PRIOR TO SURGERY
Funding your surgery
ACC Funding
Even if your injury has been covered by ACC, we will need to complete an application to ACC to fund your surgery. This is an Assessment Report and Treatment Plan (ARTP). Approval can take between 10 days and several months. More information on the ACC process.
Health Insurance Cover
We will provide you with an estimate of your surgical expenses and the other information required for your insurance company. Some common procedures are pre-approved automatically under affiliated provided agreements.
Self-Funding
Once your funding is arranged, you can simply contact the office to find a suitable date for your operation.
What you will need
Paperwork and information pack
You will receive a pre-op information pack with a health questionnaire and other forms that you will need to complete and send back to the hospital. This pack also contains instructions on when to stop eating and drinking, what medications to stop and when to arrive at hospital
Slings or crutches
If you require a sling, splint or crutches, you will either need to collect these prior to your day of surgery, or they will be provided at the hospital. We will advise you about this.
Anaesthetic review
For patients with complex medical conditions, we will often arrange for a pre-op review by a specialist physician or anaesthetist to make sure you have the safest operation possible.
Preparing for your surgery
Pre-Habilitation
To get the best result out of your surgery, it is often necessary to undergo a period of rehabilitation prior to surgery. For example, it is critical that a patient undergoing ACL reconstruction can fully straighten their leg and have good muscle function around the knee prior to surgery. We will advise you and guide you in this process.
