Perham Health offers a multitude of inpatient and outpatient surgeries – from ear tubes to total joint replacement; our talented surgical team receives outstanding reviews from patients. Their trust in us is humbling and continues to push us to work harder to meet their needs and expectations.
When your primary care provider recommends you need surgery, various emotions can happen. However, we want you to have peace of mind and confidence in the care you will receive by asking questions. Although we understand you may be anxious, rest assured we will do everything we can to ensure you are well-prepared for your surgery.
The following is a basic summary of the outpatient surgery process. Keep in mind that different surgeries come with other procedures. Your surgeon will thoroughly discuss your process in detail with you.
- Your primary care provider will refer you to one of our surgeons. The surgeon will discuss why the surgery is needed, what the surgery will include, recovery time, and expected outcomes. It is essential that you ask all the questions that you have so we can support you through the experience.
- Following the visit with the surgeon, Perham Health will contact your insurance for a prior authorization. If there are any coverage concerns, you will be notified by our staff. Once the prior authorization is received – usually, this takes one to two days – you will receive a call to schedule your surgery. Surgery can generally be scheduled within two weeks.
- If required, you may need a pre-op physical with your primary care provider.
- The day before your scheduled surgery, you will receive a call from the surgery team with the time you need to arrive the next day. During this call, eating and drinking restrictions will be reviewed. The restrictions can vary slightly depending on the surgery performed. At this time, bringing up any lingering questions is ideal.
- Upon arrival, you will be checked in and escorted to your room. You will be asked to change into a surgery gown. Then the nurse will review your health history, take your blood pressure and other vital signs, and insert an IV to administer medications during surgery. Your surgeon and anesthetist will visit and explain what will occur and how long the surgery will take. They will be sure to ask if you have any remaining questions. They want you to feel as comfortable as possible with your surgery and will take the time you need to feel confident in your care.
- The next step is surgery. Your nurse will take you to the operating room and remain with you throughout your surgery and recovery until you wake up. Your nurse will then take you back to your room to finish recovering.
- Once back in your room, you will receive something to eat and drink. If you need medications, these will be ready for you to take home. A return post-op visit is scheduled for approximately a week later. You will obtain a standard list of restrictions and instructions and be ready to leave now that your outpatient surgery is complete.
- The day following your surgery, you will receive a call from your surgery team to check in on how you are doing, if you have any concerns, and as always, to answer any questions you may have.
The surgery team at Perham Health is committed to offering exceptional care close to home. We value the trust you put in us to care for you and your family before, during, and after surgery. To learn more about the surgeries performed at Perham Health, go to perhamhealth.org/surgeries.
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Community Relations
Perham Health
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It’s good to know that your primary care provider is the one who refers you to a surgeon. I’m hoping that I can talk to my doctor this week about getting surgery for my deviated septum. Hopefully, I can get that done in the next three or four months.