Day of Surgery

On the day of your surgery, park in the free patient and visitor lot in front of the hospital. Come in the main entrance of the hospital and go to the Information Desk. Please be sure to bring your driver’s license and all medical insurance cards with you. After verifying that all of your insurance and demographic information is correct, an armband will be placed on your wrist. You will then be sent to the Day Surgery Reception Desk.

If you have a living will or health care power of attorney, please bring a copy for your hospital records.

Before Surgery

To prepare for surgery, follow these guidelines carefully:

Outpatients Only

• Arrange for an adult to accompany you to WakeMed Cary Hospital and drive you home following your procedure. You will not be allowed to drive yourself home or be released to a taxi.
• Arrange for an adult to stay with you at your home for at least 24 hours after your surgery.

All Patients

• Please brush your teeth the morning of surgery, but do not swallow any water.
• Bathe or shower before surgery.
• Do not take your insulin or diabetes pill.
• Take medications as directed by the nurse during your pre-anesthesia clinic visit or telephone interview.
• If you have asthma, bring your inhaler to the hospital.
• If you use a CPAP machine, please bring it to the hospital with you.
• Bring a list of all medications, including dosage, that you are taking on a regular basis to the hospital. Inform your nurse if you have taken blood thinner medications within the last month prior to surgery.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothes.
• Remove contact lenses.
• Do not wear any makeup and remove dark nail polish.
• Leave valuables at home, including jewelry/piercings and money. You will be asked to remove all jewelry and body piercings before surgery.
• Arrive at the Patient Information Desk at the arrival time the nurse tells you. This is different than your surgery time, usually two hours before your surgery.
• Upon registration, you will be asked for a picture ID for verification and your insurance card.
• After registering, you will be brought back for pre-op preparation. Your family will wait in the lobby during this time. Once prepped, you will be allowed two visitors in the pre-op area. We ask that children not be left unattended in the reception area.
• You will be asked to sign a surgical consent prior to surgery. If the patient is a minor, a parent or legal guardian must be present to sign the consent. Proof of legal guardianship must be provided. Also prior to surgery, your anesthesiologist will meet with you in the pre-operative area to discuss your plan of care.
• As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the utmost safety for our patients, you may be asked the same questions by more than one caregiver. The staff responsible for your care will verify who you are, what kind of surgery you are having and the part of your body on which surgery is to be performed. You will be asked these questions many times. Staff will also double check what you tell them against the documents from your doctor’s office. While it might seem redundant, it is an important part of our quality assurance process.
• Depending on the type of surgery you are having, your surgeon mark the correct location of your body on which the procedure is to be performed. Site marking is a critical step in ensuring your safety and preventing errors, especially if you are having surgery on one of your arms, legs, hands, fingers, eyes, ears, etc.
• Just before the surgery begins the entire surgical team will take a “time out.” During this time out, the members of the team ensure that they are performing the correct procedure at the correct site and on the correct person.

During Surgery

• An estimation of surgery length may be given by surgeon
• Surgery may be delayed due to emergencies, or previous surgeries extended longer causing delays
• The OR staff may call to update families for extended surgeries
• Please ask the receptionist at the desk if you are concerned with a delay or need information

Billing & Insurance

Co pays will be collected at patient registration as well as additional payment for special procedures such as lenses, bariatric and cosmetic surgeries.  Note you will be billed separately for services performed by the anesthesiologist, surgeon, pathologist and radiologist.

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