Fremont Surgery Center

Surgery went well and the surgery center served its purpose. The problem is post-​surgery billing questions. It is a nightmare. I over-​paid my co-​insurance and trying to get my refund is horrible. The billing staff who answer the phone are very rude, and they transfer you to people who either don’t exist or their voice mail box is full. All you get is «you need to talk to Account Payable» but you can never get through to Accounts Payable. It’s a freaking black hole. Looks like I’m going to have to blow a ½ a day of my time and go to the surgery center in person. My advice and too either go to a different surgery center if you have a choice or make sure you do NOT over-​pay your co-​insurance or out-​of-​pocket amount.

Had surgery on my foot Thursday. From the moment I arrived I felt very welcome. Nurses were super tenative to me making sure I was comfortable and knew that the surgery ahead of me went longer than anticipated. Once in the surgery room the nurse was super sweet and rubbed my arm and the anesthesia doctor did his thing. Once I woke up in the revovery room the nurse asked me how I felt and how I felt. Gave me a snack and ginger ale. I would definitely recommend this facility.

Second time visiting this place. Not my favorite. Huge facility, very impersonal. Who wants to be the 3 o clock on a Friday afternoon? We didn’t get home until 9 p.m. Then the bill came and we were billed for an out network anesthesiologist. Uhm, we had no control over who they used or chose. Agree with a lot of the other negative reviews posted. Staff unprofessional and chatty about their weekend plans. Total bill was over $ 30,000, which seems a bit much for a knee scope.

I was at the Fremont Surgery Center for a procedure. The front desk women was friendless and handled my paperwork quickly. The nursing staff and were all efficient and friendly. My awful experience did come with my anesthesiologist, Dr. Reddy. (I did not ding Fremont Surgery Center for my awful experience). You do have the right to ask for another anesthesiologist, make sure you are not stuck her her, ask you doctor ahead of time.
My experience with Dr. Reddy is that’s she does not walk you through the procedure, she made decision about anesthesia without consulting with me, she was rude to the nurse who was assisting, she has no patience, I could go on on. She did get the procedure done but it took three times longer than average. To to top it off she has zero compassion and even less bed side manner (if that is even possible). She is stone cold.

FREMONT SURGERY CENTER IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!
I would recommend that you talk with your doctor about the many bad reviews this place has gotten and tell him or her that you would prefer to have your surgery done somewhere else.
You have the right to choose where your surgery is done, and you deserve to be treated with courtesy and honesty by everyone at the place you and your doctor choose.
~~Whether on the phone or in person, the front office staff is unprofessional, rude, and not at all helpful (although it’s hard to tell if it’s because they don’t care or are just seriously uneducated about the jobs they’re supposed to be doing).
~~Presurgery care was very uneven.
~~The billing office is run by people who either don’t know, or choose to ignore, the laws which state that they are required to provide an ITEMIZED BREAKDOWN of their charges when it is requested.
This was a bad experience right from the start. I had specified that my home phone was my primary number. The Friday before my Monday surgery, Instead of leaving check-​in info at that number, they called my cell phone and left a message there, talking so fast that I couldn’t understand what was said. When I called back, the woman I spoke with was again speaking so fast that I repeatedly had to ask her to slow down. (She sounded very stressed and overworked.) I finally had to read everything back to her to make sure I’d understood what she was saying about the Monday check-​in.
When I arrived on Monday, the woman who took me to the pre-​surgery area was very rude. She ordered me to go into a room, change into a gown and socks, put my things in bag and lock them in a locker in the changing room. When I came out she took the key from me! She noticed I was wearing my own socks (which I explained that my doctor had approved) and said I had to wear their socks because their socks are «sterile.» Well, the package they were in did not say «sterilized,» so she was obviously lying.
The pre-​surgery care I received was uneven. Some women were in professional attire, but at least one was wearing jeans and Tshirt, with some kind of men’s shirt over that. These ladies were all nice, but I didn’t get a sense that they were very well-​trained or skilled in the work they are doing. The woman who put the medicated drops into my eyes didn’t wait any time between them, but just put them all in at once. The drops all mixed together and spilled out immediately. The women chattered and gossiped about personal things the whole time I was there, before and after surgery, so that they weren’t paying attention to what they were doing. The environment was not calm or professional.
When I received my bill, it was for a total amount only. I called to request an itemized statement showing how the amount was calculated, and was told the insurance company didn’t require this. When I mentioned that I was ENTITLED BY LAW TO RECEIVE AN ITEMIZED STATEMENT from Fremont Surgery Center if I request it, I was transferred to «Sandy» who, I was later told, is the Billing Dept Manager. Sandy said she would send an itemized statement.
I received more bills every two weeks, but didn’t get any itemized statement – ever – even though I called twice more at one month intervals. The last time I called the woman I spoke to hung up on me! Finally I received a printout of something which still only stated the full amount, with no itemization.
At that point, I called and asked to speak with the Office Manager. I was told her name is Kathleen Finn. I left a detailed message for her, asking for a call back, but never heard from her or anyone else. Now they’re threatening to send this to a collection agency. I’m going to call again and request the itemized statement which I am entitled to by law. I’ll post updates here.

I had a bunionectomy done here and EVERYONE was so accommodating and friendly. I had a very good experience here and would recommend it!

I did leave alive and well. The worst part was the admissions crew who were incessantly chatting the duration of my pre op about lunch and who they preferred to dine with which might explain why my saline drip was administered incorrectly and burst my blood vessel in my hand (artery or vein?, unknown to plebeian me). I actually had to tell the gal that something was wrong and that she might want to try again.
The succeeding pain over the next few days from the botched IV far exceeded the post op recuperation pain.
Supporting staff, 2.5. Operating doctors, 6.
Thank you.

Fremont Surgery Center. I received a very nice phone call the afternoon before about the procedure and what to expect. I arrived to a warm and professional Staff. I was in motion and in the process with a personal nurse within 15 minutes and explained, along with my Family about the Process, the pick up and what & how to deal with me afterwards. They explained to Us, how to manage the pains and what to expect. I Own & Operate a Business and I must tell you Fremont SC was an absolute Euphoria for me. I like it Private, I like it Simple and the Best of All I Really enjoyed the Happy Staff & Environment…1^st Class 5 Stars All the Way my back still hurts but that’s on me.
Thank you so Much.

Fremont Surgery Center does not call in advance for your appointment. You have to call yourself the day before if you don’t hear form them.
Service is terrible. I wish we did not have to use this place.

If you are patient of Palo Alto Medical Foundation from Palo Alto, or Mountain view. Please refuse Fremont Surgery Center to handle your surgery. Check your doctors’ surgery operation location before you visit the doctor.
The billing operation of Fremont Surgery Center handled billing in very rude way and. They increased 50% than pre-approval.(They sent pre-​approval with cost less to persuade patient to do surgery,)

I have had several procedures at Fremont Surgery Center. From admission to discharge, I was treated like I was the only patient in the facility. They are a great team of professionals. If you find yourself in need of short stay surgery, ask your physician for Fremont Surgery Center!

My sis had minor knee surgery here, and I was her support team.
From start to finish the staff was friendly and professional.
Clean, even the rest rooms for the folks waiting. Parking was close. A win-​win for us today!

One RN and medical assistant team per two patients. Excellent, kind staff that responds quickly to call bell for any request/​need large or small or odd or unusual. The most excellent, timely, passionate care I have received.

I had knee surgery here yesterday. My first surgery ever. I was soooo scared. Everyone… and I mean EVERYONE at the Fremont Surgery Center made this a very pleasant experience. Maybe it was the drugs, but after surgery, I left with a smile on my face. Thank you, Fremont Surgery Center.

This was my first surgery — ever — unless you count wisdom teeth removal. My family doctor had discovered that I needed to have my gallbladder removed — as soon as possible. I met with a surgeon (who has an office in the Fremont Surgery Center building) and they scheduled my surgery for the next day, at noon. I received a confirmation phone call from the surgery center almost immediately after leaving the surgeon’s office. They wanted to assure that I had the correct times (be there 90 minutes early, no food or drink after midnight, etc.). About 20 minutes after that, I received a call from the anesthesiologist, wanting to go over whether I’d had anesthesia in the past and what I should expect post-​surgery.
I arrived at the surgery center at 10:30, signed a few papers for insurance (their website and their front desk is very clear about what insurance contracts they have — and that includes the Aetna PPO that we have), waited maybe five minutes and was greeted and led to be prepped for surgery. The staff was well informed (it was clear that they’d been through the pre-​surgery prep hundreds of times) and very helpful. The changing room was spacious and clean, they provided lockers for personal belongings (which they brought out to me post-​surgery), and they had me in a bed, under the «bair-​hug», with an IV in less than a half hour. The rest of the time before surgery, I was visited by my surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and a nurse that was completely friendly and wanted to make sure that they had all of my history and information correct. At about 12:15, I was rolled to my procedure. I don’t remember much after that, of course, until I woke up at about 4pm. I knew that the surgery would last about 90 minutes, and I’m very sensitive to medications, so it was no surprise that it took me a long time to wake up. When I awoke, someone was right there, explaining to me that everything went fine and she immediately had crackers and drink for me. They didn’t rush me at all and wanted to make sure that I was okay before I was discharged. I ended up vomiting before getting to the car, and they cleaned it right up, and provided me with wash cloths, extra bags, and crackers to take with me.
Each person I had interactions with was friendly, warm, and completely personable.
I wasn’t going to write a step-​by-​step of my experience in this review, but felt the need after reading some of the other reviews left here. Some reviewers may have been in a bad mood because they couldn’t reach their smartphones, or simply didn’t feel well (they are there to have surgery, after all), so all interactions they had seemed like bad ones. We don’t know because we weren’t there with them. I just know that my experience with them exceeded my expectations.
As far as insurance matters go — it’s your own responsibility to make sure that your insurance will cover your procedure. You rely on your insurance provider to tell you whether they will pay what you think they will pay. It’s the surgery center’s responsibility to be paid for services rendered — whether from you or the insurance company. It sounds like a lot of blame-​gaming when someone points the finger at administrative assistants, when it’s not their fault — insurance contracts change frequently and they don’t know exactly what package you have. If you haven’t heard your insurance company say, «yes, we will pay for this,» then you have to expect that you might have to pay the entire bill. It’s naïve to think otherwise.
Fremont Surgery Center will place your claim for you, though, which was helpful. I had my co-​pay bill — after insurance had been billed and I’d received verification from my insurance provider — within a week of my procedure.

Underwent a procedure at his relatively new facility. Plenty of parking and relatively easy to locate near the Fremont Main Library and the BART station. I called several times to verify insurance as a result of other Unilocal posters’ experiences but found the billing folks quite helpful and reassuring. Good sized waiting area, and quite a number of patients/​family members waiting around on this day. Complimentary coffee and water, with grocery stores and shopping areas located nearby. I don’t believe WiFi was available, unfortunately.
Was instructed to arrive 1.5 hours prior to my procedure, but delayed about ~1 hour. A pre-​op staff member provided me the arrival time the day before and the anesthesiologist called me (very helpful) the night before to discuss pain control options. Check-​in involved signing off of billing consents (facility, anesthesia, equipment), Advanced Directives, and privacy notices.
It’s a surgical factory for the most part, abundant patients entering and exiting, the facility houses a wide range of procedures — e.g. the patients adjacent to me were having a hernia repair and spinal epidural. An aide provided me with a surgical gown, compression stockings, and urine analysis cup upon entry to the pre-​op area. All personal belongings are locked up after changing, so there’s likely no sense bringing along reading material or electronics (e.g. smartphone) as there’s no opportunity to access them in the lockers. Patient beds are separated by curtains and both pre– and post-​op areas were quite noisy as a result of the lack of sound insulation.
I found the staff, including nurses and aides, sparsely trained — familiar with only the rudimentary with regards to anatomy and medications. Moreso disconcerting were the dour demeanors and culture — it was painfully evident from the moment patients were admitted at the front desk through post-​op discharge. Almost reluctant eye-​contact, begrudging attitudes, terse communication of only necessary information, laughing away with one another at the nurse stations only to turn to patients with unwelcoming resentment… Certainly this was not the case with the entirety of the staff, but the negative culture was sufficiently pervasive and transparent.
Multiple delays — daytime pre-​op seem adequately staffed, whereas the afternoon/​evening hours were woefully understaffed. Standard post-​op routine — water and crackers, supplemented by some fentanyl. Nurses and anesthesiologist had to treat and care for at least two patients at a time — this resulted in delays to the post-​op pain and nausea I experienced, but I did not feel my safety was compromised.
In all, I spent about ~7 hours for my ~1 hour procedure, largely due to the aforementioned delays and understaffing. I appreciated the attentiveness and experience of my anesthiologist and other surgical room staff, but do not look forward to returning any time soon.

I had an outpatient surgery at Fremont Surgery Center in 2011. First let me say that all the doctors, nurses, admission medical staffs were all very wonderful, skilled, friendly, and attentive. The facility is very well organized and serviced. I would rate them 5 star with no hesitation.
However, I can only give zero star for the business practice at the Fremont Surgery Center.
We pay an outrageously high premium for PPO plan so that all surgeries under PPO facilities are 100% covered. Before admission, our insurance company said we need to confirm with the hospital that they are under PPO. During admission, Fremont Surgery Center checked and confirmed our insurance coverage, knowingly did not inform us they’re not on the PPO network.
One year after the surgery, we received a bill from Fremont Surgery Center. We were shocked because they knowingly did not disclose they are non-​ppo. We have no budget set aside for this bill. Our claim for flexible spending was denied because the surgery took place last year, and the bill came way past the claim allowance date.
I feel sorry for the staffs working at Fremont Surgery Center. They work so hard at a place where profits are built on patient’s pain and vulnerability. Given their excellent skills, the surgery center did not need to cheat in order to win their patients.

I had surgery here recently for rotator cuff and other shoulder repairs. I didn’t need to fill out any paperwork, but just sign a few forms and show an ID when I came in, as my doctors office previously sent in all the information they needed. The waiting room is large and comfortable. I noticed they had boxes of tissues on the tables. There were already around 10 other people there (patients and their rides home), so they are a busy surgery center
I was told to be there at 6:30AM for the pre-​op stuff, even though my surgery was scheduled at 8AM. I was called in at 6:40 and entered in a dressing room to change into a gown and some special socks. There were three changing stalls, a sink and toilet and a bunch of lockers to put your clothes and shoes in.
At a little after after 7AM, they called me out and put me in a hospital type bed, hooked me up to an IV and asked me some questions on my health and medications. My surgeon also stopped by to explain the surgery. Everyone was was very friendly.
Around 7:45, the anesthesiologist introduced himself and verified some information I had previously given the surgery center over the phone. Soon after that my bed was being moved down a hall, right outside the operating room. It was freezing cold in that area! Then they asked me get out of the bed, and head to the operating room’s bed. It was cold in there too. There, the anesthesiologist told me to look up at a light, and next thing I knew I was in the recovery room.
My surgeon was there, and said the operation went well with no complications. I was given crackers and something to drink. I would of liked to recover there longer, but they were anxious to get people in and out as quick as possible. But they won’t let anybody leave on their own, without a responsible adult signing a release form with post op protocol.
I received a sling with an abduction cushion, and the only part of the process that needs to be improved on is about preforming the pendulum exercises on the post op shoulder protocol. They should, either before you have the surgery, or in the recovery room, instruct the patient in proper technique, as if this is done incorrectly it will put excessive stress on the rotator cuff repair. (Fortunately soon there after, my physical therapist instructed me in the correct way to do it).
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If I could give Fremont Surgery Center a zero — or a minus 5, I would. Their inexperienced people didn’t provide the right post-​op care. (The «nurse» started removing the stockings they put on my legs to avoid blood clots until someone else told him to leave them on because are supposed to stay on for 24 hours post surgery). They provided NO post-​op information on icing (I used heat instead — which harmed my outcome).
They put on a sling that was too small (incorrectly) after rotator cuff surgery and expected me to DRIVE BACK two days later to fetch a new sling (don’t they know it’s illegal to drive when you are on narcotic pain medication?). I had to speak with three different people on the phone (who were all extremely rude and unhelpful) — they actually told me to call the sling sales representative myself to beg him to bring a sling to Palo Alto Medical Foundation, closer to home.
That was strike one.
I was so dissatisfied I wrote a letter to Mr. John Mazoros, who runs the Fremont Surgery Center. He sent me a letter saying they were sorry, but oh by the way I still owed them $ 2,000.
That was strike two.
My insurance company paid them $ 9,000 for about 2 hours of surgical prep and recovery and the operating room. (The bills from the surgeon, his staff etc. are in addition to that.)
I wrote Mr. Mazoros another letter asking him for more information about the vague bill they sent, especially since they tacked on another «medical» charge over a year after my surgery had taken place. I called and left messages with both the billing department and with John Mazoros’ admin. I got NO calls back.
That was strike three.
It has been over two years since my surgery and I am STILL trying to resolve billing issues with them.
DO NOT go to FSC! If you are a patient of the Palo Alto Medical foundation, DO NOT let them convince you that this is a good option. Both the care and the entire billing and bill-​paying process is terrible — a huge time drain. But even more critical, you will not get competent people working with you — which will negatively impact your outcome and condition.

I had an outpatient surgery done here under general anesthesia in April of 2012. During being conscious, everything went great. The lobby area seemed more like a hotel lobby (clean, nice furnishing, comfortable) which was good for my family who had to wait for me to come out of surgery. Once I got inside to where they did the «prepping» for surgery, everyone was extremely nice, comforting and informative.
Ditto to the previous sentence for post-​op as well.