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  Local Anesthesia:
  You remain awake, but the part of your body that will be operated upon is made numb to pain. This loss of pain sensation is produced by directly injecting the area to be treated with numbing medication.
  Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC):
  You will be given pain medication and/or a sedative, in conjunction with a local anesthetic, to keep you comfortable during the procedure.
  Patients often recover quickly from this type of anesthesia.
  Regional Anesthesia:
  You remain awake, but the entire area of your body affected by the surgery is made free of pain.
  Regional anesthetics such as spinal, epidural or caudal are most commonly used in obstetrics and surgical procedures of the lower abdomen, pelvis and lower extremities.
  Nerve Blocks are a type of regional anesthesia most commonly used to numb a single extremity such as one arm or one leg.You may also receive sedatives to ease your anxiety. These sedatives do not cause unconsciousness, but may leave you with little or no memory of the procedure.
   
 
General Anesthetic:
  You are asleep and your whole body is made free of pain.
  It is given by intravenous injection of medications and inhalation of anesthetic gases.
  You may have a breathing tube during the procedure to help you breathe. It is placed after you are asleep and removed before you awake.


  What type of anesthesia will I have?
You may be given either local, MAC, regional, general anesthesia or a combination of one or more types of anesthesia.
  Your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will discuss with you the type of anesthesia, which will meet your needs during your surgery.
  Anesthesia can cause you to lose feeling or sensation during the operation with or without loss of consciousness.

  What are common side effects?
Mild nausea or vomiting for a day or two after surgery is not uncommon. It is more likely to occur if you have a history of nausea and vomiting with past surgeries, if you are susceptible to motion sickness or if you had any type of laparoscopic procedure.
  Depending on the type of anesthesia you receive, you may experience a sore throat, headache, drowsiness, muscle ache and/or fatigue for a few days after your procedure.

  Who will administer my anesthesia?
An anesthesiologist will administer anesthesia during your procedure.
  You will have an opportunity to speak with an anesthesiologist the morning of your surgery.

  Before your Procedure
To get the best results, work with your doctors and nurses to choose the method that will work best for you. We want to make your surgery as pain free as we can. But you are the key to getting the best pain relief because pain is personal. The amount or type of pain you feel may not be the same as others feel, even those who have had the same operation.
  Being prepared helps put you in control.
  Ask the doctor:

-Will there be much pain after surgery?
-Where will it occur?
-How long is it likely to last

  Be sure to:

-Talk about pain control methods that have worked well or not so well for you before.
-Talk about any concerns you may have about pain medicine
-Ask about side effects that may occur with treatment

  You will meet your anesthesiologist in the pre-operative area just prior to your procedure to discuss any concerns about how your discomfort will be managed.
  Your anesthesiologist and operating room nurse are responsible for keeping you comfortable during your procedure.

  After Your Procedure
Your Post Anesthesia Care Unit/Recovery Room (PACU) nurse and an anesthesiologist will manage your discomfort after surgery.
  The amount of discomfort you have is usually related to the type of surgery you've had.
  Anesthesia can cause you to lose feeling or sensation during the operation with or without loss of consciousness.
In the PACU you will be given pain medication as needed.
You can expect to have some discomfort, but it should be tolerable.
Often you will be given a dose of the pain medication that you will be taking when you are discharged to home.




 

ABOUT YOUR ANESTHESIA BILL
 Printable Version – PDF Format
Anesthesia care is provided at HealthSouth San Francisco Surgery Center by San Francisco Surgery Center Medical Associates (SFSCMA). The anesthesiologist are NOT employees of the surgery center or your surgeon.
1. If you or your surgeon has requested an anesthesiologist to participate in your care, you will receive a bill for this service.
  2. This bill is separate and additional from your surgeon’s fee, and HealthSouth’s facility fee.
  3. SFSCMA may or may not be contracted with your insurance carrier; however SFSCMA will accept ALL insurance types for cases approved to be done at HealthSouth San Francisco
4. For information regarding the details of your specific insurance policy’s anesthesia benefits please contact our billing service at:

Alma Graham
SFSC Medical Associates, Inc.
1600 Riviera Ave. #420
Walnut Creek, CA 94592
800-660-7983 or 925-949-2311
BLUE CROSS PPO AND BLUE SHIELD PPO MEMBERS
 Printable Version – PDF Format
Your anesthesiologist is a member of San Francisco Surgery Center Medical Associates, Inc. (SFSCMA). SFSCMA provides anesthesiology services at HealthSouth San Francisco Surgery Center.

As of October 1, 2001 SFSCMA is no longer contracted with Blue shield of California PPO or Blue Cross of California PPO. This situation resulted after several failed attempts to enter into a reasonable contractual agreement with these insurance companies.

As a courtesy to you, we will submit your claim for anesthesiology services at this healthcare facility to Blue Shield or Blue Cross. Because we are no longer contracted with these plans, payment for anesthesia will go directly to you. Upon receiving your check for anesthesiology services performed at HealthSouth, please endorse it and send it directly to:

SFSCMA
1600 Riviera Ave. #420
Walnut Creek, CA 94592

Secondly, you should telephone Blue Cross or Blue Shield of California customer service at the telephone number on your insurance card and explain that you went to a Blue Shield or Blue Cross “contracted” surgeon and a Blue Cross or Blue Shield “contracted” surgery center and that you want to have your claim for anesthesiology reprocessed. Blue Shield or Blue Cross will then reprocess the claim.

If you have any questions regarding your claim, please telephone our billing office at 800-660-7983.

Thank you in advance and we apologize for any inconvenience to you.
 

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