Estimates Inquiry: 

To get in touch with the automated system, call 919-350-7808 at least three business days before your surgery, between 8 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. You'll need to provide your name, phone number, the type of surgery, the scheduled date and duration, as well as your surgeon's name. We will return your call with an estimated hospital bill, but keep in mind that this is just an estimate; your final bill will depend on the specific services your doctor orders.

View a list of insurance plans accepted by WakeMed and learn more about Billing & Insurance.