Surgery Scheduling

Once it has been determined that a surgery is the best option for your healthcare needs, the following steps should be taken to ensure proper pre-operative preparation, financial coverage, scheduling, and post-operative care.

1. Dr. Donthineni submits the procedure to the surgery scheduler. For an urgent case, this is done immediately, in some cases during the initial doctor’s visit. However, the urgency and complexity of the procedure will determine the amount of time the doctor needs to plan the details of the surgery itself. In most cases, surgeries are planned within a week of deciding to have the surgery.
2. Once the surgery details are received, the surgery scheduler will check to see if an insurance authorization is required. If so, the proposed procedure and clinical documentation are submitted to the utilization management department of the insurance company for review. Although the submission can be done within 30 minutes, insurance companies can take up to 10 business days to determine if a procedure will be authorized. If a request for further medical documentation is requested from our office during this time, our office replies within 24 hours.
3.  The doctor may require the patient to obtain medical clearance before a surgery can be scheduled. For example, the patient may need to have a physical from the primary care physician, or cardiac clearance to make sure that the patient is fit for surgery. These appointments should be made as soon as possible and reports should be faxed to our office. These appointments can be made while the insurance authorization is pending but sometimes a clearance or report is needed before the surgery can be planned.
4.  After the patient is cleared for surgery and an authorization request is approved, the scheduler will contact the patient to give notification of the authorization and check scheduling availability for surgery. The scheduler then books the surgery at an outpatient surgery center or local hospital depending on the type of procedure to be performed.
5. In most cases, a pre-operative appointment is also scheduled with the hospital. The purpose of this pre-operative appointment is to perform standard tests that routinely screen for any abnormalities in the patient’s health. These tests, such as an EKG, blood test, and chest x-ray need to be performed within 1 week of a procedure to be valid any may be waived if they can be done during the Primary Care visit (if applicable).
6. Upon scheduling the surgery and pre-op with the surgery facility, the scheduler will contact the patient again to confirm the date and times of the appointment.
7. After surgery, the patient should contact our office for a post-operative visit to make sure the incision site is healing properly and that the patient is recovering well. .