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Frequently Asked Questions About AnesthesiaClinical QuestionsYou’re about to undergo surgery and, no doubt, you have a question or two about anesthesia. For this reason, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) has compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) along with answers. If you have additional questions or need some clarification from the answers here, be sure to speak with the anesthesiologist who is to perform your procedure.
Insurance QuestionsBelow are answers to a range of Frequently Asked Questions about insurance that were received in our Customer Service Center. If your question is not answered here, please feel free to contact Customer Service.
Notice of Privacy PracticesPlease click here to download a copy of NAPA’s Notice of Privacy Practices. Are there different types of anesthesia? There are three main types of anesthesia: local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and general anesthesia. Each has many forms and uses. Local AnesthesiaIn local anesthesia, the anesthetic drug is usually injected into the tissue to numb just the specific location of your body requiring minor surgery, for example, the hand or foot. Regional AnesthesiaIn regional anesthesia, your anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of your body that requires surgery. You may remain awake, or you may be given a sedative. You do not see or feel the actual surgery take place. There are several kinds of regional anesthesia. Two of the most frequently used are spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia, which are produced by injections made with great exactness in the appropriate areas of the back. They are frequently preferred for childbirth and prostate surgery. General AnesthesiaIn general anesthesia, you are unconscious and have no awareness or other sensations. There are a number of general anesthetic drugs. Some are gases or vapors inhaled through a breathing mask or tube and others are medications introduced through a vein. During anesthesia, you are carefully monitored, controlled and treated by your anesthesiologist, who uses sophisticated equipment to track all your major bodily functions. A breathing tube may be inserted through your mouth and frequently into the windpipe to maintain proper breathing during this period. The length and level of anesthesia is calculated and constantly adjusted with great precision. At the conclusion of surgery, your anesthesiologist will reverse the process and you will regain consciousness in the recovery room. What are the risks of anesthesia? All operations and all anesthesia procedures have some risks and they are dependent upon many factors, including the type of surgery and the medical condition of the patient. Fortunately, adverse events are very rare. Your anesthesiologist takes precautions to prevent an accident from occurring, just as you do when driving a car or crossing the street. The specific risks of anesthesia vary with the particular procedure and the condition of the patient. You should ask your anesthesiologist about any risks that may be associated with your anesthesia procedure. What about eating or drinking before my anesthesia? As a general rule, you should not eat or drink anything after midnight before your surgery. In certain cases, you may be given permission by your anesthesiologist to drink clear liquids (up to a few hours before your anesthesia procedure). Should I take my usual medicines? Some medications should be taken and others should not. It is important to discuss this with your anesthesiologists. Do not interrupt medications unless your anesthesiologist or surgeon recommends it. Could herbal medicines and other dietary supplements affect my anesthesia if I need surgery? Anesthesiologists are conducting research to determine exactly how certain herbs and dietary supplements interact with certain anesthetics. They are finding that certain herbal medicines may prolong the effects of anesthesia. Others may increase the risk of bleeding or raise blood pressure. Some effects may be subtle and less critical, but for anesthesiologists it is better to anticipate a possible reaction than react to an unexpected condition. So, it is very important to tell your doctor about everything you take before surgery. What makes office-based anesthesia different? There is one fundamental and very important difference between office-based anesthesia and receiving anesthesia in a hospital or ambulatory surgical center. The strict, well-defined standards and regulations that keep surgery and anesthesia very safe in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers do not uniformly apply to physicians’ offices in the United States. How is an epidural block performed for labor and delivery? An epidural block is given in the lower back. You will either be sitting up or lying on your side. The block is administered below the level of the spinal cord. The anesthesiologist will use a local anesthesia to numb an area of your lower back. A special needle is placed in the epidural space just outside the spinal sac. Should I stop smoking before my surgery? The bottom line is quit smoking now. Your surgery represents a golden opportunity to do so. There is evidence that smokers who quit at or before surgery experience fewer symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and are more likely to succeed in their attempt to stop smoking long term. Although it may take 3-6 weeks for the lungs to recover from some of the effects of smoking, and you have only 2 weeks to go, there is still, on balance, benefit to you if you stop. If you need help to quit smoking for good, be sure to speak with your primary care doctor. For some patients, the doctor can recommend the use of nicotine replacement therapy (such as a nicotine patch or gum) to help you cope with the withdrawal from your nicotine cravings. Does NAPA accept my insurance? NAPA makes every effort to participate with all major insurance carriers. Please see the insurance listing on the site for a comprehensive listing of insurances accepted by each state, and how each one is applied. I received two bills from NAPA. Am I being double billed? No, you’re not being double billed. We understand it can be confusing, but we need to abide by Medicare regulations put in place by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). According to these regulations, all services performed by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) under medical direction or supervision of an Anesthesiologist must be billed separately. In most cases, the charge for Anesthesia is split and half of the charge is billed out under the Anesthesiologist and the other half under the CRNA. Medicare will split their payment – half to the Anesthesiologist and half to the CRNA. In other words, it’s the exact charge put in place by CMS; it is just billed under two different providers. I received a statement saying my payment was passed due. But I sent a check; didn’t you receive my payment? Sometimes the statements we send and your check can cross in the mail Please check the date on the statement; many times statements are mailed prior to your payment being posted to your account. If you still have any other questions, please contact our Customer Service department for information on your specific account. Why did I receive a collection letter when I never received a statement? It’s unlikely you would receive a collection letter prior to receiving a statement from NAPA. We make every effort to resolve payment issues internally before we move to the collection process. Our internal statements are sent out every 28 days, for over 3 months. If payment is not received within 3 months, or you have not contacted us to discuss your account, we may begin a collection process at that time. Can I receive a discount if the balance I owe is part of my deductible or co-insurance? Or can NAPA accept insurance payment as payment in full? NAPA is required by federal and state laws to balance bill patients for their deductible and co-insurance. If you are unable to pay due to financial hardship, please contact our office and we will discuss your specific account with you. Was my claim submitted to insurance? I gave all my insurance info at the hospital. If you provided accurate insurance information at the hospital, then yes, we will submit a claim directly to your insurance carrier. If your insurance information was different than what you gave at the hospital, please contact us and give us your updated information so that we can correct the claim. Why didn’t my insurance pay NAPA’s charges in full? And how did NAPA determine what my co-pay or co-insurance was? Depending on your specific plan, you may be subject to a co-pay, deductible and/or co-insurance. Your insurance carrier sends NAPA a statement to NAPA, called an Explanation of Benefits, which tells us what portion of your bill you are personally responsible for. If you have a question on your level of benefits, we suggest you contact your insurance carrier directly. How much is my procedure going to cost if I am a private patient? If you are a private, or self-pay, patient, please contact our office for an estimate of how much your anesthesia bill will be. We will need to know the following information: the facility you will be having the procedure at, the procedure and approximately how long your surgeon estimated the surgery will last.
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