COVID-19 Precautions
Following Illinois Department of Health guidelines, patients who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (i.e., individuals who are at least 14 days past completion of their vaccine series) are not required to undergo pre-procedure COVID-19 testing. Patients who are not fully vaccinated are required to take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their procedure.
One Medical Passport
At least three days before your visit please complete an online registration with One Medical Passport, this will help to minimize long phone interviews and paperwork prior to your visit. The day before your procedure, a nurse will call you to review your health history and inform you of your arrival time.
Financial Responsibility
One of our business office representatives will contact you prior to your procedure regarding your insurance eligibility and financial responsibility, if applicable. You are responsible for all fees not covered by your insurance. You can make the payment via phone at (877) 516-2321 or through our secure website before your procedure date. If you are experiencing a financial hardship, you are able to apply for care credit through the One Medical Passport online registration.
Surgical Readiness Instructions
Please follow the instructions below to assure safety and proper preparation for your upcoming procedure.
- You will need a responsible adult to pick you up from the Rush SurgiCenter after your procedure. This is required or else your procedure will be cancelled. We know how important the presence family and friends are in the healing process, unfortunately, due to COVID-19 guidelines, we currently have a no visitor policy so your ride cannot accompany you to the center. In certain circumstances, exceptions to the visitor policy will be made for some patients, including children. For questions regarding this contact our pre-op nurse at (312) 563- 2904.
- Do not smoke or drink alcohol for 12 hours before your procedure.
- Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your procedure, including gum and mints.
- Take your routine morning medications as instructed with a sip of water.
- Bring a form of payment with you (we accept payment in advance to ease your registration process).
- Bring your insurance card and photo ID with you on the day of surgery.
- Do not bring valuables with you.
- Do not wear makeup, nail polish or jewelry on the day of surgery.
- Wear loose-fitting clothing.
- Remove all body piercings.
- Do not bring young children with you.
- Do not wear contact lenses.
- Wear or bring your glasses with you.
Upon Arrival
When you enter the Rush Professional Building (1725 W. Harrison St.), follow the signs to Elevator 3 and proceed to the 5th floor where the SurgiCenter is located, Suite 556. Before and after registering, you may be asked to relax in the patient waiting area. The nursing staff will call you when it is time for you to get ready for your procedure.
Note, all visitors will be screened at the information desk nearest to your point of entry to the Rush Medical Center and will be required to wear a Rush-issued mask, and not be experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, body aches, loss of smell. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please call our pre-op nurse at (312) 563-2904 for any questions or concerns.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your surgery, please call your surgeon so they can determine when your procedure should be rescheduled.
You and your family member/friend will receive clear and concise post-operative instructions, including necessary medications and after-care reminders. When you are ready to go home, we will give you a discharge instruction sheet that lists important phone numbers and specific instructions from your physician. The day after your procedure, a nurse will call you at home to see if you have any questions. Please discuss any and all of your concerns with the nurse.
General Discharge Instructions
Notify your doctor if you experience any of the following:
- Increased pain not relieved by pain medication
- Fever greater than 101°
- Increased bleeding, redness and/or swelling at the procedure site
- Difficulty breathing and/or persistent nausea or vomiting
If you are unable to reach your physician, please call (312) 942-5000 and press '0' for the operator, then ask to have your physician paged. You will need to leave a phone number so the physician can reach you.
Medication
- If you are given a prescription, take as directed.
- If you are not prescribed a pain medication, you may take a non-aspirin medication such as acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) or ibuprofen (e.g., Advil) as the label directs.
Local Anesthesia
- Following your procedure, you may return to your normal activities as instructed by your physician.
- You may experience some post-operative discomfort.
- A prescription for pain medications may or may not be given to you.
General Anesthesia/Sedation
- For your safety, you must have a responsible adult with you for the 24 hours following your procedure.
- You may experience lightheadedness, dizziness and/or sleepiness; this is normal.
- When walking, keep your head level and look straight ahead.
- You should not do any of the following:
- Drive a car, operate machinery or use power tools
- Drink any alcoholic beverages, including beer
- Make any important decisions
- As for your diet, start with liquids and slowly progress to solids.
- Do not take any sedatives, antihistamines or sleeping pills for 24 hours.
Regional Nerve Block
- Nerve Blocks affect many nerves including those that control movement, pain and sensation. This type of block will cause you to feel the following sensations:
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Heaviness
- Weakness or inability to move your arm or leg; a feeling that your arm or leg has "fallen asleep"
- A nerve block can last anywhere from 8-12 hours or more depending on the medications used.
- Your surgeon will give you a prescription for pain medication that you must start taking before the nerve block starts to wear off. The purpose is to have your pain under control once the block has worn off.
- It is recommended that you take your pain medication as prescribed, even when sleeping . So be sure to set your alarm.
- Nausea is very common when taking pain medication. You should eat something before taking pain medication.
A member of our nursing team will contact you in the days following your procedure to check on your recovery and answer any questions that may occur after your discharge. You will also receive a satisfaction survey via e-mail. We appreciate your responses about your experience here at the Rush SurgiCenter.