Tips for Scheduling Surgery During the Holidays

Holidays are a popular time to schedule elective surgeries. Is this on your mind, too?

Makes sense that it would be! You may have downtime from work. Insurance benefits to use. Or your deductible for the year has been covered.

However… here are a few other things you may want to factor in:

Holidays are when the most senior medical staff are rewarded with “first dibs” on time off.  Do you want your medical care to coincide with their self-care?

Have you had 2nd opinions on the surgery? What would happen if you decided against it? Or pushed it off a little longer? Any treatment options besides surgery?

Consider taking some time off from work, or reshuffling your responsibilities, if you and your doctor agree that surgery is needed before the new year. Any leftover vacation or sick days?

Try to schedule surgery mid-week. Why? Mondays are hectic! Fridays are favored by patients, but what if something goes wrong? Your doctor may be off for the weekend, covered by another who doesn’t know you. Can’t hurt to ask!

Here at the Care Partner Project, we offer lots of “how-to” guides to help you get the best medical care for yourself and your loved ones. Making decisions about surgery is actually a “hot topic” on our site!

Plus, we offer a great guide for getting 2nd opinions to help you compare apples to apples – so important when medical terms and choices can be so confusing! We hope they demystify any care decisions you need to make before the new year – or any time at all!