For Outpatients/Day Surgery

This guide is intended to help patients who are coming to Central Vermont Medical Center for outpatient/day surgery to know what to expect.

If you have an outpatient or day surgery procedure scheduled at CVMC, we encourage you to take the time to learn what to expect while you are here at CVMC. Knowing what to expect can help make your experience less stressful.

Preparing for Day Surgery 

Online Patient Registration

Save time by registering online before you arrive.

Financial Arrangements

Contact your insurance company or the benefits specialist at your workplace to make sure you have met your plan’s requirements for prior approval and second opinions, and to understand what portion of the bill your insurance will cover. For more information about insurance, click here.

Financial Assistance

If payment of your medical bills creates a financial hardship, you may be eligible for free or reduced cost care. To find out more about your options, click here.

Arranging Transportation Home

Before you arrive at the hospital you should already have in place arrangements for your transportation back home after surgery.

What to Bring

To avoid losing any important belongings during your hospital stay, please bring only what you need. This might include:

  • Insurance cards;
  • A means for payment of co-pay or deductible;
  • A list of your current medications;
  • A book or magazines;
  • A copy of your advance directives (living will/health care proxy)

DO NOT bring: valuables, non-essential items, extra clothing or your actual medications.

Advance Directives

In the event you should be unable to make decisions in the future, you can control decisions about your health care by completing an advance directive (living wills/health care proxy). For more information about Advanced Directives, go to Vermont Ethics Network.

On the Day of Surgery

Checking In

Your first stop when you arrive at CVMC is Patient Admissions/Registration, which is located directly off the main lobby.

Recovery Room

Surgical patients will spend some time in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), sometimes known as the recovery room, when the surgery is over. Your physician will visit with you after surgery and nurses will provide your treatments.

Waiting Room

If a friend or family member wishes to wait for you during the procedure, a waiting room is located outside of the Surgical Unit. They must follow CVMC's Visitor Policies and are welcome to use any of CVMC's Amenities. Please remember that CVMC has a No Smoking Policy anywhere in or on the property of  Central Vermont Medical Center.

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Discharge

Care Management

Care Management staff are available to assist you with discharge planning, whether it’s about assistance after your return home or transitioning to a rehabilitation facility or other type of post-hospital care. The nurse and care managers can connect you with community resources and help you with other practical and financial concerns related to your hospitalization, including insurance and reimbursement issues. They are available to support you and your family throughout your hospital stay—our goal is to effectively and efficiently promote the best possible outcome for patients, families and the community.

Other things that you will need to consider prior to your discharge include:

  • How will you get home from the hospital?
  • Who will be at home to help you?
  • What limitations will there be on your activity?
  • When can you return to work, driving, etc.?

Discharge Instructions

  • Get written instructions that you can understand for follow-up care and be sure to ask any questions you have regarding the instructions.
  • If you are going home with medical equipment, make sure you understand how to use it or make sure you know who will be visiting you at home to demonstrate the use of the equipment (often times the Durable Medical Equipment supplier does the teaching).
  • Get written instructions for use of medical equipment. Know who to call in case you have questions about the equipment.
  • Get a list of the medication(s) you will take at home, written instructions on how to take them, and written restrictions, such as foods to avoid and activities to avoid.
  • When picking up medication from your pharmacy, read the label. Be sure it is what your doctor prescribed.

Please be sure to follow your discharge instructions, when you return home!

Patient Survey

You may receive a survey from us through the mail. It does take some time to complete, but we are very interested in your feedback, so please do take the time to fill it out. Several people have suggested that we use a Vermont survey company instead of one from out of state. There are only two survey companies that work with hospitals in the United States that are able to supply us with comparison data so we know how we perform compared to our peers. We regret that neither of these companies is located in Vermont.

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