Frequently Asked Questions

• Administrative Questions
• Clinical Questions

Administrative Questions
Many of the answers to these questions can be found in our financial policy.

Q:		What health insurance plans do you accept?
A:		We accept most major health insurance plans. You can always call our office to find out if we accept your plan (770-474-7287).
Q:		What things do I need to bring with me to my office visit?
A:		Your insurance card, a photo I.D., any referrals or test results (ex., lab, x-rays, etc.) given to you by your referring physician, and a list of your current medications.
Q:		Do I need to check with your office prior to my appointment to make sure a referral has been sent (if needed)?
A:		Yes. A referral is needed in order for you insurance to pay your bill. You can be seen without it, but you will be considered a self-pay patient. Which means that you will be responsible for paying the cost of the office visit yourself.
Q:		Will there be a co-pay necessary to see one of your physicians?
A:		Yes. Our surgeons are classified as specialists by insurance companies.
Q:		Will you file insurance with more than one insurance company?
A:		Yes. Many of our patients have secondary insurance plans.
Q:		Do you accept Worker's Comp?
A:		Yes, provided the incident has been properly reported and approval has been received.
Q:		Do you accept third party payors (ex., injuries from a Motor Vehicle Accident filed under the other driver's insurance)?
A:		No.
Q:		Do I have to pay a co-pay for post operative visits?
A:		Yes, if it is included in the contractual agreement between you and your health insurance company.
Q:		Who will take care of my disability forms?
A:		Our clinical department staff will complete these forms. Please bring your forms to the office as soons as possible, because it often takes a week for us to complete them. There is a $20 charge for each form.
Q:		Who will be responsible for the pre-certification of my surgery?
A:		The clincial department staff will notify your insurance company and obtain the necessary approvals. They will forward this information to the appropriate hospital.
Q:		How can I tell if one of your web-based forms is secure or uses SSL?
A:		Several of our web-based forms have been made available on Web pages in a secure sockets layer (SSL) environment that utilizes 128-bit encryption. Utilizing SSL technology enables information that is entered into these HTML forms to be encrypted, so that it is extremely difficult for anyone to intercept and read information between your computer and the server to which you are making a connection. All SSPC forms on this Web Site that utilize SSL can be identified in several ways: The Web pages with HTML forms utilizing SSL may have text on the page indicating that SSL is being utilized or the word "Secure" may appear somewhere on the page. The Web page address (URL) will begin with the following: https://www.surgerysouth.com/ Please note that the beginning part of the address should include "https" and not just "http". The "s" indicates that the Web page is utilizing SSL. When the Web page is opened, a notification message may appear to you stating that security has been enabled. Some indication in your web browser (such as a closed padlock in Internet Explorer) may appear to indicate that SSL is enabled.
Q:		Can I send e-mails to Surgery South about my account or my medical condition?
A:		We recommend that you do NOT do this from your e-mail client. If you want to submit that type of information to us electronically, we suggest that you use our Secure Contact Form.

Clinical Questions

Q:		Will my surgery be performed in your office?
A:		Some patients will have ultrasound guided needle core biopsies for breast masses in our office. Incision and drainage of some abscesses and thrombosed hemorrhoids may be done on the initial visit at our office if deemed necessary by the physician. Otherwise, no surgeries are performed at our office.
Q:		How long will it be before I have surgery?
A:		If your situation is deemed as an emergency by the physician, the surgery will be scheduled as an emergency surgery. Otherwise, it may take between 2 - 3 weeks. This is so we can pre-certify the procedure with your insurance company and schedule the surgery at the hospital.
Q:		When will I be notified that I have been scheduled for surgery?
A:		One of the members of our clinical department will call you several days after your office visit to inform you of your date for surgery. A pre-operative visit at the hospital will be scheduled 2-3 days before your actual surgery for an anesthesia assesment. If you have underlying medical problems (heart, respiratory, etc.), you may be asked to obtain medical clearance before your surgery. A post-operative visit at our office will be scheduled approximately one week after your suregery to make sure you are recovering well. Dr. Escalera, the senior partner, holds post-operative clinics on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. You will see him for your post-operative visit unless otherwise informed.
Q:		Who will give the instructions for taking of myself after the surgery?
A:		The clinical department staff will give you these instructions when they go over your hospital papers with you. If you have any questions, please call us (770-474-7287).
Q:		After my surgery, how long will I have to wait until I can return to work?
A:		That is dependent on several factors: type of surgery, your occupation, and your rate of recovery / recuperation.
Q:		What do I do if I have post-operative problems at night or on the weekend?
A:		Just call our main office number (770-474-7287). We have an answering service that allows us to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our answering service will have the on-call physician from our group return your call.
Q:		Can I drive myself home after my surgery?
A:		No. Most patients receive general anesthesia or I.V. sedation. It dangerous for you to operate a motor vehicle under these conditions. Further, you should not operate a motor vehicle while taking prescription pain medication.