FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ Categories
We want to make your BASC experience as simple and enjoyable as possible.
Our patients often ask us questions prior to their procedures – so we have compiled the most frequently asked questions and sorted them by category to help answer any questions that you may have before visiting one of our facilities.
Should you have a question that you can’t find an answer to on this page, give us a call and our staff will be happy to help you.
General Information
Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) are facilities where surgeries that do not require a hospital inpatient admission are performed. They provide a safe, cost-effective, caring and convenient environment that is less stressful than a large hospital environment.
Surgery center staff will call you the day before your surgery to tell you the time to arrive at the surgical center. If you have not received a call by 2:00pm on the day prior to surgery, please telephone the surgical center to ask about your surgical and arrival time.
Please call both your surgeon’s office and the surgical center as soon as possible. If you call after hours, an answering service will take your message.
Please check with your insurance carrier to review your benefits and determine if pre-authorization is required. If you need assistance with this, the surgical center billing department will be happy to help you.
Please go to the Patient section of this website to review what to do before your surgery, the day of surgery, and after your surgery.
If you are having surgery under anesthesia, with the exception of local anesthesia, you cannot drive, and must be accompanied home by a responsible adult. This policy is for your safety, and is strictly adhered to. You cannot take a taxi home, unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
What to bring the day of surgery
Please bring all insurance cards, driver’s license and information with you. Please leave all jewelry and valuables at home (including rings, watches, necklaces earrings and money). While we do our best to safeguard your belongings, they are best secured at home. Your doctor may provide you with a surgical center Registration Form that you can fill out and bring with you. If your doctor did not give you a blank registration form, you can print out the form under the Forms heading on this website, complete it and bring it in on the day of surgery.
Please bring your list of medications, including the dosages. Also include a list of any supplements, herbal preparations and vitamins that you take.
Please bring any paperwork given to you by your surgeon.
Please bring your healthcare Power of Attorney and/or Guardianship papers (if applicable).
Frequently Asked Questions
We want to make your experience at the BASC Eye Institute as easy as possible, so we’ve compiled some of our most frequently asked questions and answers below. If you still have questions, give us a call and our team will be happy to help you.
The BASC building is at 11 Washington Place in Bedford. The BASC Eye Institute entrance is at the far end of the building with a dedicated parking area for eye surgery patients. As you enter the building, take the elevator on your right up to the second floor.
A BASC Eye Institute nurse will call you approximately 3 days before your surgery with your arrival time and other information necessary for the day of the surgery.
Yes. The One Medical Passport System used by BASC is secure and captures your comprehensive clinical data and other relevant information to be used for this or other procedures at BASC. It is a one-time registration. The information feeds into the chart forms that will be used in your records.
Patients should attempt to complete online registration themselves. If you are having difficulty or do not have access to a computer, please call for assistance. Registration takes about 15-30 minutes to complete.
You will wear your own clothes in the operating room, so wear loose, comfortable clothes – separate top and bottom (not one-piece garments). Long sleeves are recommended as it is cold in the operating suite.
The surgery is typically brief. Time is needed before the surgery to prepare your eye with eyedrops and to allow your relaxing medication to take effect. Typically, patients are at the facility for under two hours. Understand that every patient receives the attention their procedure requires and surgeries vary. There may be a delay or you may be asked to come earlier to the BASC Eye Institute.
Ordinarily, eye surgery patients do well with oral sedative medication given upon your arrival to the surgical center. Some patients may require IV conscious sedation. If that is the case for you, your doctor will make those arrangements with BASC.
Only patients are allowed into the building at this time. We ask drivers to wait in the vehicles or somewhere nearby. Your driver must be within a 15-20 minute distance in order to be here for the discharge instruction period.
Your surgeon will evaluate your healing and advise you about returning to your usual activities after surgery.
No, not in advance of the surgery. The contact will need to be out before preparations begin when you arrive at the surgery center.
Please wear your hearing aids to the Surgical Center. Just before surgery, one hearing aid (on the side of the surgery) will be removed for its protection from the rinse water used in surgery. Your hearing aid will be kept safe and returned to you before you leave the BASC.
Drivers are expected to be available when you are ready for discharge. They should be in the local area within a 15-20 minute drive to BASC.
It is a public safety concern to drive while under the influence of medication. Patients are typically given oral medication [Valium (Diazepam) +/or Ativan (Lorazepam)] before surgery to relax for the surgery. Some patients receive IV sedation. Under these conditions, you may be at legal risk for personal injury or risking others on the road.
Taxi is permitted as a mode of transportation ONLY if you are accompanied by another adult. The Taxi driver is not considered your personal responsible adult on the day of surgery.
If you have a Power of Attorney document for healthcare, activated or not, BASC would appreciate a copy for your records here. If you do not have a DPOAH document, it is not necessary to obtain one for the surgery. However, BASC does offer the forms on its website if you or your family are interested for your future needs.
Your eye will be covered with a clear “see-through” shield. You may expect your vision to be blurry when you leave the surgery center.
Only patients are admitted to the clinical area. We ask that there are no additional people in the building but it is at the discretion of the eye center to make certain accommodations due to individual patient needs.
Specially trained dogs are permitted under controlled circumstances to assist the patient with specific tasks.
Surgery (Adult)
Most patients will not be required to have pre-operative testing. Any pre-operative testing required will be determined by your surgeon, anesthesiologist or as instructed by the pre-operative nurse.
The pre-operative nurse will ask you if there is a chance you may be pregnant. This is important, because anesthesia and medications may be harmful to your developing baby.
A patient’s response to the anesthesia drugs may vary based on drug and alcohol usage.
Smoking may interfere with the anesthetic and frequently produces nausea during the recovery period.
Return to work will be determined by your surgeon.
Return to exercise will be determined by your surgeon.
Undigested food and liquids in the stomach can cause complications and your surgery is likely to be postponed if you forget to follow this instruction.
For safety and sterility reasons, the surgical center does not allow family members or others not on the surgical team to observe surgeries.
The operating room temperature is kept low for the maintenance of our equipment and to maintain sterility of our supplies. You will be kept warm throughout your procedure.
All patients receive an IV except those having local anesthesia.
The surgical center is fully equipped with state of the art emergency equipment and supplies. The surgical center utilizes the same Anesthesia providers as our affiliated hospital, Catholic Medical Center. The recovery room nurses are trained in critical care, and are ACLS (Advanced cardiac life support) certified. In the event of an emergency, the patient is stabilized, then transferred via ambulance to the hospital of the physician’s choice.
Patients are often comfortable when leaving the surgery center and do not think they will need anything as strong as a prescription pain pill. Your pain will be better controlled when you take your pain medication as prescribed. It is much easier to keep your pain under control than try to alleviate it with more medication once you are very uncomfortable. We recommend that you fill your prescription either prior to your surgery or have your ride fill it while you are in surgery. (Please note that most pharmacies will not fill prescriptions for narcotic pain medications without a written prescription.)
Surgery (Child)
We encourage you to discuss the procedure and anesthesia with your child prior to surgery to ease anxiety about surgery. Usually your child’s pediatrician will also have recommendations or tools to suggest to you.
Your child should not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, unless otherwise specified by the pre-operative nurse.
Your physician will direct you whether or not to take medications on the day of surgery. This will also be discussed during your pre-operative phone call.
Comfort items, such as blankets, pacifiers, or a favorite toy are highly recommended. If applicable, diapers and wipes should be brought to the surgical center. It is a good idea to bring an extra set of underwear and pajamas. We will supply the hospital gown that is used in the operating room.
The operating room nurses will bring your child to the recovery room after surgery. Your surgeon will speak to you after the surgery is performed. As soon as your child is awake, the recovery room nurses will ask you to come in. Due to privacy issues we generally ask that only one parent visit with the child at this time.
Depending on the type of surgery scheduled, the anesthesiologist will determine whether or not an IV is required. Most children undergoing anesthesia will require an IV. Occasionally, the IV can be started after the child is asleep.
The Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center is staffed by the Amoskeag Anesthesia, a group of board certified/board eligible Anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). The Amoskeag Anesthesia has been providing the anesthesia services for the Catholic Medical Center for over 20 years.
The Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center is fully equipped with state of the art emergency equipment and supplies. The surgical center utilizes the same anesthesia providers as our affiliated hospital, Catholic Medical Center. The recovery room nurses are trained in critical care, and are ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certified. If necessary, once stabilized, your child will be transferred by ambulance to the hospital.
If your child has a fever, symptoms of a cold, or other illness, call the surgeon and the surgical center, because your child’s surgery may need to be rescheduled.
Endoscopy
The colonoscopy requires that you take a bowel prep or regimen of laxatives and a liquid diet. This ensures that your colon is clean and clear of stool for a better examination. It is very important that you follow the instructions given to you by your physician. If you feel you cannot finish the prep, please contact your physician’s office for instructions.
The gastroenterologists that perform procedures at the Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center are board certified or board eligible through the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Sometimes a bowel prep can make you nauseated or even cause you to vomit. If you do vomit or are unable to continue your prep, be sure to notify your physician immediately. The physician will instruct you on how to proceed with your preparation.
Your physician will give you instructions regarding medications. If you are a diabetic, please contact the physician that manages your diabetes for specific instructions.
Even though sedatives wear off quickly after your procedure, they can affect your coordination for up to 12 hours. Technically, you are legally impaired. Therefore, for your safety and for the safety of others on the road, please bring someone to drive you home. Your procedure will be cancelled if you have no one to drive you home.
Generally diets are not restricted following the procedure.
Most endoscopic procedures are done under what is called “conscious” or “moderate” sedation. This involves giving you one or more medications through an intravenous (IV) line. This type of sedation causes you to become drowsy and relaxed, and you may sleep during the procedure, not consciously aware of what is occurring. In addition, some medications produce a temporary short-term amnesia effect. Therefore, you may not remember anything that occurs during and sometimes for a short time after the procedure.
This type of sedation does not really “knock you out”. You will be able to breathe on your own and follow simple commands. For most patients, this sedation is more than adequate for their procedure. If you drink moderate to large quantities of alcohol, take sleeping pills, or are on anti-depressants or pain pills on a regular basis, this can alter the efficacy of the sedative. Be sure to discuss this with your physician prior to the day of your procedure.
The Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center is fully equipped with the latest emergency technology and supplies. The registered nurses are trained in ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support).
After awakening from sedation, you may feel drowsy and sleepy for the remainder of the day. If you have an upper endoscopy, you may find yourself belching for a short time following awakening, and your throat may be sore, but usually you will be back to normal in 24 hours. If you have a colonoscopy, you may feel bloated immediately after the procedure, and you will be encouraged to expel the air. Do not be embarrassed – air was introduced during your procedure to dilate your colon for better viewing.
Your physician will usually be able to tell you how well your procedure went and possibly some preliminary findings prior to your discharge. If tissue samples were obtained, your physician’s office should be in contact with you in 7 – 10 days with the results. Contact your physician’s office if you have any questions about your results.