Your Guide to Surgery

This Guide will help you understand and become comfortable with the procedures leading up to and following your surgery. Please take time to review this information carefully. Understanding the surgery process can make your visit easier and help improve your recovery.

We encourage you to preregister online by clicking the link here.

Registration must be submitted at least five days before your surgery or as soon as your surgery date is scheduled. Registering online expedites admission to the hospital on the day of your procedure.

What to bring with you to your pre-surgical testing appointment and on the day of surgery.

Your insurance card.
Your driver's license or identification card (ID).
A copy of your living will, medical power of attorney, and guardian papers, if applicable.
Any instructions or additional paperwork your physician has given you.
A list of questions or concerns you may have.

Parking and checking in at the hospital

Please park in the Pavilion II parking garage (217 W Colorado Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208)

Pavilion II hospital entrance hours: 5am – 6pm
Vehicle clearance is 6’ 5”
- There is additional parking for larger vehicles in Pavilion 3
- Vehicle clearance is 7’ 6”

Parking Information and Validation: Methodist Dallas Medical Center operates a ticketless parking system through Metropolis Technologies. Your vehicle will become your parking pass by simply driving into the garage, scanning a QR code, and adding your phone number, license plate, and payment method to the Metropolis platform. No physical tickets needed.

Methodist Dallas Medical Center is proud to offer FREE parking validation for all outpatient customers. Please have your license plate information or Metropolis account ready when you check in at Outpatient Services. Our registration team, as well as procedural area teams, are available to assist with validation.

To pre-register for seamless parking (recommended):

Register in advance at https://app.metropolis.io. This allows for a smooth drive-in and drive-out experience.
You will need: Your mobile phone number and license plate number.
If you do not have a smart phone: Our team will help you when you arrive.

(Bring your license plate number with you)

Daily rates for Pavilion II, III, and Schenkel Parking Garages:

Less than 20 minutes: No charge
20 min-1 hour: $2
1-2 hours: $3
2-3 hours: $4
3+ hours: $5

Metropolis Technologies, Inc is an independent legal entity separate and apart from Methodist Health System and its other affiliated hospitals which includes Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

Financial Responsibility

Once you have preregistered, the Methodist Health System business office will notify you regarding your financial responsibility.

You may be asked to pay in advance for any portion of your procedure that is not covered by insurance. Please bring payment with you on the day of your surgery in the form of a check, cash, or credit card (MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover). Failure to pay in advance for your portion may result in cancellation of your surgery. Payment arrangements may be available.

If you have health insurance, Methodist will bill your insurance company shortly after healthcare services have been rendered. After your insurance company processes our bill, they will send you a summary statement or explanation of benefits (EOB) statement. This statement is not a bill; it is an itemization to show you how much the insurance company will pay the hospital for services and the portion of the bill that is your responsibility to pay. The hospital will send you a bill or statement for any remaining balance that you owe.

If you do not have insurance, you will receive a bill from the hospital shortly after healthcare services have been rendered for any outstanding balance that was not paid at the time of registration or discharge.

The amount we bill you is due upon receipt of the statement. If you are unable to make the payment in full, please contact our customer service representatives at 214-947-6300.

If you do not receive a call to verify your insurance two days prior to surgery, please call 469-204-6500 or customer service.

Physicians and physician billing

All physicians practicing at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, including the physician performing your surgery, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Health System.

Professional fees charged by these physicians are separate from the fees charged by the hospital and will be billed by your physician's office. Please speak with your physician's office and your insurance carrier regarding physicians' fees and out-of-network insurance issues.

You may receive separate bills from multiple physicians, including, but not limited to:

Primary care physicians
Specialty care physicians
Pathologists
Anesthesiologists
Surgeons
Radiologists

Before Your Surgery

The evening before surgery

Notify your physician of any change in your physical condition, such as a bad cold, sore throat, fever, insect bites, sores, or rashes.
Do not drink alcohol 24 hours before surgery. Unless instructed otherwise, do not eat anything after midnight the night before surgery. That includes chewing tobacco, gum, hard candy, and mints. Failure to follow instructions may result in the cancellation of your surgery. You may have clear liquids up to four hours before surgery.
For patients participating in the enhanced recovery after surgery program, please follow the instructions that you were given.
Some patients, including those undergoing a bariatric procedure, may require a bowel prep the night before surgery. You will receive instructions from your physician's office.
Take your antimicrobial shower as directed and remove all body piercings.
Try to get a good night's sleep.

The morning of surgery

Notify your physician of any change in your physical condition, such as a bad cold, sore throat, fever, insect bites, sores, or rashes.
Follow your physician's instructions on whether to take your routine medications.
- It may be inappropriate to take some medications before a surgical procedure, such as diabetic medications, antacids, vitamins, minerals, or herbal drugs.
Bring a list of your medications to the hospital on the day of surgery.
Leave your valuables at home or give them to a family member unless instructed otherwise.
Remove all jewelry, including body piercings, if not removed the evening before.
Remove all makeup and nail polish before coming to the hospital. Acrylic nails may be left on.
Take another antimicrobial shower.
Dress in loose-fitting, easily changeable clothing. At the hospital, you will be asked to undress and put on a hospital gown.
If you wear a hearing aid, please wear it to the hospital.
Bring the cases for your dentures and partials, eyeglasses, and contact lenses to the hospital. At the hospital, you will be asked to remove these.
Please do not bring children under 12 years old with you. Our hospital does not have the facilities or personnel to provide supervision for your children while you are in surgery.
You may be asked multiple times to verbally confirm the procedure your physician will perform. A legal guardian or parent may also provide this information. In most cases, the physician will mark the surgical site using documentation to confirm it. If the site marked differs from the surgical site that you were expecting, be sure to immediately tell your physician or a nurse.
Your surgical preparation also includes a visit from an anesthesiologist who will ask you questions about your general health, past medical problems, prior anesthetics, and all medications that you are taking.
Out of consideration for other families, we respectfully request that only one or two adults accompany you on the day of surgery.

After Your Surgery

In the post-anesthesia care unit

Patients who have had anesthesia will go to the recovery room immediately after surgery.

Nurses will frequently ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being no pain, 10 being the most pain) and will give you pain medication for comfort as needed.
If you feel discomfort or nausea, tell a nurse so you can be given the appropriate medication.
After you awake in recovery, you will be taken back to the pre-discharge unit (for outpatient surgery) or the hospital's surgical floor (for inpatient surgery) to recover.
Regardless of the type of anesthesia you receive, you'll stay at the hospital until your condition is stable and it's safe for you to leave.

Relatives and friends

The waiting room for surgery patients is located on the third floor of the main hospital building, down the hall from the operating room. In some cases, there may be a significant wait before family members or friends can visit a patient.

After your surgery, your physician will contact your family or friends in the waiting room. He or she will talk to them about your condition and let them know that you have been taken to the recovery room. Please remind visitors to remain in the waiting area or leave word at the attendant's desk or nursing station if they must leave. This will help us better communicate with you family or friends and prevent unnecessary delays when you are ready to leave.

Your visitors may rejoin you when you are awake and in your room.

For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot respond to telephone calls regarding your surgical condition. Please have a family member contact the concerned parties.

Going home

You'll want to make arrangements for going home as soon as your surgery date is scheduled. To ensure your safety, we'll release you only when a relative or friend arrives to pick you up and see you home safely.
We strongly urge you to avoid tasks that require skill, coordination, or judgment, such as driving, operating machinery, or making important decisions, for 24 hours after discharge. We also recommend that you have an adult stay with you overnight.