VA Health Insurance Benefits and Surgery

VA health insurance pays hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to provide surgical procedures and medical care for its clients. Some of the costs go to emergency care and emergency surgeries. Whether your surgery is an emergency or not, you will, no doubt, have many questions about the procedures. VA health insurance answers some of those questions. Here are some facts about your upcoming surgery.

1. How long does surgery take? You should have an appointment with your surgeon before the day of your surgery. During this appointment, he will tell you how long the surgery should take.
   
2. Why do they want me there so early?
   a. Checking into the surgical center will take a while.
   b. Your medical history and current medications will be checked.
   c. Your identity will be matched with the impending procedure by every person with whom you speak.
   d. A nurse will also start an IV for the anesthesia and for any medication or fluids that will be administered.
   e. You also will probably need blood work done.
   
3. Why do I have to call the day before? Surgery schedules change quite often. Not only may there be an emergency that changes the schedule, the surgeon himself may get sick, requiring postponement of surgeries. Checking ahead of time is recommended by VA health insurance in order to keep you from wasting your time.
   
4. Why do I have two different times listed? When you visited with the surgeon, he may have told you the time he expects to do the surgery. However, the hospital will state a time 2 hours earlier than that to complete the check-in procedure.
   
5. Can any family members stay with me? Your family members can stay with you in the preoperative areas in most hospitals. VA health insurance does recommend they take sanitation precautions to keep from contracting any illnesses, and to keep from bringing in any illnesses. Visitors are usually limited to no more than 1 or 2 people at a time.
   
6. How does my family receive updates on my surgery? If your surgery continues for an extended period of time, an RN will go to the waiting room periodically to update your family members. When your surgery is finished, an RN from the operating room will ask the reception desk to call you into the conference room. There, your family will meet with the surgeon.
   
7. Why can't I have anything to eat or drink? Surgery is very hard on your body. In addition, you will be administered anesthesia. The strain of surgery, the affects of anesthesia and the fact that you will be unconscious for a period of time all contribute to a hazardous situation for you if you have food or a lot of liquid in your stomach. If you throw up during surgery, you may inhale the vomit, creating a life-threatening situation. In addition, the surgical site will be endangered.
   

VA health insurance wants you to have a successful surgery, with no complications.