Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
There is a possibility that the child visiting ONYX may need to have special medical procedures or surgery in ONYX or Hospital. One or both parents usually sign for a minor child. For the best interest of our children patients, it is a prerequisite for all parents or legal guardian to show documentation to prove this parental or legal relationship exists.
YES. You may do so but parenteral attendance is preferred by ONYX. Your child needs both the emotional and physical support from the parents at time of stress. Moreover, minor (anyone <16 yr) can neither give surgical consent nor authorize any arrangement of the insurance-related paperwork, or any other administrative issues related to the hospital admission. As parents, they have the responsibility to support your child to face all these problems.
At ONYX, we believe the parents (or legal guardians) should have the duty, responsibility & sympathy to support the child through sickness and in health.
NO in most of the cases. ONYX specialists would prefer to meet & examine your child in person before advising any specific treatment plan. Besides, for older child, he/she may have questions in mind about the condition, treatment & prognosis etc. We prefer to get them participated during the discussion.
NO in most of the cases. ONYX specialists would prefer to meet & examine your child in person before advising any specific treatment plan. We do not make any phone consultation or make any medical judgement/comments on any patients solely based on the assessment given by other doctors. On rare occasions, hospital booking may be arranged before the consultation in ONYX especially for those living out of town or emergency situations.
We suggest the following checklist.
Different conditions would warrant different modes of treatment. And even for the same condition, the treatment may varies from one child to another. In ONYX, we assess your child in details before advising best treatment for him/her. Unless surgery is the only treatment, we certainly will explain the alternatives to you. Meanwhile, we welcome other adult companions in the discussion during the consultation.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is becoming more and more commonly performed even in children. These procedures are performed through tiny incisions but providing equivalent outcomes to traditional open surgery which may needs a bigger opening.
MIS offers many benefits:
a/ Less major bleeding
b/ Fewer infection & other problems after surgery
c/ Less wound pain
d/ Shorter length of hospital stay
e/ Quicker return to normal activities/ school/ exercises
f/ Less wound scarring
However, MIS is not for everyone! It may not be applicable to surgery to skin & subcutaneous conditions. Besides, in some cases, a patient may be scheduled for a minimally invasive procedure, but after getting a view inside the body, the surgeon may have to “convert” the procedure to an open surgery because the problem or the structure is different from what the surgeon expected.
ONYX will tell you what type of procedure is best for your child. Please be sure to ask about the possible risks associated with any procedure, as well as the potential benefits.
NO in most of the cases. ONYX specialists would prefer to meet & examine your child in person before advising any specific treatment plan & technique. Besides, for older child, he/she may have questions in mind about the condition, treatment & prognosis etc. We prefer to get them participated during the discussion.
NO in most of the cases. ONYX specialists would prefer to meet & examine your child in person before advising any specific treatment plan. We do not make any phone consultation or make any medical judgement/comments on any patients solely based on the assessment given by other doctors. On rare occasions, hospital booking may be arranged before the consultation in ONYX especially for those living out of town or emergency situations.
If the surgery is going to be performed in ONYX, we may invite you to stay with your child during surgery to reduce the anxiety. A parent who wishes to stay must follow the instructions of ONYX staff at any time. However, if your child’s condition changes or the parent’s presence is in any way distracting or even disruptive to us, ONYX has the right to ask the parent to leave the operating room.
For surgery performed in Hospital (under general anaesthesia), we may also invite one parent or guardian to accompany your child when the anaesthesia is given in the operating room. Other parents and family members must stay in the waiting room. You will be taken to the waiting area when your child has fallen asleep.
Do not feel bad if your child gets upset even with you there to help. Remember that your child’s safety is our priority. If you are asked to leave the room for any reason in either occasion, you MUST do so quickly and quietly. We need to focus our full attention on your child.
If your child needs surgery, you may be worried about anaesthesia. You’re not alone!
Many of the times, parents would ask if there are possible effects of anaesthesia on a child’s learning ability or memory.
In late 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised that “repeated or lengthy (>3 hours) use” of general anaesthestic or sedation drugs during surgeries or procedures in children younger than 3 years old may affect development of children’s brains.
In fact, several big studies support their safety and that children’s long-term cognitive development is unaffected if exposure is limited and used in children who are older.
Therefore, if your child really needs the surgery, it would be inappropriate to deny or delay surgery that your child needs for the fear of unknown consequences.
The risk of general anaesthesia is different to every child, depending on his/her unique health condition. You should discuss with your surgeon/anaesthetist to balance the risks and benefits of different operations prior to making any decision.
Anaesthetic drugs can be given either in a gas form by breathing through a mask or in a liquid form through an intravenous(IV) line directly into a vein. Your child falls asleep in seconds or few minutes.
Once the surgery is finished, the anaesthetist will reverse the anesthesia process and help your child “wake up”. Your child will be taken and monitored closely in the recovery area to make sure he/she is making a smooth and comfortable recovery from an anaesthetized state to an awakened state. Some kids may stay full awake soon afterwards while many others do not. Timing depends on medications given during & after the surgery.
ONYX realizes the importance of both safety and comfort in the surgery. We use peri-operative medicine in high cautious manner to give good caring to our little friends before, during and after the surgery.
Only the smallest amount of anesthesia will be used as effective control of sedation and pain during the surgery. Everything is weight based. Apart from effective pain relief, the prevention of nausea and vomiting after surgery is also our priority.
We believe you are our best healthcare partners. Please tell us your or your child’s feelings and needs, we will try our best to accommodate.
If the surgery is going to be performed under general anaesthesia, fasting aims to reduce the volume and acidity of stomach contents, thus reducing the risk of regurgitation and aspiration. Sometimes, fasting is also required for children undergoing procedures under local anaesthesia or sedation because of the same safety reasons.
The minimal fasting period before surgery:
Fatty meal, e.g. fried meat, may require many more hours for gastric emptying, and so it is not advised before surgery.
It depends on whether your child requires emergency or elective surgery.
ONYX suggests rescheduling all elective children when the medical treatment has been optimized because proceeding with an elective case in a poorly controlled asthmatic or child with severe flu/ chest infection is potentially life-threatening.
If the surgery must be done in emergency setting, maximal therapy with various medications will be given. Otherwise, local and regional anaesthetic techniques may be considered to avoid general anaesthesia and its problems of exacerbating the airway irritability.
ONYX believes that families are our critical partners for their child’s care. Apart from our commitment to share quality and accurate information with patients and families, we are committed to transparency about costs.
We understand that navigating through the complexities of insurance coverage and billing is often confusing and frustrating. You may contact ONYX staff for any helpful information about the registration process and financial matters associated with your care. However, it is still your utmost responsibility to ensure that you have adequate and appropriate health insurance cover or adequate payment to cover the cost of your child’s healthcare.
Co-Insurance, Co-Payments and Deductibles are determined by your insurance plan or employer group, NOT by ONYX. We strongly suggest you to clarify with your insurance agents or employer about your benefits and coverage limitations to get a full understanding of what you may owe.
Deductible – It is the amount of money you must pay before your insurance company begins covering part or all of your medical expenses. Check with your insurance agent regarding the amount of deductible stipulated in your insurance scheme. Deductibles may apply to any service in ONYX or Hospital including outpatient visits, specialty and urgent care, & hospital stays.
Co-insurance – After you pay your deductible, co-insurance is a set percentage of the insured medical expenses that you may be required to pay. Check your insurance coverage details to confirm your co-insurance percentage.
Co-payment – This is a set payment you make every time you receive a medical service, according to your insurance coverage. Check your insurance coverage details to confirm the amount of your co-payment, which is due when you receive services.
ONYX would always strive to arrange an affordable payment plan or would be happy to provide referrals whenever necessary.
Yes, it is very important that you present the relevant insurance card, if any, at each healthcare visit. This can help all parties (you, employer, insurance company, ONYX & hospital) to present accurate billing information and so file your claim correctly
It is always beneficial for you to contact your insurance agents or employer to understand your benefits and coverage limitations prior to receiving medical services anywhere.
ONYX will bill your insurance company for those anticipated services eligibly confirmed and/or verified, to be the covered benefit under your plan. Thus it is very important that you provide us with all the necessary information prior to your appointment or admission, if possible.
ONYX will bill most primary insurances directly, provided we have sufficient information to file the claims while the claims are eligibly confirmed by your insurance company. Additional administration fees may be charged if secondary insurance claims are necessary. Please ask ONYX staff for further assistance.
ONYX will make every effort to obtain an authorization from your insurance company or employer group when required. In some instances where your insurance has denied the Pre-approval request or there are delays, you may be contacted and asked to contact your insurer directly to assist us or you may be responsible for payment primarily.
In some cases, where ONYX is considered as an out-of-network provider, or the services anticipated are not covered benefits under your plan, you may be subjected to increase out of pocket expenses. ONYX will provide affordable payment plan or seek referrals whenever necessary.
Yes, ONYX can provide an estimate of the cost of medical services in advance for ALL elective services and most nonscheduled services.
For each admission, the Hospital will bill for Room & Board, and most ancillary services which include, but are not limited to, medications, operating and recovery room, laboratory, imaging and other diagnostic or therapeutic services. ONYX doctors/specialists will bill separately for their professional fees, which includes, but are not limited to, ward rounds, consultations, test interpretations, surgery/ procedure fees.
Professional fee is the bill from the doctor(s) who treated your child. If your child is undergone a surgery in the Hospital, you will receive separate bills directly from your surgeon and affiliated anesthetist for their professional fees. Depending upon the complexity of your child’s condition and the services provided, you may receive bills from several doctors or specialists.
Your initial statement or bill will provide a summary of charges and payments. If you require a detailed and itemized bill, you may contact ONYX staff or Account office of the relevant Hospital.