Before You Arrive: The First Call
Your consultation begins before you walk through the door. When you call Blackhawk Plastic Surgery, you’ll speak with a patient coordinator who gathers basic information about what you’re interested in discussing.
Our patient coordinators provide pricing estimates if you want them, answer questions about the process, and send you short videos featuring Dr. Ronan talking through common procedures.
This pre-consultation step reduces anxiety. You know what to expect. You arrive prepared instead of guessing.
What Happens During Your In-Office Visit
Check-In and Paperwork
You’ll fill out medical history forms at the front desk. Bring a partner or friend if you want company. The consultation room offers space for both.
Meeting with a Coordinator First
Before seeing Dr. Ronan, you’ll sit down with a patient coordinator in a private consultation room. They’ll review what you discussed on the phone and add any new questions to the list. This keeps the doctor’s time focused on what matters most to you.
The Consultation with Dr. Ronan
“During the consultation, I’ll ask you what are the things you want to work on as opposed to what procedures you want,” says Dr. Steve Ronan, board-certified plastic surgeon at Blackhawk Plastic Surgery. “So we’ll talk about what are your goals and what do you like and not like and what do you want to change.”
That’s the core difference. Dr. Ronan doesn’t ask what procedure you searched for online. He asks what you want your body to do or look like, then builds a plan around that outcome. Sometimes the answer involves one procedure. Sometimes it requires multiple stages, especially for patients who’ve lost significant weight.
He’ll perform a physical examination to assess your anatomy and discuss realistic outcomes. If you’re addressing multiple areas, he’ll explain whether everything can happen in one surgery or needs to be staged for safety and optimal results.
Pricing, Financing, and Scheduling
Once the plan is clear, you’ll review pricing and financing options. Blackhawk Plastic Surgery works primarily with PatientFi, a financing company that provides soft credit checks and pre-qualifications in about two minutes. You won’t hurt your credit score by exploring your options. The practice also accepts PayPal Credit, CareCredit, personal checks, and cash. If you pay in full with cash or check, you receive a 5% discount.
Scheduling is unusually flexible. The practice operates every single day at 6 a.m., which means you’re not waiting weeks for an open slot. You pick a date that fits your life, not the other way around.
Questions You Might Ask
Good consultations are conversations, not lectures. Consider asking:
- What options do I have for achieving this specific goal?
- How long is recovery for my situation?
- Can everything be done in one surgery, or will I need multiple stages?
- What does post-operative care look like?
- How soon can I schedule if I decide to move forward?
- What happens on the day of surgery?
Dr. Ronan and the coordinators expect questions. They’d rather answer them up front than have you wonder later.
The Pre-Op Appointment: Preparing for Surgery
If you decide to move forward, you’ll return for a pre-operative appointment about two weeks before surgery. Plan for 90 minutes to two hours. This appointment covers everything you need to know before the day arrives.
You’ll meet with a nurse who takes vitals, reviews medications, and sends prescriptions to your pharmacy. Dr. Ronan checks in again to answer any questions that have come up since the consultation. You’ll receive a detailed training booklet that walks through the surgical process and what to expect emotionally during recovery. The coordinators will schedule your first post-operative appointment and collect payment for the procedure.
The goal is to eliminate surprises. Most patients leave the pre-op appointment with their questions answered before they even think to ask them.
What Makes Blackhawk Plastic Surgery Different
Operating every day at 6 a.m. is rare in plastic surgery. Most practices cluster surgeries on specific days. Blackhawk built its schedule around patient flexibility instead of operational convenience.
The facility spans 14,000 square feet and includes multiple operating rooms, dedicated recovery beds, and a full medspa. The anesthesia team and nursing staff work in-house, which means continuity of care from consultation through recovery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available for patients who want to accelerate healing and reduce surgical risks.
“Almost all of our sutures are dissolving. We don’t use drains very often,” explains Dr. Ronan. “And so there’s not that much to do after. It’s more like just curtailing your activities and letting it heal.”
That approach makes recovery simpler. Your job is mostly to rest and limit activity while your body heals.
Surgery Day and What Comes After
You’ll arrive one hour before your scheduled surgery time. The team places an IV, and Dr. Ronan marks the surgical areas. You’ll meet the anesthesiologist and have a final chance to ask questions. If you brought family or friends, the staff updates them during the procedure so they’re not left wondering.
After surgery, you’ll wake up in a recovery room where nurses monitor you before discharge. You’ll go home the same day with detailed post-operative instructions. The nursing team calls that afternoon and the next morning to check in.
Your first in-office follow-up typically happens at one week. That appointment runs longer than a typical check-in because the team wants to hear how you’re feeling and address anything that seems off.
Face procedures like facelifts and rhinoplasty typically keep you out of public view for two weeks. You’re ready for photos in about a month. Larger body procedures like tummy tucks or lower body lifts follow similar timelines. Most patients return to work in two weeks, depending on the physical demands of their job.
After the Consultation: What Happens Next
You don’t need to decide immediately. Take the information home. Review the plan. Talk it over with people you trust. If you have follow-up questions, the coordinators are available by phone or email.
Financing pre-approval can happen before or after the consultation. Some patients prefer to know their budget before the first visit. Others wait until they’ve met Dr. Ronan and settled on a plan. Either approach works.
When you’re ready to schedule, call the office at 925-736-5757 or use our convenient contact form. The consultation itself is complimentary. You’re paying for the procedure, not the conversation.
