River Parishes Hospital, Patients

PATIENTS

Welcome to River Parishes Hospital! We are pleased that you and your physician have selected us to provide your medical care. All of our employees are committed to Service Excellence and our goal is to provide you with high quality, compassionate care and to make your stay a comfortable one. Your Hospital Team Medical staff, nursing staff, pastoral services, dietitians, social workers, housekeepers, volunteers, patient escort service, concierge service, other personnel Your Room Your hospital bed, room temperature, calling your nurse, during the night, television, telephones, leaving the unit Your Safety Smoke-free environment, fire drills, medications, valuables or lost items, cellular phones Family & Friends Visiting hours, visiting regulations, condition reports, gifts for patients, parking, waiting areas, out-of-town visitors, gift shop, meditation room, transportation, concierge service Going Home Checking out and discharge Billing Your hospital bill Your Insurance Patient Accounting Department, accepted health plans

Insurance
You are responsible for the total charges for the care and treatment you received at River Parishes Hospital. In most cases, the Hospital will accept your assignment of insurance benefits and will forward your hospital bill directly to the insurance company. We will allow 90 days from the date that we bill the insurance company for payment. If you have not received a notice of payment from your insurer within 60 days of receiving a copy of your hospital bill, we recommend that you contact the insurer directly and encourage speedy payment. If the insurance company has not sent payment to the hospital within 90 days, the status of your account will change from "insurance pay" to "patient pay." At that time, you will be expected to make prompt payment. All patients should familiarize themselves with the terms of their insurance coverage. This will help you understand the hospital's billing procedures and charges. If there is a question about your insurance coverage, a member of the Patient Accounting Department will contact you or a member of your family while you are here. Information is needed in order to process your claims. Accepted Health Plans River Parishes Hospital has managed care contracts and arrangements with the following health plans: Aetna/Golden Medicare Aetna/U.S. Healthcare American Lifecare American Medical Security America's Health Plan Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Blue Cross HMO Louisiana CappCare CIGNA Community Care Network first Health/Affordable Formost Gulf South Health Plans Gulf South Option 65 Med Comp USA Mediversal/Treasure Chest Care Multi Plan/Healthcare Advantage National Provider Network PPO USA/GEHA Private Health Care Southeast Medical Alliance - smart Plan Southeast Medical Alliance PPO State of Louisiana United Health Care United Providers & United Payors Universal Health Network USA Health Network

Patient Bill of Rights
We want you to have the best possible care as prescribed or recommended by those treating you. We also want you to know what your rights are as a patient as well as what your obligations are to yourself, your physician, and the Hospital.

Your Rights as a Patient
You have the right to: 1. Receive complete and current information concerning your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms you can be reasonably expected to understand. 2. Request a second opinion from another physician. 3. Participate actively in determining a course of treatment for yourself. 4. Determine the course of medical treatment for yourself and, if you are a pregnant woman, for your fetus. It is the policy of this Hospital that your doctor must consider your health and the health of your fetus in assessing the range of medically reasonable treatment options. Our physicians are committed to providing you with information to help you evaluate the risks and benefits both to you and your fetus of any recommended treatment or course of care. 5. Receive information that you need to give informed consent for any proposed procedure or treatment including information related to the risks, benefits and alternatives to the proposed procedure or treatment in light of your condition and current medical knowledge. 6. Refuse treatment and be told what effect this may have on your health, and to be informed of the other potential consequences of refusal. 7. Receive considerate and respectful care in a clean and safe environment. 8. Refuse to take part in research. 9. Know by name the physicians, nurses, and other staff members responsible for your care. 10. Have privacy while in the Hospital and confidentiality of all information and records regarding your care. 11. Have language-interpreter services arranged by the Hospital. 12. Examine and receive an explanation of your bill. 13. Limit those persons who visit you. 14. Receive equal treatment at all times and under all circumstances, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, family responsibilities, disability, infectious disease, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, or place of residence or business. For more information regarding the Hospital's policy on discrimination, please refer to the section of this guide entitled Services for Patients with Disabilities and Nondiscrimination Based on Disability. 15. Be advised should the Hospital propose to initiate court proceedings pertinent to your course of treatment. 16. Designate an individual to represent you in making decisions regarding your treatment and health care. Please ask your nurse for a copy of our brochure, Making Your Medical Choice Known, and our Advanced Directive Form.

Your Responsibilities
Rules and regulations pertaining to patient conduct are necessary to ensure that all patients are treated fairly and feel secure while in the Hospital. Your cooperation in these responsibilities will help us provide quality care and services. Good communication promotes good care. Talk to our staff and ask questions. 1. Please cooperate with your caregivers and follow the plan of care you, your physician, and your health care team have agreed upon. 2. We ask that you respect the privacy of your roommate and respect the rights of others by assisting in the control of smoking, noise, and the number of visitors you receive. The Hospital will answer questions about patients' rights, provide information and referrals, solve problems, and investigate complaints. Call administration at 653-4226.

Nondiscrimination Policy
Services for patients with disabilities and nondiscrimination based on disability, Ethics Committee. It is the Hospital's policy to provide medically appropriate treatment at all times and under all circumstances, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, family responsibilities, disability, infectious disease, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, or place of residence or business. Services for Patients with Disabilities and Nondiscrimination Based on Disability It is the Hospital's policy to provide medically appropriate treatment without unlawful discrimination based on whether a patient has a disability, is regarded as having a disability, or has an infectious disease that may or may not be regarded as a disability. Infectious diseases may include hepatitis B, hepatitis C, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). For example a physician may not refuse to perform surgery or another procedure or discourage surgery or another procedure for a patient merely because the patient has HIV or AIDS. A physician, however may make a reasonable medical determination, based on current medical knowledge, that a patient's illness and current medical condition makes such procedure inadvisable for the individual patient. If you believe you or any patient has been discriminated against because of a disability or infectious disease, please contact Administration at 653-4226. Ethics Committee River Parishes Hospital believes that most patients, their families, and care givers will act with the patient's best interests in mind. The Ethics Committee Consultation Service can offer help when there is confusion or conflict in dealing with ethical aspects of a patient's care. Between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, call administration at (985) 651-1524. During other times, call the Hospital operator at (985) 652-7000 and ask for the nursing supervisor to be paged.