What to Expect During Your Stay
The Arizona Heart Hospital is committed to "Patient Focused
Care." What this means to us is that everything we do is
orchestrated around you and not us. By being patient
focused, we will do the following:
- We will respect your values, preferences and expressed needs.
- We will coordinate and include you in information about your hospital stay.
- We will provide education to you as necessary.
- We will do whatever we can to maintain your comfort.
- We will provide you emotional support and alleviate your fear and anxiety.
- We will involve your family and friends in your care as you wish.
- We will provide an effective transition to your home by offering appropriate education and support resources.
Registration
Patients can register for admission at the Concierge/Reception
Desk located in the main lobby on the first floor directly
in front of the main entrance. Registration is open from
6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The
Registration area handles pre-admissions and admissions
for all scheduled surgery inpatients and outpatients as
well as scheduled medical admissions. Please bring your
insurance information to facilitate the admission process.
If you require emergency care, please proceed to the
Emergency Department at the south entrance to the
hospital. This is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When you are admitted to the Arizona Heart Hospital, you
will receive a notice of your patient rights and will
be asked if you have or would like to complete an advanced
directive. An advanced directive is a statement indicating
who, if anyone, may be responsible for making decisions
concerning your medical care should you become unable to
do so yourself.
Being Hospital Wise
If you anticipate that several people will be checking on
your condition while you are in the hospital, it would
be helpful if you would designate one person to
communicate your condition to the others. This
individual can help tremendously by:
- Helping you put together a list of people who would like to know how you are doing;
- Getting and sharing regular condition reports with friends and family;
- Helping establish time for visitation; and
- Letting people know what they can do for you or bring you.
If for some reason, you would like to limit your visitors
or phone calls, please tell your nurse.
Who Will Take Care of You
Your care will be delivered by a team of registered
nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and
patient care partners (PCPs) who are trained to
understand and embrace the Arizona Heart Hospital
philosophy of total "Patient Focused Care."
Our RNs and LPNs are highly skilled professionals who
will be responsible for providing your direct patient
care. Our PCPs are staff with special training in
assisting our licensed nursing staff in your daily
care. Other professionals such as Respiratory
Therapists, Physical Therapists, Pharmacists and
Radiology Technologists also may be part of your team
of caregivers.
Staff are trained to assist in meal selection and
delivery and meet the necessary housekeeping needs of
each patient care unit.
Private Duty Nurses are not provided by the
hospital. If you or your family wish to hire a private
duty nurse at your own expense, this person will be
allowed to stay with you in any area except the recovery
room or the intensive care unit. They will not be allowed
to provide any direct care.
Our entire patient care staff has been through an
extensive orientation process to ensure that the
delivery of care is focused on the needs of the patient
and to ensure full capability of delivering the very
best patient care. The Arizona Heart Hospital offers
continuing education for all staff on new technology
and services that are available to our patients.
Medications
Please give your nurse a list of any medications,
including your dosage and times. Be sure to include
any non-prescription medications such as aspirin,
vitamins and herbal remedies. If possible, bring
all of your prescription and non-prescription
medications with you to the hospital. This includes
any investigational medication you may be taking in
accordance with approved research programs. Your
nurse will review your medications with your physician
and the pharmacy.
For your safety and protection, only medications
approved by your physician will be given to you during
your stay, as some may interfere with or interact with
tests or medicines ordered for your treatment. Any
medications you brought in that our pharmacy will
provide will be returned home. All medications
require a doctor's order and are administered by
the hospital. Also, your nurse will ask you
questions concerning your past reactions to
medications and any allergies you may have.
You may be asked to wear an allergy bracelet,
which alerts all caregivers of your allergies.
Patient Education
The televisions in our patient rooms have one dedicated
health education channel with information in both English
and Spanish. As part of your patient education plan,
your caregivers may suggest some programs for you to
watch prior to your discharge as part of your
education plan. They also will give you printed
information appropriate to your treatment.
Valuables and Personal Belongings
Valuables such as money, jewelry, documents, fur garments or
other articles of unusual value should not be kept at the
hospital. You should make arrangements with a family member
or friend to take these items home for you.
A safe is available for small personal valuables. The
hospital reserves the right to access the safe as necessary.
Eyeglasses, dentures and hearing aids are an important
part of your life and require special care. Tell your
nurse that you use these. Take care not to leave these
items on your food tray or lying on your bed as they may
be inadvertently disposed of or lost.
Blood Bank
The Arizona Heart Hospital uses volunteer blood that is
donated through United Blood Services of Arizona, which
is the major supplier of blood and blood components in
the greater Phoenix area.
Neither the Arizona Heart Hospital nor United Blood
Services of Arizona charge for the blood that is used.
A processing fee does appear on the patient bill.
This reimburses the hospital and United Blood Services
for the cost of the program, including collection,
testing and distribution of blood and blood products.
Usually this fee is covered by hospitalization
insurance. There is no obligation to replace blood
that is used. But to keep blood available, donors
are needed. We urge you to encourage those you
know to become blood donors. For information,
call United Blood Services at (480) 946-4201.
Pastoral Care
Please notify your nurse if you want to see the
hospital Chaplain or a member of the clergy who
represents your religious preference.
Your Room
Your room has been designed for the comfort and
convenience of you and your family. Each room is
private and has a patient bed, a recliner chair and
a chair that converts into a twin-size bed so that
a family member or loved one can spend the night
and have a place to rest. There is also a built
in cabinet for you to store your personal
belongings. Your bed has an electric control
enabling you to raise and lower the foot or head
for your comfort. Side rails on the bed may be
positioned up for your safety. Sheets will be
changed every other day unless soiled or as requested
by our guests. Linens will be straightened every day.
Call Button: To notify your nurse that
you need assistance, press the nurse call button located
in your room. In response, the staff may talk to you via
the intercom system. You can answer in a normal voice and
a microphone in the room will pick up what you are saying.
Emergency Button: An emergency button is
located in the shower in every bathroom and next to the
toilet. Pushing the button down or pulling the cord, alerts
staff that you need help. Someone will respond to your needs.
Room Temperature: If your room temperature
needs adjusting or if you need assistance, please talk to
any staff member.
Television/Radio: The television/radio in your room
may be operated from the remote control unit by your bed.
In addition to the regular channels available, there is a
selection of cable channels.
Overnight Guests
All patient rooms have been designed to accommodate one
family member or significant other who wishes to spend
the night with the patient. Overnight guests must be
capable of self-care and are responsible for their own
valuables.
Additional overnight accommodations may be available
in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) based on patient care
needs. No overnight accommodations are available for
visitors while the patient is in PACU (Recovery) or
the Emergency Department. Please
click here
for a list of area hotels, or see the
concierge
if you need hotel information while at the hospital.
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