Preparing for Surgery at the Texas Medical Center

Surgery is a key treatment for many cancer patients. Here’s information you’ll need to help your procedure go smoothly.

MD Anderson surgery locations

This information is for surgeries at MD Anderson’s Texas Medical Center campus. These are performed in the Main Building and Mays Clinic.

Patients at our Northwest Houston location have separate instructions. View the Northwest Houston location surgery instructions.

Preparing your trip to MD Anderson

Use the MD Anderson Directions mobile app to get directions to the building. The mobile app is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Be sure to allow the mobile app access to your device’s Bluetooth and location in your settings.

Before your visit, review the latest safety processes and visitor policy at MDAnderson.org/Coronavirus.

Financial clearance

Patients scheduled for any surgery or procedure must call the Admissions Office at 713-792-6136 at least one day before the surgery/procedure to complete the admission process. The Admissions Office is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Medicare patients who expect to have a hospital stay longer than 24 hours should report to the Admissions Office no more than 48 hours before surgery to receive and sign required Medicare information.

Surgery report time

You will get a phone call with your surgery report time and location on the business day before your procedure. Expect a call between 5-7 p.m. Make sure your care team has the best phone number to reach you.

If you do not hear from MD Anderson by 7 p.m., call 713-792-2121 to get your surgery report time and location.

The day of surgery/procedure

On the day of your surgery, there are a number of steps you must take to help the procedure go smoothly.

• Bring a photo ID such as a Texas Driver’s License or passport for the check-in process.
• If you have sleep apnea and use either a CPAP or BiPAP machine, bring it with you.
• Leave valuables (purse, wallet and jewelry) at home or give them to a family member before you check in for your surgery/procedure.
• Do not wear contact lenses, make-up, lotions, perfumes, or deodorant.
• Do not use hair spray, gel or mousse.
• If you have dentures, we will ask you to remove them just before the procedure.

Your schedule in MyChart will have your procedure information, location and visit instructions.

Visitor/caregiver information

In outpatient surgery and procedural areas, patient visitors should stay in the waiting area during the patient’s procedure. Care teams will allow one patient visitor or caregiver in the pre-operative and post-anesthesia care unit in most areas, depending on the size of the area. Everyone must wear an MD Anderson-issued face mask in required areas.

All visitors and overnight caregivers should stay home if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past seven days, have respiratory symptoms or feel unwell.

• Review our current coronavirus safety processes.
• Find current visitation policies.

Discharging outpatients

For outpatient procedures, a responsible adult (18 years of age or older) must be available to receive discharge instructions and take you home after your procedure.

• This person can come with you to the procedure, or you can provide their contact information when you check in. This person must be available to speak with the care team by phone.
• You will not receive sedation medicine until the care team speaks to this person and confirms that they are available to receive discharge instructions and take you home after your procedure.
• If you do not have a responsible adult prepared to speak with the care team by phone and available to take you home, your procedure will be rescheduled.
• During your procedure or surgery, your caregiver may wait nearby.
• If you are discharged the day of your procedure, it is recommended that you have a caregiver stay with you for 24 hours after your procedure.