Once you have decided to proceed with surgery, several steps will be taken in an effort to coordinate services for your procedure.
Our office will call your insurance company to see if a prior authorization is required for Dr. Dungy’s services. We encourage you to contact your insurance company to inform them about your upcoming surgery and obtain your plan benefits.
Dr. Dungy would like to make sure that you are healthy enough to recover from surgery. You will be required to obtain labs and an EKG through a lab or your primary care provider. Some patients may require additional clearances from other care providers in order to safely proceed with surgery.
Dr. Dungy will review your pre-operative results. If the tests are abnormal or additional testing is required, Dr. Dungy will call you. Otherwise, if your lab results fall within normal limits, the surgery scheduler will contact you to schedule your surgery.
When you receive a call from the surgery scheduler, you will choose a surgery date based on the options available. Once a date has been chosen, we will contact your insurance provider to obtain authorization.
After the authorization has been initiated, a staff person will contact your insurance company to determine if you have any financial responsibility for your procedure and any associated x-rays. Any financial responsibilities will be collected 2 weeks prior to your procedure. Please remember that we do not obtain financial responsibility related to anesthesia, home health, or the surgical facility. We will provide you with a contact list should you wish to directly contact the other providers or facilities involved in your treatment.
After your surgery has been approved, will contact you to pick up your surgery packet which will include consent forms, appointment information, and reference materials. The surgery packet is a booklet filled with information about the surgery process. You must read, understand, sign, and return the consent included in your packet no later than 1 week prior to surgery. Keep the booklet and resource documents for your future reference.
You should call your insurance company to verify your benefits and ensure that Dr. Dungy and the facility for your surgery are within your network. The insurance company may ask you for surgical codes. Please feel free to contact the office if you need your specific surgical code.
Finally, remember to tell your family and friends about your upcoming surgical date. You will need to arrange for help after surgery as part of your recovery as well as secure a ride to and from the facility on your day of surgery.