Pre-admission Testing

If you’re having surgery at UHS Binghamton General Hospital, UHS Wilson Medical Center or our new Ambulatory Surgery Center at Wilson Place, any required pre-admission testing will be performed at our Pre-Admission Testing Center, located at Wilson Place (across from Wilson Medical Center). This facility offers you the convenience of going to one location for all your PAT needs. In addition, you’ll be cared for by expert, friendly staff in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.

Depending on the number of tests ordered by your physician, your PAT appointment may take up to two hours.
 

Location
Wilson Place is located at 52 Harrison Street in Johnson City. It’s at the corner of Park Place and Harrison Street, across from Wilson Medical Center.

Parking
From Hudson Street, pull into the covered area to use our complimentary valet parking service. We encourage you to use this service since parking at Wilson Place is limited. Patient parking is also available on Park Place, at the southern end of Harrison Street.

Hours
We are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Your surgeon’s office will let you know if you’ll need any pre-admission testing (PAT) before your surgery. If you’ll require PAT, this will be performed at the hospital. The surgeon’s office may schedule the PAT appointment for you, or our Ambulatory Surgery Department will call you to schedule your PAT appointment. If you prefer to call us to schedule your PAT appointment, you can reach the Ambulatory Surgery Department at 607.337.4154. We’re open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Please make your PAT appointment as soon as possible after your surgery date has been established. Your surgeon’s office will inform you of the date and time of your surgery.

If you can’t keep your PAT appointment, please call us at 607.337.4154 to reschedule. Reschedule your appointment no less than 2 days and no more than 14 days before your scheduled procedure.

Even If You Don’t Need PAT, You’ll Still Need to Come In

Even if you won’t require PAT, our Ambulatory Surgery Department will call you and ask you to come in prior to your surgery or procedure to register and complete necessary paperwork.

Special note for parents/guardians of children having surgery: We encourage you to bring your child in to the Ambulatory Surgery Department before surgery so the child can become familiar with what will take place. We find that this allays the child’s fears. This is usually done when the parent/guardian comes in to complete registration/paperwork.

Your physician’s office will let you know if you’ll need any pre-admission tests before your procedure. If you’ll require any tests, these will be performed at the hospital.

The surgeon’s office may schedule your testing appointments for you, or you can call the appropriate department (listed below) to make the appointments yourself. When calling, please be sure to ask about any special preparation you should make for the test, such as should you eat before the test, should you take your regular medications before the test, etc.

If your physician has ordered the following tests for you prior to your surgery/procedure, please call:

For laboratory tests, 607-865-2165
Open Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday by appointment only

For radiology tests, 607-865-2126
Please call to schedule an appointment

For cardiopulmonary tests, 607-865-2126
Open Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Some patients may receive a call from one of our registered nurses and be asked to complete a pre-admission interview over the telephone (whether you will be asked to participate in this type of phone interview depends on the type of procedure you’re having as well as your age and other medical history factors). This interview typically takes 20–30 minutes to complete.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are asked to do a pre-admission telephone interview:

• Please have the following information handy:
  • A list of medications (prescription and over-the-counter), vitamins, herbs and any supplements you take; be sure you know each item’s name, dosage (how much you take) and schedule (how often you take them)
  • A list of any allergies you have to medications, tape, food, latex and environmental sources
  • Your surgical history (what was done and when)
  • Your medical history (current and past medical problems)
  • Any problems you’ve had with anesthesia in the past (if you or a family member had a reaction to anesthesia, what was it)
• If the nurse calls you at an inconvenient time, please let the nurse know when to try again
• If you’re unavailable to take the call, the nurse will leave a message for you with a specific telephone number for you to call back
• Keep a list of any questions you have about your surgery and ask the nurse at this time
• Have a pen and paper handy so you can write down the instructions the nurse will give you for the day of your surgery

Eating/medications
We encourage you to have breakfast or other regular meals prior to your arrival for pre-admission testing (PAT). Fasting isn’t required unless it has been requested by your doctor. Also, be sure to take any medications you normally take, unless ordered otherwise by your physician.

Our PAT team
During your testing appointment, you may meet with the following people individually: a PAT associate, a registrar, a registered nurse, an anesthesiologist, a laboratory professional and a radiology professional. How many of these individuals you meet with will depend on the type of tests your surgeon has ordered for you. Each person you meet will play an important role in your care.

What you can expect from us

• We’ll deliver coordinated care that is focused on you
• Our expert, friendly staff members and relaxed environment will make it easy for you to prepare for your surgery
• We’ll educate you about your surgery, the PAT tests you’ll be having and the anesthetic options available for your particular procedure
• We’ll answer any questions you have
• We’ll prepare necessary paperwork to ensure proper authorization for surgery is obtained and that billing of hospital charges is made to your insurance carrier
• We’ll carefully explain about billing and what your financial obligations will be
• We’ll complete all diagnostic tests ordered by your physician in a caring and respectful manner, answering any questions you have about the procedures
• If you’ll need walking devices or crutches following your procedure, our office will handle the arrangements for obtaining these devices and providing you with training on their proper use