Your Surgery

Important Information to Read and Follow Before Surgery

The Peninsula Surgery Center (PSC) offers its patients advanced surgical services in a convenient, comfortable setting. We are an orthopaedic and musculoskeletal specialty facility.

Talk to Your Doctor

Talk to your doctor about your procedure. Write a list of pertinent questions and be certain you get all of them answered. Some important things to ask include the following:

Are there any prescription or non-prescription medications you should avoid taking or stop taking temporarily before your procedure?
What can/cannot you eat or drink before surgery?
Recovery time—and how you might feel the first days, weeks and months after surgery?
What supplies, equipment and help are recommended at home after your procedure?
Ask your doctor if he /she routinely performs a “time out” with the surgical team just before beginning surgery. During the time out, the members of the team insure they are performing the correct procedure at the correct site on the correct person. This is very important for patient safety.

Make Prior Arrangements

Arrange for a friend or family member to drive you home after your surgery
Arrange to have a responsible adult stay with you at home for at least four hours after a local anesthesia procedure and overnight after a general anesthesia procedure
If you have small children, make childcare arrangements so you may rest when you return home
Unless they are the patient, do not to bring small children to the Surgery Center as we do not have facilities for their care
If the patient does not speak English, or needs an interpreter, please bring an interpreter

Prior to your surgery, a nurse will call you to ask about your health history. Please provide us with the names and dosages of any medications you are currently taking and any allergies to medications or latex. We will also give you important instructions. If we have not reached you three days prior to surgery, please call (650) 865-6400 and ask to speak to the pre-op nurse.

The Night Before Surgery

Please do not eat or drink anything after midnight. If you need to take essential medications, you may do so with a small amount of liquid. There may be some necessary exceptions to these instructions. If so, a nurse or doctor from the Surgery Center will discuss them with you. Expect a phone call from the anesthesiologist the day before your procedure to go over the plan in detail. If you receive a call from an unknown number, please answer it!

The Morning of Your Surgery

Shower and wash your hair
Use scrub brushes if requested by your surgeon
Do not wear make-up
Wear flat shoes or slippers
Wear comfortable, loose clothes
Bring your daily medications
If you wear contact lenses you may have to remove them prior to surgery, so please bring your glasses
If your child is undergoing surgery, please bring a comforting toy or blanket. Parents of a minor child are required to stay at the Center for the duration of the child’s care. We are glad to give you and your child a tour of the facility prior to the day of the procedure.
Please bring your driver’s license or State ID card, insurance cards, Medicare card and any completed insurance forms with you
Please leave valuables such as cash and jewelry at home

At the Surgery Center

Please arrive and check in at the reception desk one hour ahead of your scheduled surgery time unless otherwise advised.

Before your procedure at the PSC, the nurse must talk to the person who is going to take you home. Please have that person come into the Center with you or be available by telephone before your procedure.

You will be asked to sign a consent form after the staff verifies that you and your doctor have discussed the surgery including the reason for surgery and the risks associated with it.

The staff responsible for your care will verify who you are, what kind of surgery you are having, and the part of your body on which surgery is to be performed. You will be asked these questions many times. Our staff will also double-check what you tell them against the documents provided by your doctor’s office, including x-rays. These repetitive confirmations are done for your safety.

While in the admitting area you must remove any hairpins, jewelry, dentures, contact lenses or glasses. The staff will take care of these items and return them to you after your procedure.

Depending on the type of procedure you are having, the doctor performing your surgery will mark the correct location on your body where the procedure is to be performed. Called “site marking,” this is a critical step in ensuring your safety and preventing errors. Only the site of the surgery should have markings. Whenever possible, the surgery site will be marked while you are awake so you can be involved in the process.

In the Recovery Room

After surgery, your doctor and the nurses will ask if you are having pain. It is important to accurately report your pain level so you receive appropriate relief. If you are asked to take medications, ask what they are. If you have questions about any medications, ask your doctor or nurse. A responsible adult friend or family member who is with you may ask these questions on your behalf, if needed.

At the discretion of your physician and/or our nursing staff, a friend or relative may join you in the recovery room as soon as you are awake and able to visit with them.

After You Return Home

Follow the instructions given to you by your doctor and contact your him or her with any questions. You may also call the Surgery Center at (650) 865-6400 . Call 911 if an emergency arises.

The Day After Your Procedure

Expect a check-in call from the Surgery Center and/or your physician’s office.

Surgery Center Ownership

Physician investment in ambulatory surgery centers is commonplace and encourages physicians working in these environments to promote excellence and efficiency. As such, your physician may have a financial interest in the Peninsula Surgery Center and wants to remind you that you may use the facility of your choice for surgical services, if your surgeon has privileges there. You may request from your physician, or the Surgery Center, information on physician ownership.

Day of Procedure Checklist

Wear flat shoes or slippers
Wear comfortable, loose clothes
If you wear contact lenses, also bring your glasses
Leave valuables such as cash and jewelry at home
Bring an adult friend or family member who will drive you home and stay with you after your procedure
Bring your daily medications
Bring an interpreter if you need language assistance
Bring your Driver’s License or State ID Card, Insurance Cards, Medicare Card or completed insurance form with you
Don’t wear make-up or jewelry
Don’t eat or drink eight hours before your surgery
Don’t worry – you are in good hands!

What Our Patients Say

The care provided throughout this procedure (prior to, during, and following) was provided with competence, professionalism, and compassion. It was provided at a level which sets a high standard for how health care should be provided. I feel fortunate to have been cared for by such an excellent skilled team at a wonderful facility. I would recommend the services provided without hesitation and am happy that I selected to travel out of my locale for the quality services from a very experienced team.

I felt in all my interactions with doctor/nurses that everyone was looking out for my comfort and a successful procedure.

Excellent care from everyone.... from the time I walked into the reception area to time I was discharged; excellent, excellent, excellent!!!

World class! Clear, thorough, responsive, personable, hospitable, and an amazing track record. I'm impressed and feel very grateful to be under such amazing care. Thank you!

All staff knowledgeable caring and comforting. Warm blowup blanket was great!

Every interaction I had in Dr. Dearborn's office and at the Surgery Center was great. The Doctor explained everything and provided wonderful care. The nurses, PA, the anesthesiologist, OR nurses, receptionist.... everyone was fantastic. The facility was spotless and easy to access. My recovery has been relatively easy and I've found the My Mobility app extremely helpful.

An exceptional Doctor Dearborn! And his entire staff! The best in the West! A wonderful experience! Very grateful and appreciative!

I had a very positive experience at this facility and with the doctor, nurses and other staff. The surgery center was very clean and organized. I felt well taken care of and safe.

The facility was very clean. The staff were respectful, compassionate, attentive, informative, knowledgeable, communicative & demonstrated excellent skill level. I highly recommend this facility, all the staff and Dr. Dearborn. He is truly amazing as a doctor and a human. We need more people like him in the world.

From the receptionist to the doctors, your staff was very professional and kind. I would highly recommend your services. Thank you!

Excellent experience. Doctor was excellent and all staff was excellent and very caring. I felt very comfortable and cared for until completion.

All the nurses took excellent care of me after my surgery. They were very thorough, compassionate and work as a team which made me feel even more supported! Thank you!!

I cannot imagine a scenario where things would go more smoothly than they did. Expectations were set correctly, I was comfortable and everyone was incredibly nice and helpful. Two thumbs up!

The entire operation is smooth and efficient. Everyone I encountered conducted themselves at a high level of professionalism and my entire experience was excellent.

Everyone was extremely caring and helpful, particularly Lauren who was my primary nurse. She was very personable in addition to taking excellent care of me. All of the caregivers were very caring and helpful.

All experiences that I had with the visit were excellent. My ratings were listed as a 5 on this survey but I would give staff a 100 if possible. So far, I have minor pain from the procedure (1-2 out of 10) and am able to get around and complete most of my day-to-day tasks with only minor help from family. I have never experienced the degree of professionalism exhibited by Dr. Dearborn and the staff So far, my outcome from the procedure has been beyond outstanding.

The staff was very professional. Steve, the home care PT, was great, informative, caring & a great PT. Thank you.

The team was amazing. Everything from diagnose to the time of procedure and post operation has been a really good experience. I felt extremely informed and comfortable throughout the whole process - thank you to all who made this possible.

All the staff was very supportive. I am so glad I decided to go with Dr. Dearborn and his team.

This staff is the best! I had this done (by another surgeon & medical group) 10 years ago and corrected by this staff 9 years ago. The first one was so incompetent, Dr. Dearborn and his team had to correct it! Dearborn & Associates are the consummate professionals, the best in the business! They outshine all in this field!

I had a fabulous experience beginning with the receptionist to the CNA, nurses, PA, surgeon. Everyone was professional, courteous, warm, caring. This is a well-oiled machine and I'm grateful and blessed. Thank you so much!

Personable, efficient and kind health care folks. Appreciate the high-quality medical care.

I was very impressed with this facility's quality of care, cleanliness, and professionalism. It was by far the best experience I have had in a medical setting in my lifetime. This is a well-run operation, and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs surgery.

I love the nurses who cared for me. They were very professional, compassionate and kind. I appreciate it the anesthesiologist just spending time with me to talk about my medical history.

Excellent care, very attentive, took into consideration that we had to travel for procedure and made our visit go smoothly.

Both the admitting nurse and the post op nurses were exceptional.

I was skeptical and afraid when my primary doctor recommended Total Hip Replacement. I underwent the first hip replacement at a different facility and had a terrible and painful experience. My friends highly recommended Dr. Dearborn and I had a completely different experience with Dr. Dearborn and Peninsula Surgery Center. The staff at the Clinic were no less than angels with my after-surgery recovery. I highly recommend Dr. Dearborn and the Peninsula Surgery Center facility.

The team was excellent, the materials were excellent, the facility was excellent, the after-care follow-up and answering questions I had was amazing, and the response for concerns that I had at night and on the weekend were addressed quickly and professionally. It has been a very positive experience.

For having a very unpleasant procedure, this facility and entire staff was fantastic! And Dr Dearborn is wonderful and kind. The prayer he said over me before surgery was very uplifting to my soul and spirts before going into the procedure.