Purpose of this FAQ
This guide provides nurses, doctors and employees with a common understanding of the Makati Life Medical Center’s Surgery Lounge under the Integrated Patient Navigation initiative, and the roles of the different teams involved in the elective surgical journey.
It is intended to help employees answer basic questions consistently and know when to refer patients, companions, or colleagues to the appropriate team.
Legend:
OR - Operating Room
ER - Emergency Room
LOA - Letter of Authorization
A. ABOUT THE SURGERY LOUNGE
What is the Surgery Lounge?
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The Surgery Lounge is different from the Operating Room (OR) under the Center for Surgical Care. While the OR is where the actual surgical procedure takes place, the Surgery Lounge focuses on navigating the patients before and after surgery.
It is a dedicated space that provides assistance through a coordinated care model called Integrated Patient Navigation, helping patients navigate their elective surgical journey.
What is Integrated Patient Navigation Model?
The Integrated Patient Navigation Model aims to provide seamless care coordination, from the patient’s initial visit and access to medical services to follow-up and continuity of care. The model was first introduced in the Surgery Lounge and will eventually be implemented across the hospital’s service centers.
In the Surgery Lounge, the model brings together the patient, physician, Patient Navigator, OR nursing team, HMO Concierge Staff, Billing and Cashier, Medical Secretary, and other support services to ensure a more coordinated and seamless surgical journey. This includes assistance with OR scheduling, treatment plan and pre-surgery requirements, HMO and billing coordination, discharge coordination, and post-surgery reminders, while also supporting physicians and internal teams in coordinating patient care.
Where is the Surgery Lounge located?
Surgery Lounge is located at the 2nd Floor, in front of the Results Releasing Hub, easily accessible through our Lobby elevators.
What’s the operating hours of our Surgery Lounge?
The Surgery Lounge is open daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Who is eligible to use the Surgery Lounge?
The Surgery Lounge is for patients who are scheduled for elective surgery. Patients who are qualified for elective surgery by their doctor may use the Surgery Lounge. Their companion may also use the Surgery Lounge while the patient is undergoing surgery.
Who should refer a patient to the Surgery Lounge?
Only the doctor or the medical secretary, as instructed by the doctor, can trigger the patient’s initial visit to the Surgery Lounge and enrollment in the Integrated Surgical Navigation Process.
What challenges does the Surgery Lounge help address?
The Surgery Lounge helps make the surgical journey more coordinated, organized, and easier to navigate by addressing common challenges such as:
• Patient confusion about the surgical process, requirements, and next steps.
• Administrative burden on surgeons in guiding patients and coordinating surgical requirements.
• Delays in HMO and billing processing that may affect surgery scheduling, admission, and discharge.
• Avoidable OR cancellations and delays due to incomplete requirements, scheduling concerns, or coordination gaps, which may result in OR underutilization.
• Communication and coordination gaps among patients, physicians, HMO teams, Billing, and other hospital support services.
• Delays in patient discharge due to pending clearances, billing, HMO processing, or other discharge requirements.
• Gaps in continuity of care from pre-surgery preparation through discharge and post-surgery follow-up.
How early should the patient arrive before surgery?
Patients are advised to arrive 1½ hours before their scheduled surgery. The required arrival time may vary depending on the procedure or as otherwise instructed by the Patient Navigator or doctor.
How many companions are allowed?
A maximum of one (1) companion is allowed per patient.
What is the official contact number or extension of the Surgery Lounge?
Name/Position: Surgery Lounge- Patient Navigator
Mobile Number: 09175124990
Local Extension: (02) 8888 2020 loc. 0201
Is the Surgery Lounge only for patients having surgery on the same day?
The approved operating model focuses on elective surgical care and includes both outpatient surgical patients and, where applicable, patients requiring elective inpatient admission.
For patients requiring admission, the Patient Navigator coordinates with the Admission Department to ensure the necessary arrangements are completed before surgery.
What happens if some requirements are incomplete?
Any clinical concerns or incomplete requirements will be addressed prior to the scheduled surgery. If requirements are not complied with, the matter will be referred to the doctor for further assessment and advice.
What if the patient arrives late?
Patients are advised to arrive at the Surgery Lounge at least 1½ hours before their scheduled surgery. For late arrivals, the doctor will determine whether the surgery can proceed or needs to be rescheduled.
What should the patient do if they have concerns/complications after surgery?
For any post-surgery concerns, complications, or emergencies, the patient may proceed to the Emergency Room (ER) for immediate medical assessment and care.
B. WHO IS INVOLVED?
Who is the main point person for the patient?
The Patient Navigator serves as the primary coordinator throughout the elective surgical journey.
What does the Patient Navigator do?
The Patient Navigators are clinical nurses responsible for guiding patients through the entire surgical journey, from clinical preparation before surgery to recovery and post-operative care. They coordinate closely with the physician, OR team, Finance, HMO Concierge, and other support teams to ensure that the patient’s requirements are completed and that care is properly coordinated throughout the process.
This includes:
• Pre-operative assessment
• Verification of patient identity and consent
• Completion of the Surgical Safety Checklist
• Coordinates with HMO Concierge and Billing for financial readiness and billing settlement, while the respective teams manage the actual processing.
• Preparation and endorsement of the patient to the Operating Room
• Monitoring recovery and assessing discharge readiness.
• Providing post-operative education and performing teach-back
• Completing discharge documentation
• Safely escorting the patient upon discharge
What does the doctor do?
The doctor:
• Evaluates the patient and determines surgical eligibility
• Explains the diagnosis and planned procedure
• Discusses pre-operative requirements with the patient
• IF THERE IS NO MEDICAL SECRETARY: Schedule and confirm the surgical plan and surgery schedule with the Patient Navigator.
• Provides discharge clearance
• Oversees post-operative follow-up and management of clinical concerns
What does the HMO Concierge do?
The HMO Concierge handles HMO-related coordination, including:
• Processing Letters of Authorization (LOA)
• Verifying HMO coverage and benefits
• Coordinating approvals with HMO partners
• Explaining coverage limitations and patient financial responsibilities
• Coordinating with Billing and the Patient Navigator to ensure financial readiness before the procedure
What does Billing and Cashier do?
Billing and Cashier:
• Prepare the final Statement of Account
• Explain hospital charges and applicable patient financial responsibilities
• Facilitate payment for uncovered charges within the Surgery Lounge
• Issue official receipts
• Process Yellow Card documentation when applicable
• Support bedside financial clearance without requiring patients or companions to queue at the counter
What role does the Medical Secretary play?
IF THE DOCTOR HAS THEIR OWN CLINIC AT THE MAC, the Medical Secretary:
• Schedules surgical procedures and communicates the details to the Patient Navigator.
• Coordinates appointments with the Patient Navigator and/or the patient.
• Facilitates communication between the physician and the patient.
What other departments are involved?
The Patient Navigator coordinates with several support units, including:
• Operating Room
• Finance/Billing and Cashier
• HMO Concierge
• Medical Arts Complex
• Admission Unit
• Food and Beverage/In-House Kitchen
C. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PATIENT?
What happens after the physician decides that the patient needs elective surgery?
The patient first consults and agrees with the physician. The physician discusses the diagnosis, planned procedure, pre-operative preparations, required laboratory tests and clearances, medication instructions, fasting/NPO guidelines, and the scheduled surgery date and time.
The physician or Medical Secretary then contacts the Patient Navigator to schedule the patient and proceed with the Surgery Lounge for enrollment to the Integrated Patient Navigation.
What happens during the patient's pre-operative orientation?
The Patient Navigator provides the patient with an overview of the surgical journey, including:
• Pre-operative checklist
• Scheduled surgery date and time
• Arrival instructions
• Required laboratory tests, diagnostics, and medical clearances
• Medication instructions
• NPO/fasting guidelines
• HMO LOA requirements, if applicable
• PhilHealth requirements, if applicable
• Documents and patient responsibilities for non-covered items or co-payments
• Companion requirements
• Registration and discharge processes
• Other questions or concerns related to the scheduled procedure
When does the Patient Navigator check if the patient is ready for surgery?
A dedicated pre-surgery readiness check takes place 3–5 days before surgery.
The Patient Navigator confirms the surgery schedule, verifies surgeon-specific requirements, coordinates with support departments regarding instruments and supplies, verifies completion of laboratory and diagnostic requirements, clearances and informed consent, and escalates issues that may affect the procedure. A pre-operative reminder is also sent to the patient.
What happens on the day of surgery?
The patient and companion proceed to the Surgery Lounge.
The Patient Navigator:
1. Welcomes the patient and companion
2. Verifies patient identity
3. Completes registration and required documentation
4. Applies the identification wristband
5. Explains the process and expected timeline
6. Directs the companion to remain in the Lounge
7. Coordinates the patient's transition to the Operating Room
The patient is then transferred safely to the Operating Room once appropriately prepared.
Can the companion stay in the Surgery Lounge while the patient is undergoing surgery?
Yes, the companion may stay in the Surgery Lounge while the patient is in the Operating Room.
The Surgery Lounge is designed to provide a comfortable waiting experience, with regular updates on the patient’s surgical journey provided through the Surgical Dashboard. Patients and their companions can also enjoy amenities such as Wi-Fi, coffee and water, and light snacks prepared by the in-house kitchen while they wait.
What happens after surgery?
After the procedure, the OR Nursing Team monitors the patient's recovery and assesses readiness for discharge.
Once medically cleared, the companion is invited to the patient area and the team provides:
• Post-operative or home care instructions
• Medication education
• Follow-up appointment details
• Emergency warning signs
• Other relevant discharge instructions (A teach-back method is used to ensure that the patient or companion understands the instructions.)
How is the patient discharged?
The discharge process includes both clinical and financial clearance.
The Patient Navigator coordinates with the Finance Team to facilitate financial processing at the Surgery Lounge, while the OR Nursing Team completes the clinical discharge process and documentation.
Patients may complete payment within the Lounge for applicable charges, with the Official Receipt issued accordingly.
Does the Surgery Lounge's involvement end when the patient leaves the hospital?
No. The model includes post-operative follow-up 24–72 hours after surgery.
The Patient Navigator sends a personalized post-operative follow-up message through the hospital's approved communication platform to assess recovery, reinforce instructions, remind the patient about scheduled follow-up, identify concerns, and escalate reported complications or urgent concerns to the appropriate clinical team.
D. OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER
If a patient asks me about their surgery schedule, whom should I refer them to?
For questions involving the patient's surgical schedule, pre-operative requirements, arrival instructions, navigation, or overall surgical journey, employees should refer the patient to the Patient Navigator.
The Patient Navigator is the primary coordinator of the surgical journey.
If a patient asks whether their HMO will cover the procedure, what should I do?
Employees should avoid making coverage commitments unless they are authorized to do so.
HMO coverage, LOA processing, approvals, limitations, and patient financial responsibilities are coordinated by the HMO Concierge, in coordination with Billing and the Patient Navigator.
If a patient asks how much they need to pay, whom should they approach?
Questions about hospital charges, uncovered charges, patient financial responsibility, and final billing should be referred to the HMO Concierge and/or Billing and Cashier, as applicable.
The Patient Navigator also provides financial guidance and helps coordinate financial readiness before the procedure.
Can employees directly coordinate a patient's surgery with the Operating Room?
The Surgery Lounge model is designed around coordinated navigation rather than separate patient-to-unit coordination.
Employees should direct the patient to the appropriate Patient Navigator or Medical Secretary who will coordinate the required appointments and surgical arrangements with the relevant teams.
E. KEY MESSAGE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
What is the simplest way to explain the Surgery Lounge to a patient or colleague?
The Surgery Lounge is not simply to provide a waiting area but aims to provide an integrated experience where the different teams involved in elective surgery work together around the patient's journey. Guiding patients throughout the process, from pre-operative preparation and arrival, through surgery and discharge, to post-operative follow-up.
F. QUICK REFERENCE: WHO TO APPROACH?
The responsibilities above are based on the approved unit roles and responsibilities in the Surgery Lounge operating model.
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