Santa Barbara ENT

Santa Barbara ENT

Santa Barbara ENT

Adult & Pediatric Otolaryngology

Rebecca Golgert, MD

Raquel Romero, PA-C

(805) 563-1999

Scheduling and Pre-operative Information

Surgery Information
In-Office Procedures Information

Surgery Information

Scheduling Surgery

  • To start the scheduling process, Sean, the surgery scheduler, will call you to discuss available dates for the surgery. Sean can be reached at (805) 563-1999 or scrawford@mysantabarbaraent.com. Please consider travel, work and exercise restrictions when looking at dates.
  • For most surgeries, we recommend no travel out of the Santa Barbara area, including no flying, for three weeks after surgery. Please refrain from heavy lifting (no more than a bag of groceries) or heavy exercise or swimming for 3 weeks.  Heavy exercise includes running, heavy cycling, and yoga.  Walking, light exercise and stretching are permitted. A few surgeries will have exceptions to the exercise limitations.
  • Most patients will be out of work or school for up to a week, but Dr. Golgert will discuss the specific requirements regarding your surgery. Please arrange for childcare during this time if needed.
  • Please note that the exact time of your surgery may not be determined until the week of surgery and could even change last minute.  Please let us know if you prefer a specific time and we will do our best to accommodate your request.  Surgeries are often scheduled by age with the youngest children in the morning.

Insurance/ Surgery Costs

  • We will contact your insurance company to obtain insurance approval which may take a couple of weeks or longer if appeals are needed.
  • Even if the surgery is approved, you may still be responsible for paying a portion of the surgery cost through a deductible or co-pay. We cannot predict the out-of-pocket cost as it depends on the terms of your unique insurance plan. It is your responsibility to communicate with your insurance company to determine the amount you will end up paying out-of-pocket.  Sean can provide you with the procedure code (CPT code) to help you communicate with your insurance company.
  • The total cost of surgery comes from several different sources which you will see reflected on the bill including, but not limited to:
    • Hospital or surgery center fees
    • Anesthesia fees
    • Pathology feesSurgeon fees

Pre-surgical Preparation

  • Most adult patients will need to have a medical clearance from their primary care physician (PCP). If PCP clearance is necessary, the following will happen:
    • We will send a letter to your primary care doctor regarding the details of the surgery and any tests that are required. Depending on the procedure, a patient may need blood labs, an EKG, or a chest x-ray before they can be cleared.
    • You will need to contact your PCP to schedule a pre-op visit for surgery clearance.
  • As the planned surgery date approaches, patients will have a pre-op visit with one of our providers. This visit is needed to accomplish several things:
    • Review the medical clearance from your PCP.
    • Ensure all of the pre-op paperwork is complete.
    • Ensure that your condition has not changed.
    • Answer any questions regarding the details of surgery and post-op care.
    • Discuss and send in prescriptions for after surgery.
      • Please fill your prescriptions right away.  Occasionally, the pharmacy may not have a medication in stock and will need to special order it, which can take a few days. We want to make sure you have your medications ready for when you come home after surgery.
  • We recommend that you stop taking any medications or supplements which act as blood thinners prior to surgery. A list of blood thinning medication and supplements can be provided.
    • NSAIDs should be stopped 7 days prior to surgery. Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn).
    • Prescribed blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin), Eliquis (apixaban), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Lixiana (edoxaban) will need to be held prior to surgery under the direction of your primary care doctor.
  • If you are on blood thinners, please alert Raquel or Dr. Golgert, so we can help guide when the blood thinners should be stopped.
  • Please refrain from smoking for the week prior to and after your surgery. This can affect how you heal after surgery.
  • Please notify Raquel or Dr. Golgert if you are pregnant or could be pregnant. All women of child-bearing age will have a pregnancy test in the pre-operative area.

Three Days Before Surgery

  • The nurse from the hospital or surgery center will call and give you instructions on what medications to take or avoid the morning of surgery.  They may give you specific instructions about brushing your teeth and bathing prior to surgery.  This is advised to help prevent infection. During COVID-19 precautions, the nurse will advise you on when and where to go for your COVID-19 test. They can also clarify the hospital guest policy, parking, and drop-off details.
  • Please do not wear makeup or jewelry on the day of surgery. You may wear your glasses, contact lenses, dentures and hearing aids, but please bring a case to keep them in during the surgery.

The Night Before Surgery

  • It is important that you have an empty stomach to keep you safe during anesthesia.  The night before surgery, you may not eat or drink anything after midnight. A sip of water with your morning medication is permitted.  If you eat or drink the day of surgery, your procedure will be canceled.  
  • For infants and toddlers: Very young children cannot have solids or cow milk for 8 hours prior to surgery. They may take formula up to 6 hours before surgery and breast milk up to 4 hours before surgery. Clear liquids, such as water and apple juice, can be taken up to 2 hours before surgery.  It is best for children to have a completely empty stomach if possible.

The Day of Surgery

Before Surgery:
  • You will need to arrive about 1 ½ hours before your scheduled surgery time. For example, if your surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM, you will need to arrive at 6:00 AM.
  • The nurse will review your medical history and confirm your procedure with you. Adult patients will have their IV (intravenous) line put in at this time.
  • You will meet the OR nurse and anesthesiologist before your procedure.
After your surgery
  • You will be monitored in the post‐operative unit for 1-2 hours while you wake up from the anesthesia.
  • The nurses will provide medication to help control your pain and they will decide when it is safe for you to go home or to your hospital room.
    •  For some surgeries, a patient may need to stay in the hospital overnight. We will make the necessary arrangements in advance.
  • When you are discharged home, the nurse will give you detailed post‐operative instructions.
  • Surgery patients must be driven home by a responsible adult after surgery. Please arrange this in advance and keep it in mind when choosing a surgery date.
    • You cannot go home in a taxi, rideshare service such as Uber or Lyft, or on the bus.

Post Op

  • Please follow your post‐op instructions carefully to ensure the best recovery.  Make sure to get plenty of rest while you are healing. 
  • Due to the anesthesia, please eat and drink cautiously and start with clear liquids after surgery.  Within 4-6 hours, you should be able to tolerate solid foods, but plan to eat small portions at first.  Most patients can tolerate a full regular diet by the next day (if they did not have oral surgery or throat surgery).
  • Do not drive a car, drink alcohol, operate heavy machinery or make important/legal decisions for 24 hours after the surgery or while taking narcotic pain medication
  • Your post-operative appointment will be scheduled ahead of time and is usually a week after surgery.
    • Please don’t hesitate to call the office if you have any questions or concerns at (805)-563-1999. If you have any concerns after hours, please dial our office the answering service, will be able to reach Dr Golgert or the covering physician. For any emergencies, please dial 911.

Post Surgical Recommendations

Please be aware that for most surgeries, we recommend:
  • No travel out of the Santa Barbara area for three weeks after surgery.
  • No heavy exercise or lifting for three weeks after surgery.
  • Most patients will be out of work or school for about a week, but the expected recovery time will vary for each patient and surgery. Our providers will discuss post-operative recovery expectations during your pre-op appointment.

In-Office Procedure Information

Scheduling the Procedure

  • To start the scheduling process, Sean, the surgery scheduler, will call you to discuss available dates for the procedure. Sean can be reached at (805) 563-1999 or scrawford@mysantabarbaraent.com. Please consider travel, work and exercise restrictions when looking at dates.
  • After the procedure, most patients would not return to work or school that day but are able to return to work and school the following day.  Some procedures cause pain or nasal congestion that might limit productivity.
  • For most in-office procedures, patient would not have exercise or travel restrictions afterwards.
  • Most in-office procedures are performed in the afternoon, but the exact time of your procedure may not be determined until the week of the procedure and could even change slightly last minute.

Insurance/ Procedural Costs

  • We will contact your insurance company to obtain insurance approval.
  • Even if the surgery is approved, you may still be responsible for paying a portion of the surgery cost through a deductible or co-pay. We cannot predict the out-of-pocket cost as it depends on the terms of your unique insurance plan. It is your responsibility to communicate with your insurance company to determine the amount you will end up paying out-of-pocket.  Sean can provide you with the procedure code (CPT code) to help you communicate with your insurance company.

Pre-procedure Preparation

  • Occasionally adult patients will need to have a medical clearance from their primary care physician (PCP). If PCP clearance is necessary, the following will happen:
    • We will send a letter to your primary care doctor regarding the details of the procedure and any tests that are required. Depending on the procedure, a patient may need blood labs, an EKG, or a chest x-ray before they can be cleared.
    • You will need to contact your PCP to schedule a pre-op visit for medical clearance
  • As the planned procedure date approaches, patients will have a pre-op visit (in-person or via telehealth) with one of our providers. This visit is needed to accomplish several things:
    • Review the medical clearance from your PCP, if needed.
    • Ensure insurance approval is complete.
    • Ensure that your condition has not changed.
    • Answer any questions regarding the details of surgery and post-op care.
    • Discuss and send in prescriptions for the procedure.
      • Please fill your prescriptions right away.  Occasionally, the pharmacy may not have a medication in stock and will need to special order it, which can take a few days.
  • For some of the procedures, we recommend that you stop taking any medications or supplements which act as blood thinners prior to surgery.  A list can be provided if desired.
    • NSAIDs should be stopped 7 days prior to surgery. Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn).
    • Prescribed blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin), Eliquis (apixaban), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Lixiana (edoxaban) will need to be held prior to surgery under the direction of your primary care doctor.
  • If you are on blood thinners, please alert Raquel or Dr. Golgert, so we can help guide when the blood thinners should be stopped.
  • Please refrain from smoking for the week prior to and after your surgery.  This can affect how you heal after surgery.
  • Please notify Raquel or Dr. Golgert if you are pregnant or could be pregnant.

The Day of the Procedure

  • When you arrive, the staff will check your vitals and have you sign a consent.  If you plan to take sedative medications, you will take them after the consent is signed.  The medications take about 30 minutes to work.  Much of the procedure time is spent providing sequentially stronger topical and local pain medication.  This process can take 30-45 minutes. The procedure itself may take 10-45 minutes depending on the procedure.
    • After your procedure, we will make sure you are steady on your feet and able to walk to the car.  If you took sedative medication, then you need someone to drive you home and you cannot go home in a taxi, rideshare (Uber or Lyft) or on the bus. Please arrange this in advance and keep it in mind when choosing a procedure date.

Post Operation

  • Please follow your post‐op instructions carefully to ensure the best recovery.  Make sure to get plenty of rest while you are healing. 
  • If you took sedative medications, do not drive a car, drink alcohol, operate heavy machinery or make important/legal decisions for 24 hours the surgery or while taking narcotic pain medication.
  • Your post-operative appointment will be scheduled ahead of time and is usually a week after the procedure.
    • Please don’t hesitate to call the office if you have any questions or concerns at (805)-563-1999. If you have any concerns after hours, please dial our office the answering service, will be able to reach Dr Golgert or the covering physician. For any emergencies, please dial 911.

Contact Us

  Phone: (805) 563-1999

  Fax: (805) 563-4999

  Email: info@mysantabarbaraent.com

Address

2420 Castillo Street, Suite 200
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Clinic Hours

Mon – Thurs
Fri
Sat & Sun

8:30 am – 5 pm
8:30 am – 12 pm
Closed

CLOSED FOR LUNCH 12 pm – 1 pm

Santa Barbara ENT

Santa Barbara ENT

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