What is a Surgical Assistant?
As defined by the American College of Surgeons, the surgical assistant provides aid in exposure, hemostasis, closure, and other intraoperative technical functions that help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient. In addition to intraoperative duties, the surgical assistant also performs preoperative and postoperative duties to better facilitate proper patient care. The surgical assistant to the surgeon during the operation does so under the direction and supervision of that surgeon and in accordance with hospital policy and appropriate laws and regulations.
Why did my surgeon use a provider not in my network?
The majority of surgical assistants are not participants in insurance networks.
“Why am I receiving a bill from you?
You were either designated as Self Pay or Private Insurance. If we sent the medical claim to your private insurance, this company has determined that you are responsible for a portion of the charges.
Why didn’t my surgeon tell me he was going to use a Surgical Assistant?
While many surgeons advise their patients prior to surgery, some do not wish to burden their patients with additional information that they feel would not be important to their patient’s surgery and recovery. Surgeons make several decisions like this throughout the entire process, such as which anesthesia to use, which instruments are required, etc.
Does Platinum Surgical Assistants bill my insurance?
PSA normally receives insurance information from the hospital where you had your surgery. Once this information is complete and ready to go we will send a claim directly to your insurance carrier. If you wish to verify that the information we have is accurate & complete, please fill out the back of the stub that came with your bill giving us full insurance information, including your identification number, your group number, and the name of the insured person and his or her date of birth. Please also send us a photocopy of the front and back of your insurance card.
My insurance company told me that the Surgical Assistant in my procedure is not licensed in the state where my surgery was performed. Does this issue mean that this individual is not qualified?
Our surgical assistants are all certified through the National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) and the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA); they are also graduates of accredited institutions such as the National Institute of Surgical Assisting. Our RNFAs are certified through the Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and are graduates of approved and accredited RNFA programs.
As a hospital, how do you benefit me?
Platinum Surgical Assistants is the cost-effective way to reduce some of the stress that comes along with a hospital setting by taking some of the workload off your hospital staff. Outsourcing the workload to our assistants is also typically 10-20% less expensive than managing a complete team of surgical assistants in-house.