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Your admission to our hospital has been arranged by your physician. While you are with us, we will strive in every way to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Authorization for Billing and Consent to Treat During your admission process, we ask you to present any health insurance cards, as well as any orders or referrals you may have. Your signature is required as a consent for treatment as well as for release of information to your insurance carrier. Identification Bracelet
When you are admitted to our hospital, you are given an
identification bracelet with your name, your physician’s name, and other
important information. Please keep the identification bracelet on at all times.
The bracelet assures that we will always know who you are and who is responsible
for making decisions about your treatment. Beds, Side Rails, Nurse Call System, Falls Protection, Etc. For your comfort and to enable us to care properly for you, our hospital beds have controls to allow patients and staff to adjust bed positions. For your safety, beds are equipped with side rails. We encourage you not to lower the side rails on the bed. If you need assistance, please use the nurse call system in your room. The nurse call system is located on the side rail of your bed. By pressing the call button, you will cause a light to flash outside your door as well as at the nurses’ station. One of our staff will either respond to your needs from the nurses’ station by talking to you through the intercom, which is part of the call system, or by coming to your room. When answering on your intercom, please speak loudly and clearly so that your message will be heard and a staff member may understand your needs. There is also a call bell in the bathroom. Please pull the cord or press the switch if you need help. A member of our staff will respond immediately.
While you are in the hospital, you will
experience many changes in your daily routine. Preparation for tests, certain
treatments and procedures, changes in medications, different sleep habits, and
simply being in unfamiliar surroundings may put you at risk for falling. We will
give you a patient information sheet on prevention of falls. Please read it
carefully. We are particularly concerned about your safety and want you to ask
us for help when getting in and out of bed or when raising or lowering the bed.
TelephonesTelephone service is available for your convenience for a nominal daily fee. Because your insurance does not cover telephone charges, you should arrange to pay this fee upon discharge at the Cashier’s Office in the main lobby. All patients can receive incoming calls from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The switchboard has available pocket amplifiers or amplified receivers, TDD machines for the deaf, and audiocassette recorders for the blind. Contact your nurse to make arrangements for securing any of the above equipment. To reach the hospital switchboard, dial 0. For in-hospital calls, dial the desired four-digit telephone extension. See page 21 for common hospital numbers. If you do not know the extension, dial 0 and ask a hospital switchboard operator for assistance. To make a “local call,” dial 9. After getting a dial tone, dial your number. You must dial ten digits (area code + 7-digit phone number) for local calls. If it is a local call, the call will be completed. The following exchanges are considered local numbers:
The daily nominal fee covers unlimited local calls only. You must use your cell phone or personal phone calling card to make toll or long distance calls. If you do not have a calling card, they are available for purchase in the hospital gift shop or from the hospitality snack cart. You may not bill calls to your hospital room. To reach an 800 number, dial 9. Wait for the dial tone, then dial 800 followed by the desired number. (Do not dial 1 before the 800.) If you or your family members do not want to use the telephone, please inform someone in the Cashier’s Office on the second floor (main floor) or the Switchboard Office on the third floor. Cellular phones are
permissible to be used by you or your family. The cell phone must be
in “silent” mode between 9:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The hospital
reserves the right to restrict cell phone usage in certain
circumstances. Television, Radios, and Appliances Color televisions equipped with remote control, basic cable stations, and radio service are available in every patient room. Television is provided at a nominal charge. You may pay the television hostess, who visits the patient units or your nurse. Payment also may be made at the Cashier’s Office. If you have any questions regarding use of the television, call the television hostess at 724-223-3298. Standard home television sets do not meet hospital safety requirements. You are not permitted, therefore, to bring a television set from home to the hospital. Patient education programs are free and are scheduled on Channels 16 and 18. Various other instructional and educational programs are available. Easy listening radio music is available on Channel 17 at no charge.
Battery-powered devices, such as radio receivers,
laptops, cassette tape players, and compact disc players, may be used at the
discretion of the nurse in charge. Patient-furnished extension cords, electric
heating pads and blankets, space heaters, curling irons, coffee makers, and
radio transmitters of any type are prohibited. Other small electrical appliances
may be used with the approval of the nurse in charge.
Medications If you bring medications to the hospital, please show them to your nurse so that they can be noted on your chart. After the nurse has recorded this information, a family member or friend should take the drugs or medications home for you. Your physician will determine and prescribe your medications during your hospital stay. Nutritional Services According to the diet your doctor prescribes, you will receive a menu from which you can choose your meals. Consultations with a dietitian are available if you desire diet teaching or have any questions regarding nutrition. Meal service usually begins at the times listed below. They vary somewhat from unit to unit. Breakfast 7:15 a.m. Lunch 11:15 a.m. Dinner 4:15 p.m. Birthday cakes are available if you are spending your birthday with us. Please notify your nurse so that we can help you celebrate this special occasion with a birthday cake, if your diet permits
You may order a gourmet meal for yourself and/or
a guest for an additional charge. If you know a friend or family member will be
visiting you at mealtime, you may order a guest tray for a fee.
Lenses, Eyeglasses, Dentures, Hearing Aids, Valuables If you wear contact lenses or eyeglasses, dentures, or a hearing aid, they should be placed in protective containers in your bedside stand when not being used. The hospital is not responsible for lost or damaged personal items, and we encourage you not to place personal items on your bed, over-the-bed tables, window sills, or on your food tray.
Valuables, such as jewelry and cash, should not
be brought to the hospital. If you have valuables with you, we encourage you to
send them home with a relative or friend. If this is not possible, the hospital
safe may be used to store your valuables. The Washington Hospital assumes no
responsibility for loss of or damage to items or cash left in your room. Ask
your nurse for details.
Flowers, Mail, Newspapers/Magazines If you receive flowers or plants, volunteers will deliver them to your room. We request that no flowers be sent to patients in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) as well as the Behavioral Health Unit. All other patients are permitted to receive flowers. Fresh flowers and plants can be purchased in the Hospitality Shop on the hospital’s second floor. You may purchase newspapers from machines centrally located at the hospital’s main entrance on the second floor. Magazines may be purchased in the Hospitality Shop or from auxiliary members who make daily rounds with the Hospitality Cart. Mail will be distributed daily. Your friends and relatives should address mail to you in the following manner:
Your Name
If
you are sending mail, stamps may be purchased by a visitor at the Hospitality
Shop or you may purchase them from volunteers with the Hospitality Cart. Letters
may be deposited in a mailbox in the main lobby or given to one of our staff
members to mail for you.
Hospitality Cart Beverages, candy, magazines, toilet articles, stamps, and other gift items may be purchased from the Hospitality Cart. Hospital volunteers bring the cart to all patient units between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. every day except Sundays. Smoking The hospital is a smoke-free environment. Employees, patients, and visitors are not permitted to smoke in the hospital. Visitors must go outside if they wish to smoke. These guidelines reflect the current knowledge of the health effects of smoking and have been implemented for the good health of all and in conjunction with regulatory standards. Alcohol and Firearms
Visitors and patients are not permitted to bring
alcohol or firearms to
the hospital.
Fire Drills To ensure your safety in case of an emergency and in accordance with state and federal regulations, we may conduct a fire drill during your stay at our hospital. When a fire alarm is announced, you will hear the bells/alarm and the door to your room will be closed. You will be informed when a drill occurs. Hospitality Shop The hospital’s Hospitality Shop is located on the second floor just off the main lobby. The shop is staffed by volunteers who are members of the hospital’s auxiliary. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Hospitality Shop sells a variety of items, including candy, infant’s apparel, gifts, flowers, greeting cards, and magazines. Coffee Shop
The
Coffee Shop is next to the Hospitality Shop and sells hamburgers, sandwiches,
salads, fresh fruit, and yogurt as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner items.
The Coffee Shop offers a variety of low cholesterol and fat-free foods upon
request. The shop is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. |
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