Rights
ACCESS: You
have the right to the best care medically available, including appropriate
assessment and management of pain, regardless of race, creed, sex,
national origin, or sources of payment of care.
RESPECT AND DIGNITY: You have
the right to expect respectful, considerate care, with recognition of your
personal dignity and to be free of unnecessary restraints.
PRIVACY: You have the right
to privacy during your treatment and care.
CONFIDENTIALITY: You have the
right to privacy of your medical and personal records.
IDENTITY: You have the right
to know the names and duties of persons concerned with your care.
INFORMATION: You have the right
to complete information about your condition and treatment, in terms you
understand. Assistance will be provided for patients with vision or hearing
impairments. Individuals with limited English proficiency will receive appropriate
language services free of charge.
CONSENT: You have the right
to be involved, whenever possible, in decisions about your care, including
the right to refuse treatment and to leave the hospital even if your doctors
advise against it.
HEALTH CARE BILLS: You have
the right to receive an explanation of your bills and to have help in applying
for financial aid when appropriate.
CONCERNS: You have the right
to express, at any time, a concern or a complaint regarding your care and
treatment while a patient. Your concerns should be directed to your nurse,
physician or patient representative. Issues may also be referred to the Alabama
Department of Public Health at 1-800-356-9596.
Responsibilities
CONSIDERATION: You
are responsible for being considerate of other patients, visitors,
and hospital staff, and for following hospital guidelines.
GIVING INFORMATION: You are
responsible for providing complete and accurate information about your health
and medical history, and are expected to work with your healthcare team members
to develop a pain management plan when possible. You are responsible for
reporting perceived risk in your care and unexpected changes in your condition.
Asking questions and providing full and complete information about your condition
will assist the hospital staff in providing the safest care possible.
FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS: You
are responsible for following instructions as given. You are responsible
for telling us if you do not understand the instructions, or if you feel
you cannot follow them. If you refuse treatment or fail to follow instructions,
you will be responsible for the outcome.
HEALTH CARE CHARGES You are
responsible for making certain your health care bills are paid as soon as
possible.
Tips for Patient Safety and Protection
Coffee Health Group’s approach to patient safety
and protection is based on respect for the well being and dignity of
the patient.
Overall patient safety depends on awareness, care and
communication between the patient, family and health care team. The
following safety information will allow you to assist us in providing
safe health care for you as a patient.
• Ask questions and participate in your care and treatment.
• Each bed has a call light and one is available in the bathroom. The nurse
will demonstrate how to use it.
• Bed rails may be placed in an upright position for your safety.
• Inform the care givers if you have problems walking or standing so they
may assist you.
• Let us know if you use assistive devices for walking. We will place them
within your reach.
• If your physician permits you to get out of bed unassisted, it is important
to move slowly from bed to chair. Request help if weakness, dizziness or nausea
occurs.
• If oxygen or other equipment is in use, ask for help when getting out
of bed.
• Call the nurse if you need help using the bedside commode or going to
the bathroom.
• Assist us in proper identification by showing your armband to the health
care provider when she/he gives medications or treatments to you.
• Consider asking health care workers who provide direct care for you if
they have washed their hands.
• Inform your nurse and physician about any allergies or adverse reactions
you have had with medications.
• If the medication you are receiving looks different from what you expected,
ask your nurse about it.
• If you are having surgery, you, your doctor and your surgeon should be
clear on exactly what will be done.
• Upon discharge, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will
use at home.
• Ask questions and express your concerns.
Advance Directives
Deciding about your health
care
If you are nineteen (19) or older, the law says you have the right to decide
about your medical care. If you are very sick or badly hurt, you may not be
able to say what medical care you want. If you have an advance directive, your
doctor and family will know what medical care you desire, even if you are too
sick or hut to talk or make decisions.
What is an advance directive
An advance directive is used to tell your doctor and family what kind of medical
care you want if you are too sick or hurt to talk or make decisions. If you
do not have one, certain members of your family may have to make these decisions
for your. You must be at least 19 years old to set up an advance directive.
You must be able to think clearly and make decisions for yourself when you
establish your directive. You do not need a lawyer but you may want to talk
with one before you take this important step. Whether or not you have an advance
directive, you have the same right to get the care you need.
Types of advance directives
In Alabama you can set up an Advance Directive for Health Care. The choices
you have include:
• A living will which is used to write down, in advance, what kind of care
you do or do not want if you are too sick to speak for yourself.
• A proxy, which is a designated person or persons to make healthcare decisions
for you, if you are no longer able to make them for yourself. Your choices should
be thoroughly discussed, in advance, with your proxy. Be sure that they know
how you feel about different kinds of medical treatments. A proxy may be designated
in a living will or in a durable power of attorney for health care.
You may choose to have any of the above forms of advance directives. Hospitals,
home health agencies, hospices and nursing homes usually have forms you can
fill out if you want to set up a living will, pick a proxy or set up a durable
power of attorney for health care. If you have questions, you should ask your
personal attorney or call your local council on aging for assistance.
When you set up an advance
directive
Be sure and sign your name and write the date on nay form or paper you fill
out. Talk to your family and doctor now so they will know and understand your
choices. Give them a copy of what you have signed. If you go to the hospital,
give a copy of your advance directive to the person who admits you to the hospital.
What do I need to decide?
You will need to decide if you want treatments or machines that will make you
live longer even if you will never get better. An example of this is a
machine that breathes for you.
Talk to your doctor and
family now
The law says doctors, hospitals and nursing homes must do what you want or
send you to another place that will. Before you set up an advance directive,
talk to your doctor ahead of time. Find out if your doctor is willing to go
along with your wishes. If your physician does not feel that he/she can carry
out your wishes, you can ask to go to another doctor, hospital or nursing home.
Once you decide on the care you want or do not want, talk with your family.
Explain why you want the care you have decided on. Find out if they are willing
to let your wishes be carried out. Family members do not always want to go
along with an advance directive. This often happens when family members do
not know about a patient’s wishes ahead of time or if they are not sure
about what has been decided. Talking with your family ahead of time can prevent
this problem.
You can change your mind at any time
As long as you can speak for yourself, you can change your mind any time about
what you have written down in a directive. If you make changes, tear up your
old papers and give copies of any new forms or changes to everyone who needs
to know.
Pain Management Plan
During your hospitalization, you may experience discomfort
or pain. The health care professionals at ECM consider each patient
to be a unique individual worthy of compassionate care. Information
about your current pain level and options to manage your pain will
be discussed in your initial assessment interview. The pain management
plan developed with your health care team will be evaluated on an on-going
basis. Any questions concerning your pain management should be addressed
with your physician or nurse. The health care team values your partnership
in determining a suitable pain management plan during your hospital
stay and for your continued recovery after discharge. There are many
options for pain management. Your healthcare team will discuss medication
and other alternative measures for managing your pain.
Billing Practices
We appreciate you selecting Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital
for your medical needs. We would like to explain our business and billing
policies, so that you may understand how your financial obligations
will be handled. During the admitting process we may have to ask for
information you have previously provided. We apologize for this inconvenience,
but we must ensure the accuracy of our information. If you have any
questions, you may reach our Customer Service Representative at (256)
768-8232 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
PRIVATE ROOM CHARGES
Private room charges are not normally covered by insurance and are due before
leaving the hospital. Uninsured patients requesting a private room will
be required to make a $500 deposit.
BUSINESS AND BILLING POLICY
Each visit to ECM is billed separately and assigned its own account number.
If you have provided us with the necessary billing information regarding
your specific insurance coverage, we will bill your carrier as a courtesy
to you and will make reasonable attempts to collect payment. We are limited
in our ability to establish why benefits may or may not be paid. It is
your responsibility to see that your insurance pays. If we have not received
payment from your carrier after the appropriate time has elapsed or if
has been determined that the payment is your responsibility, we will expect
payment from you. At this time, if you have more than one account our Customer
Service Department will be glad to combine them.
MEDICARE AND MEDICAID COVERAGE
If your coverage is through Medicare and/or Medicaid, you will not be billed
until they have either paid or advised us that there are deductible or
co-insurance amounts due from you. If you have a supplemental policy to
Medicare, we will bill that for you. You will only be billed if they do
not pay in full.
BALANCES NOT COVERED BY
INSURANCE
If your policy does not cover the treatment provided or you do not have insurance,
the balance of your account is due when you are discharged. If you are unable
to pay in full, you should contact a Customer Service representative for payment
arrangements. We will be happy to work with you to set up a monthly payment
schedule. However, please understand that any payment arrangements must be
based on the size of your balance. Because we do not choose to charge interest
to our patients, balances must be paid in as short a time as possible.
MEDASSIST, INC.
ECM understands how difficult it can be for patients who have no insurance
coverage. We are also aware that, in many cases, there may be state or
federal programs available that could help defray these costs. For this
reason, ECM has contracted with MedAssist, Inc., an organization of social
service specialists to help determine if you are eligible for any assistance
programs. This service is at no cost to you. A MedAssist representative
can be reached at (256) 768-8345.
CHARITY PROGRAM
This program is available to resident of Lauderdale County who feel their income
level may meet guidelines for assistance. For further information, call
Customer Service at (256) 768-8323.
Organ Donation
The most precious gift you can give someone is the gift
of life itself. Tragically, thousands of people die each year because
the organs and tissue they need are not available. You can save lives
by becoming an organ and tissue donor. Your organs and tissue will
not be donated unless a family member gives consent at the time of
your death – even if you have a signed donor card. Sharing your
decision with them ahead of time will make it easier for them to carry
out your wishes. To obtain a donor card, call the Alabama Organ Center
at 1-800-252-3677.