Patient Information

Patients should anticipate spending approximately 2 to 2.5 hours at their procedure appointment. This timeframe covers the pre-arrival period, which is an hour before the scheduled procedure time, the actual procedure and the recovery time afterward. It’s important to be aware that delays related to patient care may happen, so these timeframes are estimates.

Please be aware that all arrival times are subject to change and are not considered final. If there are any changes to our physician schedule, you will be notified regarding a change in your arrival time as per the request of your physician, endoscopy nursing and anesthesia team. While the Digestive Health Institute will make efforts to accommodate patient requests, please understand that specific requests may not always be feasible to accommodate.

Digestive Health offices operate from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4:45 pm. Outside of these business hours, patients can leave a message with our answering service representatives, who will then inform the office of any schedule changes.

Please be aware that a charge may apply if you cancel your office visit within 24 hours or your procedure within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment. Additionally, if you fail to attend your appointment without canceling, you may also be billed.

For the best patient experience, Digestive Health has a policy requiring patients to collect their prescriptions within seven days. If your preparation kit is restocked by the pharmacy because it hasn’t been picked up during that time, you’ll need to make a new request to our office. Please be aware that this request might take up to 72 hours to process. For further assistance, feel free to reach out to our office through our patient portal or by phone.

Digestive Health does not handle prior authorizations for preparation kits. Keep in mind that low-volume preparation kits might not be fully covered by your insurance, which could result in out-of-pocket costs/expenses. If you’re interested in requesting an alternative preparation kit with a lower cost, please inform our offices promptly. Please note that processing your request may take up to 72 hours.

Please reference procedure preps at the top of this page.

Yes!

Please follow timelines on prep as they are crucial to a successful cleanout.

The standard gallon PEG prep is the gold standard. This prep has proven to be the safest and most effective prep. Certain individuals are not candidates for low-volume prep due to their medical history or bowel habits. Your provider will let you know if you are a candidate for alternative preps.

The best results come from splitting the prep dose. A quality prep ensures the provider can visualize the entire colon and helps allow a longer time in between repeat procedures.

Take a pause. And then resume slowly drinking the preparation. Some people find using a straw helps.

No. Preps should be reconstituted with water only. Some people find  it helpful to add sugar-free Crystal Light. 

Yes, you can proceed.

Monitored Anesthesia Care is used in most cases and it is administered by an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist. The agent they typically use is Propofol.

During conscious sedation, your level of consciousness is depressed. You will not feel pain and may or may not remember parts of the procedure. You will be in a sleepy/relaxed state.

Nuvance Health and its affiliates mandate that all patients must arrange transportation from their procedure with a friend or family member aged 18 or older. You can either come on your own, be dropped off or use services like Uber or a taxi to reach your procedure, but it’s crucial to have transportation arranged for your return journey home. 

You can use Uber or a taxi for your journey back home as long as you are accompanied by a friend or family member aged 18 or older. Upon your arrival, Nuvance Health and its affiliates will verify and ensure that your transportation is arranged. Any patient arriving without secured transportation for their return journey will have their appointment canceled.

Patients cannot drive post anesthesia. A responsible party must be available to accompany the patient home. Public transportation can only be used if the patient is being accompanied by a responsible adult. 

Please be informed that pathology results typically take seven to ten business days to be processed and returned. Our physicians will communicate these results through 
the Nuvance Health patient portals. It’s important to note that you may view the results of your exam before your physician does, so please allow some time for our physician to officially communicate these results to you.

Yes, you will receive multiple bills including:

• A facility bill: This is from the outpatient facility where your procedure was performed and includes charges for all medications (including anesthesia), IV supplies, endoscopy equipment, nursing care, infusion supplies and scans.
• Professional bills: These cover the professional fees of all physicians involved in your care, including the gastroenterologist, anesthesiologist and, if you had a biopsy, a pathologist who interprets your test results. If you had a consultation with the gastroenterologist or physician assistant who ordered your procedure, that consult fee may also appear on this bill.

We encourage patients to call their insurance company prior to all procedures to confirm how the procedure will be covered. Colonoscopy procedures may be covered as screening/preventive or diagnostic/therapeutic depending upon current symptoms, personal history and family history. Upper GI endoscopy procedures are not considered screening by insurance companies and will likely apply to any out-of-pocket responsibilities that your insurance plan contains including deductible, coinsurance and/or copay. Our Digestive Health Institute specialists follow National Gastroenterology Society guidelines when it comes to recommending specific tests and procedures. Please understand, however, that even if our doctors consider a service to be medically necessary, your insurance company may not cover it, or may assess a cost share such as your deductible.

Yes! We understand that the out-of-pocket  responsibility that you are facing can add to the stress of undergoing a procedure. We offer payment plans, as well as financial 
assistance to those who may qualify.