Patient Information

Most falls occur when patients try to get out of bed on their own, many while trying to get to the bathroom. It is always safer to ask for help.

Here are some tips to help prevent falls:

• Ask for assistance from the nursing staff, especially at night.
• Keep your call button near you.
• Report any spills or objects that are on the floor.
• Wear footwear with rubber soles to prevent slipping.
• Make sure that you have adequate light to see.
• If you wear glasses, keep them within reach.
• Some medications may cause you to frequent the bathroom more often. Ask for help before getting up or out of bed.

Germs and bacteria exist in every home, workplace and hospital. When you are ill or have had surgery, you are more susceptible to infection.

Here are tips to help you minimize your risk of infection:

• Ask family members or friends who have colds or other respiratory symptoms not to visit you in the hospital.
• Check with your doctor to see if you should have a flu or pneumonia vaccine to minimize your risk.
• Some patients may be on isolation precautions to either protect them from getting infections or from spreading infection. If you are on these precautions, ask your doctor what you can do to help.

Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent spreading illness.

Remember to clean your hands:

• Before and after using the toilet.
• Before and after you prepare food.
• Before and after you eat.
• After touching animals or animal waste.
• After you cough or sneeze.
• When your hands are dirty.

To properly clean your hands:

• Wet hands with warm water.
• Apply soap and rub hands for 15 seconds.
• Rinse.
• Dry with a paper towel.
• Use towel to turn off faucet.

You can also use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not immediately available.

It is important that healthcare providers know your identity. Check the information on your hospital ID band for accuracy. There may be more than one patient with the same name.

Whenever you are given medications, leave the unit for a test or procedure, or have blood drawn, offer your ID band to the staff for them to check as you state your name.

A well-informed patient can help doctors and nurses provide excellent care. The patient and family should know as much about treatment as they can. Ask questions about your diagnosis and treatment.

If you are having surgery, make sure that you, your doctor and your surgeon agree and are clear on exactly what will be done. You will be asked to participate by marking the site or side intended to be operated on.

Meeting with hospital registration staff ensures that your personal and insurance information for each appointment is complete and accurate. We’ll also ask you to sign the proper consent forms at this time. After you have been registered, the staff member will notify the proper department and inform them you are here and ready for your appointment. Please plan on arriving about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time so you’re not rushed to complete this important verification process.

Please bring your current insurance card(s) and insurance address to your appointment. If your visit is related to a motor vehicle accident, please bring your auto insurance card along with the claim number. If your visit is related to workers’ compensation, employment examination or other special purpose, bring copies of any pertinent forms your physician needs to complete. This will help us get the bills to the right people.

Bills for services rendered are sent only after all insurances have been billed. You can request an itemized statement by calling patient financial services at (541)274-6699.

In order to send a claim to the insurance company, the hospital is required to file a separate claim for each inpatient or outpatient visit. If you were an inpatient, you will receive a separate bill for the hospital services and another bill for professional services provided during your hospital stay.

Insurance carriers negotiate hospital charge discounts. The amount of the discount is specific to each carrier. When the carrier pays its portion, the contractual allowance is posted to reflect the true amount due from the patient. Please note that in most cases, you will get a separate bill for physician services including anesthesiology.

You may pay by cash, check, credit card or money order. If payment in full is not possible, you can make payment arrangements by contacting patient financial services at (541)274-6699.

If your physician’s medical practice is not owned by the hospital, you will have to go through a separate registration process. Your benefit coverage may be different for physician services than it is for hospital services.

Under a provision called “coordination of benefits,” the hospital is obligated to bill the insurance that would be considered primary for you. Any medical insurance for which you are the primary holder must be billed before any other medical insurance.

We encourage you to check with your insurance company or your employer regarding coverage. Because there are so many types of insurance plans, we do not know if you need prior approval or notification for your hospital stay. Contact your insurance company or your employer with specific questions about what is or is not covered by your insurance plan.

The Medicare Summary Notice is an informational document that Medicare sends to you after it has processed your medical claims. The notice provides you with information about the payment status of your bill.

Typically, Medicare will pay for medically necessary acute care services ordered by your physician. There are many things your Medicare benefits will not cover (screening exams or preventive medicine services, for example) and other services that must meet the criteria for medically necessary procedures, with the diagnostic reason stated by your physician. In some cases, you may even be required to sign an advance beneficiary notice indicating that you have been informed that Medicare will not cover the costs of certain services.

As a Medicare patient, you could be responsible for some significant charges that are related to co-insurance, deductible and non-covered charge amounts. If you do not have a secondary or supplemental insurance coverage, please contact patient financial services, (541)274-6699, if your medical bill is a financial hardship.

The Medicare 72-hour rule says that the billing of outpatient services rendered just prior to an inpatient stay must be included on the inpatient bill.

Upcoming appointments
Lists upcoming appointments you have with your healthcare provider(s).

Past appointments
Lists past appointments with your healthcare provider(s).

Cancel an appointment
Allows you to cancel an appointment. (Please give at least 24 hours’ notice if possible.)

Request an appointment
Allows you to send a message to schedule a non-urgent appointment with your healthcare provider based on your reason for visit, preferred date and preferred time.

Test results
Summary of lab test results sent by your provider via MyChart.

Current health issues
Summary of any current health issues.

Medications
Summary of your current medications.

Allergies
Summary of your allergies and other irritants.

Immunizations
Summary of your previous immunizations.

Health summary
Gives you a summary of your current health issues, current medications, allergies and immunizations, as well as medical, surgical and family history.

Billing account summary
View account details, view payment history and pay your bill online using a credit card.

Insurance summary
See detailed information regarding your insurance plan on file with us.

Coverage details
View coverage details or ask a specific question regarding your coverage.