PATIENTS & VISITORS Patient Information: Providence Heart Institute ministers to the needs of all its patients. We are committed to providing our services with dignity and respect. We also value the care and commitment families and visitors contribute to the well-being of our patients. Please read our Notice of Privacy Practices Admission Information < Back If you have health insurance, you will need to provide a copy of your insurance cards. Providence will assist you in filing the necessary paperwork with your insurance company. You must provide copies of insurance identification cards, Medicare cards or Medicaid cards upon admission. The hospital’s staff can help with questions concerning your insurance coverage. Please note that your bill does not include physician fees such as those from a surgeon, anesthesiologist, radiologist or pathologist. Diagnostic and therapeutic services provided by physician and physician groups will also be billed separately. These bills will come from the physician, not from Providence. Chapel < Back Providence believes that healing is of the whole person: body, mind, feelings and spirit. The Pastoral Care staff brings you and your family the support, comfort, presence, prayer and counseling that help the healing process. Every morning and evening, a prayer is shared with the staff and patients over the hospitals’ speaker system. A chaplain is available for Providence patients and their families 24 hours a day. The Downtown Campus chapel is located on the first floor next to the Prayer Garden. It is open to the public during hospital visiting hours. Mass is offered there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. You may view the hospital’s live mass from your room by tuning to Channel 13 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. Channel 13 also broadcasts relaxation music and hymns. Please contact the Pastoral Care office at 256-5305 for more information. The Northeast Campus chapel is located on the first floor across from the cafeteria. It also is open to the public during hospital visiting hours. Mass is offered there Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Channel 13 is the Pastoral Care closed circuit television channel on that campus. Providence Hospital Northeast Pastoral Care office can be reached by calling 865-4516. Checkout Time < Back Please make arrangements to leave your room by 11 a.m. on the day of discharge. If you anticipate difficulties in leaving on time, contact your nurse. Communication Assistance < Back Communication assistance is available upon request, including: Text Telephone (TT) Amplified telephone hand sets Closed Captioned programming Please make all requests for special equipment to your nurse. Discharge Instructions < Back Instructions will be given to you before you leave the hospital. These instructions may include information about your medication, diet and a return appointment to see your physician. If your physician orders home medical equipment or home health care, the discharge planner may coordinate this for you. Flowers < Back Volunteers deliver flowers to patient rooms Monday through Saturday. If you are in an intensive care unit, cardiovascular surgery recovery unit or medical coronary care unit, you cannot receive flowers. Deliveries may be received after patients are discharged from one of these units. Insurance < Back Providence accepts the policies of health insurance companies and bills them for inpatient, outpatient and emergency room service. Generally, insurance group plans, Medicare, Tri-Care Standard, HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations), PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and other such plans pay most of your bill. What they don’t pay is classified as a deductible, co-insurance or both. Patients are responsible for any unpaid balance of their bills. For more information about health care plans accepted by Providence, please see Insurance Plans. Individual plans and other insurance plans may pay a certain amount per day, which may be significantly less than billed charges. These policies are usually used to pay deductibles and co-insurance of group plans or to help pay for other medical costs. Interpreters < Back The hospital has access to interpreters for a number of foreign languages should you require it. If assistance is needed, ask your nurse. Mail < Back Hospital volunteers deliver letters and packages to patients Monday through Saturday. Letters and parcels that arrive after you have gone home will be forwarded to the home address indicated on your medical records. Stamps and stationery are available for purchase from the gift shop. A U.S. Postal Service mailbox is located outside the Outpatient Services entrance of the hospital on Bernandin Avenue. Medical Records < Back Your privacy is very important to Providence, but when the need arises, you may request a copy of your medical records by calling the Release of Information office at (803) 256-5722 on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. A copy of a patient’s Protected Health Information will be released upon completion of the following: 1. The requestor provides the following information on the appropriate form, available from the Release of Information office: Identifying information of the patient whose protected health information is being requested; Type of information requested; Reason for the request or disclosure of the information; Name and address of the recipient of the information; Requestor's signature. 2. The requestor must present a picture ID before information is released. 3. The requestor shows under what authority he or she is receiving the requested protected health information. For example, a requestor must prove that he or she is the patient, or that he or she has legal documentation giving them rights to that patient's protected health information. Please note that these instructions do not pertain to healthcare providers. Medication Form < Back The Universal Medication Form has a chart to help you and your family members keep a current record of your medications and health information. You should list all immunizations, allergies, prescriptions, and any vitamins, herbal supplements or over-the-counter medicines that you use. Take this form with you when you go to the doctor, pharmacy, hospital and dentist. The form can be downloaded and printed out. Nutrition Services < Back Wholesome, nourishing and well-balanced meals are an important factor in your treatment and recovery. We make every effort to provide nutritious meals that are prepared according to your doctor’s orders. Breakfast trays include a menu from which you can order meals. A registered dietitian will be available to talk with you if you are on a special diet. Because proper nutrition is an important factor in your recovery, you should not let visitors bring food to you or eat any food that is given to you unless your physician or nurse gives you permission. Guest trays are provided at a nominal charge. Orders for guest trays should be placed at the nursing station at least two hours prior to the next meal. Gourmet meals are also available for you and your visitors at an additional charge. Patient Rights and Responsibilities < Back Patient Rights You have the right to ... Be fully informed with complete and current information about your medical condition, proposed treatments, and prognosis in terms which you can understand. Consent to and refuse treatment (unless legally required through court orders or other appropriate legal authorities), including formulation of Advance Directives and/or appointment of agents to make health care decisions on your behalf. Ask questions when you don't understand the explanations and procedures that have been discussed with you. Have your privacy respected and your confidentiality honored in all interviews, examinations and treatments. Receive timely notice prior to termination of your eligibility for reimbursement by a third party payor for the cost of your care. Receive impartial access to treatment or accommodations which are available or medically indicated, without concerns about financial status, race, creed, sex, national origin, religion or sources of payment for care. Obtain a copy of your medical record, provided hospital release of information protocols are followed (a processing fee may apply). Receive considerate, respectful care with recognition of your personal dignity, psychosocial needs and spiritual and cultural values. If you have a disability which requires special assistance, you may request such assistance. Have your religious and spiritual needs respected. Receive a copy of your hospital charges and receive explanations about those charges. Be treated by compassionate, caring, accepting health care workers. Register complaints or objections when expectations are not fulfilled or when conflicts arise. Complaints/objections should first be voiced directly to your physician(s), when the questions involve physician's care, or to your caregiver or nurse, when the questions involve hospital care. If complaints/objections are not resolved, you should consult the department director. If still not resolved, the Patient Advocacy Department should be contacted. Have access to people outside the hospital by means of visitors and verbal and written communication. If you do not speak English, all reasonable efforts will be made to provide an interpreter. Know the identity and professional status of all individuals involved in your health care. Make your own decisions concerning organ donations. Select your physicians and choose a facility other than Providence Hospital Northeast if you so desire. Be hospitalized in a clean, safe environment. Receive discharge and/or transfer instructions, including full explanations of why the discharge or transfer is medically appropriate. If transferred, you have the right to be provided with options, benefits, and risks associated with this transfer. Patient Responsibilities You have the responsibility to ... Comply with your physicians' orders and nursing and other departmental care plans. Provide accurate and complete information about your present/past illnesses, complaints, hospitalizations, medications and other pertinent health matters. Be responsible for your actions if you refuse treatment or if you choose not to follow the physicians' instructions. Respect hospital property and the property of others. Properly identify yourself to all hospital staff. Maintain all personal valuables and store them properly. Comply with hospital safety and infection control policies. Respect the privacy of staff and other patients. Respect the need for a quiet hospital environment. Limit visitation by friends and relatives. Accept financial responsibility for services rendered, including providing information necessary for insurance processing and assuming responsibility for paying all hospital bills. If you would like any additional information, please contact our Pastoral Care Department at 256.5305. Parking < Back Parking for patients and visitors is available in the parking garage across from the front entrance of the hospital. A crosswalk connects the second level of the parking garage to the first level of the hospital. Personal Equipment < Back The only AC-operated equipment permitted in your room is personal grooming equipment such as blow dryers, curling irons and razors. These articles must be in safe working condition. Prior to using these items, you must give them to the nursing staff for inspection. Providence Hospitalists Group < Back Your physician may request that your follow-up care in the hospital be managed by physicians from the Providence Hospitalists Group. Upon discharge, you will be returned to the care of your private physician. Members of the Providence Hospitalists Group are Laurie Milatz, DO; Dana Nairn, MD; Yohannes Negash, MD; and Mulugeta Tarekegne, MD. Safety < Back Notice to Providence Patients Providence is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities. If you have concerns or questions about the safety or quality of care provided at Providence Hospitals, please contact the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities. Smoking < Back Providence strictly prohibits smoking throughout the hospital. On November 15, Providence will become tobacco-free, meaning that smoking will be prohibited in all hospital-owned and leased buildings, parking lots and parking ramps, vehicles on the property, and grounds. Nicotine gum will be available in the hospital gift shop. Until November 15, the only designated smoking area is the smoking area next to the Emergency Room. Telephones < Back A telephone is located at every bedside in non-critical units and is free to all patients. Outgoing calls can be made 24 hours a day. When dialing within the hospital, dial the last four digits of the number you are trying to reach. To dial outside the hospital, dial 9 and your number. A hospital telephone directory is available in each room in the "Guide to Patient and Visitor Services." Cellular phones are permitted within the hospital unless otherwise instructed by your health care provider. Internet connection is available for your computer by request. Please ask your nurse if this is a service you will need during your stay. Valuable or Lost Items < Back Please do not bring items of value to the hospital. Those who bring valuable items are asked to deposit them in the safe in the hospital’s Safety and Security Office. You will be given a written receipt for all items, which must be presented when the items are withdrawn. The hospital does not accept responsibility for items of value unless they are deposited in the safe. William W. Bruner House (Patient Guest House) < Back The William W. Bruner House provides overnight accommodations for patients having pre- or post-hospitalization medical needs. It's available for patients, with a physician referral, who live more than 35 miles from the hospital. One family member may stay with the patient. There is a nominal fee charged. To reserve a room at the Bruner House, call (803) 256-5400 and ask for the Bruner House representative. Room reservations are limited to one room per family. Your Hospital Bill < Back Payment for tests, procedures and surgery at Providence is due when you leave the hospital. Payment can be made at the cashier’s office, located on the first floor of the hospital. You can also choose the convenience of mailing payments. If insurance coverage does not pay for all or part of your bill, you should contact your insurance carrier for an explanation. To provide insurance information, you should contact the Patient Billing office at (803) 256-5505 or 803-865-4700 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To make arrangements for payment not covered by insurance, please contact the Billing Office at 803-256-5505 or 803-865-4700 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Your Room < Back Your room assignment is based upon your admitting diagnosis and the bed availability on the day of your admission. Private (single bed) and semi-private (two-bed) rooms are available. Medical insurance usually does not cover the full cost of a private room.