Mercy Patient Guide

chsli.org/mercy-hospital

Catholic Health is here for you

Patrick M. O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA President and CEO Catholic Health

Keeping Long Islanders healthy has been our calling since we welcomed our first patients more than a century ago. While in our care, you can expect outstanding medical, surgical and nursing services—all delivered with the highest level of human compassion.

This patient guide will help answer some commonly asked questions regarding hospital services. We recommend you keep it handy and have a family member review it with you. Should you have any questions, just ask us. Your doctors, nurses and housekeeping staff are all here to make your stay with Catholic Health as comfortable and as restorative as possible.

As a faith-based health care organization, Catholic Health offers a unique approach. We treat our patients in their totality: the body, mind and spirit. Simply put, it is all about you, our valued patient.

Our Pastoral Care Department, made up of chaplains and support staff spanning a variety of faith traditions, is available to you whenever you wish.

No matter where you access our care—whether at our hospitals, our ambulatory care practices, rehabilitation centers, home care or telehealth services—the Catholic Health team will always work to earn your trust.

Please accept our best wishes for your earliest return to good health.

Welcome to a health system focused solely on you. One that believes you should never have to sacrifice individual attention for innovative treatments. And one that understands that there’s a big difference between simply providing care and truly caring. At Catholic Health, everything we do starts with you and your health.

Welcome to Mercy Hospital

Joseph Manopella President Mercy Hospital

Welcome to Mercy Hospital, a proud member of Catholic Health and the healing ministry of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Located on the south shore of Long Island, Mercy Hospital is a not-for-profit, 375-bed community hospital, and has served the residents of Rockville Centre and surrounding areas for more than 100 years.

Mercy’s highly skilled team of physicians, nurses, professional and support staff are dedicated to ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of patient care. We offer a broad range of services, including emergency medicine and acute inpatient adult medical care. For a full listing of our programs and services, please visit chsli.org/mercy-hospital.

Over the years, Mercy Hospital has earned numerous achievements including being named a designated Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, as well as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence ® by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Mercy is also the recipient of an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and consecutive Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. And, in recognition of the value it places on superior nursing care, Mercy has the Pathway to Excellence ® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Additionally, Mercy is the first hospital in New York state to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Sepsis Care.

This patient guide has been compiled in an effort to answer any questions you may have about the hospital or the services provided. It covers your rights and responsibilities as a patient, visiting hours, insurance matters and other facts that may be useful to you, your family and visitors.

If there is anything we can do to better serve you or make you more comfortable during your stay, please let us know immediately. If you have any additional questions or comments about your care or treatment, please feel free to speak to your nurse, physician or patient representative. If you have an issue that is not resolved, please contact the Patient Advocacy Program at (516) 705-1319.

Before your admission

What to bring

• A list of any medications you are taking (please include prescription or over-the-counter medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products)

• A list of allergies

• Personal items such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, a comb, a brush, shampoo, deodorant and soap

• Eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures, as needed (these items should be kept on your bedside table when not in use; we will provide a special denture container for safekeeping)

• Important phone numbers

• Insurance information

• Photo identification, such as a driver’s license

• Health Care Proxy (if you do not have one completed already, a form is provided in this packet for your use)

What not to bring

• Money (except, perhaps, enough cash to cover telephone/TV costs and minor items), credit cards, wallet or purse contents

• Jewelry, watches or other valuables (any personal valuables that you bring must be stored in the hospital safe, and you will be given an itemized receipt; please ask your nurse for details)

• Medication of any kind, unless otherwise instructed by your physician (any required medications will be dispensed by Mercy Hospital’s pharmacy)

• Electrical appliances

During your stay

Your room

At Mercy Hospital, patient rooms are grouped by medical specialties, such as surgery, internal medicine and obstetrics. Every effort is made to place you in the unit corresponding to your diagnosis. Please note that medical insurance does not usually cover the cost of a private room.

Calling your nurse

A button to call your nurse is located at your bedside. When you press the call button, the nursing station is alerted and a staff member will respond as soon as possible.

Quiet time

To promote better healing, we foster daily, hospitalwide quiet time periods, between 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. While families and friends are still welcome during these hours, they may want to reserve this time for you to rest. If they do visit during quiet time, they can best assist you and neighboring patients by urning off cell phones and speaking quietly.

Contents

During the night

To ensure a quiet and comfortable nighttime environment while in the hospital, each evening at 10:00 pm, another quiet period, extending until 6:00 am is activated hospitalwide. During this time, staff lower their voices and dim the lights. Nighttime rounds include making each patient comfortable, lowering television volume and closing doors to minimize noise. Every effort is made to ensure that you get a good night’s rest. Because we realize that hospitals can be noisy places and, despite our best efforts, even small sounds can seem amplified at night, your nurse can provide you with a set of earplugs and a sleep mask.

Electrical appliances

Most electrical appliances can pose a fire hazard, because they are not grounded for use in a hospital environment. To maintain a safe environment, minimize the risk of any device interfering with our clinical equipment or interrupting any patient care, the following are not permitted: electric hair curling or straightening devices, portable TVs, CD players, electric heating pads, extension cords, electronic toys and games and computers. Cellular telephones may be used only in designated areas of the hospital.

Dining services

Nutrition is the foundation from which health is derived, providing an essential building block for healing. Wholesome, nourishing and well-balanced meals are important to your treatment and recuperation. Your doctor, in collaboration with our team of registered dietitians, will prescribe a diet suitable for your medical nutrition needs and Mercy’s Department of Nutrition and Food Services will provide you with healthy, homemade meal options.

One of our call center representatives will assist you in ordering your meal(s) based on the current diet prescribed to you by the medical care team. You have the option to view the menu by scanning the QR code with the camera on your mobile phone or via a paper copy. Additionally, your family member has the option to call in your order from home ahead of time, if needed.

Please be sure to inform the call center of any specific dietary preferences or food allergies that you may have when requesting your meal so that we may accommodate your specific needs.

To order your meal, please call extension FOOD (3663)

Breakfast before 9:00 am

Lunch before 12:00 noon

Dinner before 6:00 pm

Open the camera app on your phone and scan this code to access our online menu or visit: https://www.chsli.org/menu

Patient television/telephone use

Mercy Hospital, in conjunction with TVR Communications, offers in-room entertainment packages for cable television, new movies, OnDemand videos and unlimited local calling. Patients may activate services from their bedside telephone or remotely 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dial 1234 or (516) 705-1234, follow the prompts and a live call center agent will assist you.

Your patient identification band

After admission to the hospital, a patient identification band will be placed on your wrist. It contains important information about you and will help the staff to best meet your individual needs. Please wear it throughout your stay. If it is uncomfortable, is removed, or falls off, let your nurse know immediately. The band will be checked often during your stay, especially when blood is taken, or medications are dispensed. In addition to checking your identification band, you will be asked your name and date of birth repeatedly throughout your stay. This is done for identification purposes and to ensure your safety.

Smoking

For the well-being of patients, visitors and staff, Mercy Hospital is entirely smoke-free, with smoking prohibited anywhere on our premises or at any other Catholic Health facility. This includes tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes, vapes, and other tobacco-free smoking products. Please speak to your doctor about prescribing a nicotine patch, if necessary. The following resources are also available:

• “NY QUITS” (1-866-697-8487) Smokers’ Quitline

Banking

For the convenience of patients and visitors, an automated teller machine (ATM) is located in the main lobby.

Pastoral care

At Mercy Hospital, the pastoral/spiritual care staff plays an integral role on the interdisciplinary health care team. Complementing the medical treatment, they provide comfort, counsel, and compassionate support to patients, their families, and loved ones of all faith traditions. Additionally, sacramental ministry is available to patients of the Roman Catholic tradition, as well as prayer and devotional materials for persons of all religions. Religious services are televised on Channel 99 and Channel 29. Please refer to the schedule for religious services in the pastoral/spiritual support service brochure.

A chaplain is available to offer pastoral/spiritual care throughout the hospital. If you have not had an opportunity to speak with a chaplain, please ask your nurse to contact the Pastoral Care Department on your behalf. For further information, call (516) 705-1414 (or ext. 1414). A Roman Catholic chapel is located on the first floor of the main building.

During your stay

Hospitalist program

Hospitalists are physicians trained in internal or family medicine who specialize in caring for patients in the hospital. Hospitalists only see patients within the hospital, are onsite at the hospital daily and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They manage all aspects of a patient’s medical treatment from the time of admission until the time of discharge, working in collaboration with the patient’s primary doctor. They update the patient’s primary care doctor on any changes in condition that occur during the hospital stay.

The hospitalist in charge of your care will see you at least once every day, and can even see you more than once a day, if needed, to quickly follow up on your tests and adjust your treatment plan. To speak with your hospitalist while you are in the hospital, you can ask your nurse to call the doctor. If your dedicated hospitalist is not on duty, then another hospitalist will be able to help you.

Symptom Management and Supportive Care Service (Palliative Care)

Symptom Management and Supportive Care Service (Palliative Care) is a medical specialty that helps patients and their families facing a serious illness, providing expert assistance during a difficult time. The Palliative Care Program at Mercy Hospital offers guidance and support to patients so they may better understand complex medical information and personal choices for medical care at any stage of illness. An experienced team of specialists helps manage symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, depression and anxiety, supporting both the patient and family wishes throughout the process.

be initiated at any time (from the time of diagnosis to advanced disease), and is often given alongside a curative treatment plan.

Hand hygiene

Hand washing is the most important and simplest way to help reduce the spread of infection. There are two acceptable ways to clean your hands: using soap and water or using waterless hand gel, available in dispensers throughout the hospital. Don’t hesitate to remind anyone entering your room, including visitors and staff, about the necessity of hand hygiene, especially if you think a member of the staff may have forgotten to clean his/her hands before touching you or something used in your care, such as equipment or medicine.

Staff members should always wash their hands prior to and after direct patient contact, before serving food or administering medication, after helping patients use the bathroom or commode and whenever gloves are removed.

Parking

Parking on Mercy Hospital campus is free for all.

Security

Security officers are available to escort patients and/or visitors to their cars, if needed. Call (516) 705-2472 or dial extension 2472 from a hospital phone.

Fire drills

We conduct fire drills from time to time. Should you hear an alarm, stay where you are. In an actual emergency, hospital staff will instruct on what to do.

Rapid Response Team (RRT)

The Symptom Management and Supportive Care Service Program is often confused with hospice care. Hospice care is a type of palliative care specifically meant for those approaching the last stages of life, when curative treatment is no longer sought. The Symptom Management and Supportive Care Service, however, can help at any stage of serious illness, can

A rapid response team is a group of clinicians that nurses and other hospital staff can call upon at any time to provide critical care expertise at the bedside of a patient who is in need of emergency care. Patients and visitors can contact the RRT should they need immediate medical attention by dialing extension 3333 or calling (516) 705-3333.

Preparing for discharge

Soon after admission, you’ll meet your care manager and social worker to discuss how long your anticipated hospital stay and services you may require for post-hospital care. The care manager and social worker on your unit will offer information, assistance and guidance to you and your family. They will also advise you about our discharge procedures when it’s time for you to leave the hospital.

Care management & social work

Care managers are an integral part of a patient’s health care team. They help safely move patients through their phases of care from admission to discharge, in coordination with the clinical team and patient. Care managers will make appropriate referrals to rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes along with referrals to home health care providers for assistance with home care or with procuring medical equipment for patients who are returning home after discharge.

A care manager will:

• Ensure that all plans for a patient’s discharge are covered by their insurance, or discuss private pay when needed

• A ssist with setting up transportation when appropriate

• Work in conjunction with the social worker to place a patient and when any disposition issues arise

• Set up necessary appointments if the patients’ condition requires immediate physician attention following discharge

• Make sure that home care agencies order the necessary equipment for the home from a durable medical equipment company

• Provide utilization reviews to the insurance companies

• Provide education to patients and act as a liaison to their physicians

What does a social worker do?

Social workers are valuable resources for patients and their families. They provide social, emotional and medical support as patients transition from the hospital to their next care setting. If skilled nursing or rehabilitation services are required, social workers will assist with placement. They will also make sure patients have all of the resources they need to safely and successfully return home. Our social workers focus on finding the optimal post-discharge destination and services for each patient.

A social worker will:

• Make suggestions and provide lists of support groups, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, psychiatric care, shelters, hospice centers, etc.

• Connect patients to the appropriate provider of choice, including in-network Catholic Health facilities, for continuing health care after leaving the hospital.

• Support patients as they transition from admission to discharge and post-hospital care.

Visitor information

Visiting guidelines

To provide a restful and safe environment, we ask your visitors to follow these guidelines during your hospital stay:

• Do not visit if they have a cold, sore throat, fever or other illness

• Avoid noisy, disruptive behavior to help respect the healing of all patients

• A sk before bringing food, drinks or other items like balloons, flowers or perfume as they might trigger allergies

• Wash their hands before entering patient rooms and when leaving rooms

• Make sure all children have a supervising adult with them at all times

Please ask your nurse about specific visiting hours for your unit as times may vary.

Café

The cafeteria is located on the lower level of the hospital. All visitors are welcome to dine in the cafeteria. Please call (516) 705-3600 for daily hours of operation.

Gift shop

The gift shop is located in the main lobby on the first floor. Proceeds are donated to the hospital. Please call (516) 705-3652 for more information.

Gifts for patients

Flowers can be delivered to patient rooms. Please note, flowers are not permitted in the Intensive and Critical Care Units. Helium balloons are not permitted.

Your rights & policies

Patients’ Bill of Rights

For more information about your rights, ask for the “Your Rights as a Hospital Patient in New York State” brochure. If you have questions about your patient rights and responsibilities, contact (516) 705-1319.

As a patient in a hospital in New York State, you have the right, consistent with law, to:

1. Understand and use these rights. If for any reason you do not understand or you need help, the hospital MUST provide assistance, including an interpreter.

2. Receive treatment without discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age or source of payment.

3. Receive considerate and respectful care in a clean and safe environment free of unnecessary restraints.

4. Receive emergency care if you need it.

5. Be informed of the name and position of the doctor who will be in charge of your care in the hospital.

6. K now the names, positions and functions of any hospital staff involved in your care and refuse their treatment, examination or observation.

7. Identify a caregiver who will be included in your discharge planning and sharing of post-discharge care information or instruction.

8. Receive complete information about your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

9. Receive all the information that you need to give informed consent for any proposed procedure or treatment. This information shall include the possible risks and benefits of the procedure or treatment.

10. Receive all the information you need to give informed consent for an order not to resuscitate. You also have the right to designate an individual to give this consent for you if you are too ill to do so. If you would like additional information, please ask for a copy of the pamphlet “Deciding About Health Care—A Guide for Patients and Families.”

11. Refuse treatment and be told what effect this may have on your health.

12. Refuse to take part in research. In deciding whether or not to participate, you have the right to a full explanation.

13. Privacy while in the hospital and confidentiality of all information and records regarding your care.

14. Participate in all decisions about your treatment and discharge from the hospital. The hospital must provide you with a written discharge plan and written description of how you can appeal your discharge.

15. Review your medical record without charge and obtain a copy of your medical record for which the hospital can charge a reasonable fee. You cannot be denied a copy solely because you cannot afford to pay.

16. Receive an itemized bill and explanation of all charges.

17. V iew a list of the hospital’s standard charges for items and services and the health plans the hospital participates with.

18. Challenge an unexpected bill through the Independent Dispute Resolution process.

19. Complain without fear of reprisals about the care and services you are receiving and to have the hospital respond to you and if you request it, a written response. If you are not satisfied with the hospital’s response, you can complain to the New York State Health Department. The hospital must provide you with the State Health Department telephone number.

20. Authorize those family members and other adults who will be given priority to visit consistent with your ability to receive visitors.

21. Make known your wishes in regard to anatomical gifts. Persons sixteen years of age or older may document their consent to donate their organs, eyes and/or tissues, upon their death, by enrolling in the NYS Donate Life Registry or by documenting their authorization for organ and/or tissue donation in writing in a number of ways (such as a Health Care Proxy, will, donor card, or other signed paper). The Health Care Proxy is available from the hospital.

Source: Public Health Law(PHL) Section2803 (1)(g), Patient’s Rights; 10 NYCRR Sections 405.7, 405.7(a)(1), and 405.7(c)

If you would like to speak with someone regarding the care you have received, please contact the Patient Advocate office at (516) 705-1319.

Your rights & policies

Parents’ Bill of Rights

As a parent, legal guardian or person with decision-making authority for a pediatric patient receiving care in this hospital, you have the right, consistent with the law, to the following:

1. To inform the hospital of the name of your child’s primary care provider, if known, and have this information documented in your child’s medical record.

2. To be assured our hospital will only admit pediatric patients to the extent consistent with our hospital’s ability to provide qualified staff, space and size appropriate equipment necessary for the unique needs of pediatric patients.

3. To allow at least one parent or guardian to remain with your child at all times, to the extent possible given your child’s health and safety needs.

4. That all test results completed during your child’s admission or emergency room visit be reviewed by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who is familiar with your child’s presenting condition.

5. For your child not to be discharged from our hospital or emergency room until any tests that could reasonably be expected to yield critical value results are reviewed by a physician, physician assistant, and/or nurse practitioner and communicated to you or other decision makers, and your child, if appropriate. Critical value results are results that suggest a life-threatening or otherwise significant condition that requires immediate medical attention.

6. For your child not to be discharged from our hospital or emergency room until you or your child, if appropriate, receives a written discharge plan, which will also be verbally communicated to you and your child or other medical decision makers. The written discharge plan will specifically identify any critical results of laboratory or other diagnostic tests ordered during your child’s stay and will identify any other tests that have not yet been concluded.

7. To be provided critical value results and the discharge plan for your child in a manner that reasonably ensures that you, your child (if appropriate), or other medical decision makers understand the health information provided in order to make appropriate health decisions.

8. For your child’s primary care provider, if known, to be provided all laboratory results of this hospitalization or emergency room visit.

9. To request information about the diagnosis or possible diagnoses that were considered during this episode of care and complications that could develop, as well as information about any contact that was made with your child’s primary care provider.

10. To be provided, upon discharge of your child from the hospital or emergency department, with a phone number that you can call for advice in the event that complications or questions arise concerning your child’s condition.

Source: Public Health Law (PHL) Section 2803(i)(g) Patients’ Rights 10NYCRR, Section 405.7

Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights

Choosing how to feed her new baby is one of the important decisions a mother can make in preparing for her infant’s arrival. Doctors agree that for most women, breastfeeding is the safest and healthiest choice. It is your right to be informed about the benefits of breastfeeding, and to have your health care provider, maternal health care facility, and child day care facility encourage and support breastfeeding.

You have the right to make your own choice about breastfeeding. Whether you choose to breastfeed or not, you have the rights listed below, regardless of your race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or source of payment for your health care.

Maternal health care facilities have a responsibility to ensure that you understand these rights. They must provide this information clearly for you, and must provide an interpreter, if necessary. These rights may be limited only in cases where your health or the health of your baby requires it.

If any of the following things are not medically right for you or your baby, you should be fully informed of the facts and be consulted.

1. Before you deliver:

If you attend prenatal childbirth education classes (those provided by the maternal health care facility and by all hospital clinics and diagnostic and treatment centers providing prenatal services in accordance with Article 28 of the Public Health Law), then you must receive the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights. Each maternal health care facility shall provide the maternity information leaflet, including the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights, to each patient or to the appointed personal representative at the time of prebooking or time of admission to a maternal health care facility.

You have the right to receive complete information about the benefits of breastfeeding for yourself and your baby. This will help you make an informed choice on how to feed your baby.

You have the right to receive information that is free of commercial interests and includes:

• How breastfeeding benefits you and your baby nutritionally, medically and emotionally.

• How to prepare yourself for breastfeeding.

• How to understand some of the problems you may face and how to solve them.

2. In the maternal health care facility:

• You have the right to have your baby stay with you right after birth, whether you deliver vaginally or by cesarean section.

• You have the right to begin breastfeeding within one hour after birth.

• You have the right to get help from someone who is trained in breastfeeding.

• You have the right to have your baby not receive any bottle feeding or pacifiers.

• You have the right to know about and refuse any drugs that may dry up your milk.

• You have the right to have your baby in your room with you 24 hours a day.

• You have the right to breastfeed your baby at any time day or night.

• You have the right to know if your doctor or your baby’s pediatrician is advising against breastfeeding before any feeding decisions are made.

• You have the right to have a sign on your baby’s crib clearly stating that your baby is breastfeeding and that no bottle feeding of any type is to be offered.

• You have the right to receive full information about how you are doing with breastfeeding, and to get help on how to improve.

• You have the right to breastfeed your baby in the neonatal intensive care unit. If nursing is not possible, every attempt will be made to have your baby receive your pumped or expressed milk.

• If you—or your baby—are re-hospitalized in a maternal health care facility after the initial delivery stay, the hospital will make every effort to continue to support breastfeeding, and to provide hospital-grade electric pumps and rooming-in facilities.

• You have the right to get help from someone specially trained in breastfeeding support, if your baby has special needs.

• You have the right to have a family member or friend receive breastfeeding information from a staff member, if you request it.

Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights (continued)

3. When you leave the maternal health care facility:

• You have the right to printed breastfeeding information free of commercial material.

• You have the right, unless specifically requested by you, and available at the facility, to be discharged from the facility without discharge packs containing infant formula, or formula coupons unless ordered by your baby’s health care provider.

• You have the right to get information about breastfeeding resources in your community, including information on availability of breastfeeding consultants, support groups, and breast pumps.

• You have the right to have the facility give you information to help you choose a medical provider for your baby, and to help you understand the importance of a follow-up appointment.

• You have the right to receive information about safely collecting and storing your breast milk.

• You have the right to breastfeed your baby in any location, public or private, where you are otherwise authorized to be. Complaints can be directed to the New York State Division of Human Rights.

• You have a right to breastfeed your baby at your place of employment or child day care center in an environment that does not discourage breastfeeding or the provision of breast milk.

• Under section 206-c of the Labor Law, for up to three years following childbirth, you have the right to take reasonable unpaid break time or to use paid break time or meal time each day, so that you can express breast milk at work. Your employer must make reasonable efforts to provide a room or another location, in close proximity to your work area, where you can express breast milk in private. Your employer may not discriminate against you based on your decision to express breast milk at work. Complaints can be directed to the New York State Department of Labor.

These are your rights. If the maternal health care facility does not honor these rights, you can seek help by contacting the New York State Department of Health, or by contacting the hospital complaint hotline at 1 (800) 804 -5 447; or via email at hospinfo@health.ny.gov.

Source: health.ny.gov/publications/2028/

Hospital policies & practices

Privacy and health information

You have privacy rights under federal and state laws that protect your health information. These laws allow you to access your health information, and set rules and limits on others who can access your health information.

Who must follow this law?

• Doctors, nurses, pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers and their vendors

• Health insurance companies, HMOs and employer group health plans

• Certain government programs that pay for health care, such as Medicare and Medicaid

What information is protected?

• Information put in your medical records

• Conversations between your doctors, nurses and others regarding your care

• Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system

• Bill information

• Most other health information about you held by those who must follow this law

What rights do you have over your health information?

Providers and health insurers must comply with your right to:

• A sk to see and get a copy of your health records

• Have corrections added to your health information

• Receive a notice that tells how your health information may be used and shared

• Decide if you want to give permission to share your information

Compliance Program

The hospital is committed to providing the best care for patients, and that includes a Compliance Program which is designed to prevent and detect fraud and abuse based on federal, state and local regulations. For more information about Mercy’s Compliance Program, please contact our Compliance Department at (516) 705-2372. You may also call our confidential—and anonymous—Compliance Helpline at (866) 272-0004.

What are the rules and limits on who can see and receive your health information?

To make sure that your health information is protected in a way that does not interfere with your health care, your information can be used and shared:

• For your treatment and care coordination

• To pay doctors and hospitals for your health care

• W ith family, friends or others you identify who are involved with your health care, unless you object

• To make sure doctors give good care and nursing homes are clean and safe

• To protect the public’s health such as by reporting when the flu is prevalent in your area

• To make required reports to police, such as reporting gunshot wounds

Without your written permission, your provider cannot:

• Give your health information to your employer

• Use or share your health information for marketing or advertising purposes

• Share private notes about mental health counseling

Right to complain

If you believe your privacy rights are being denied, you can contact our Patient Advocacy Program at (516) 705-1319 or our Privacy Officer at (516) 705-2375, or you can file a complaint with the hospital, the Joint Commission (see box below), your health insurer or the U.S. government.

The Joint Commission and reporting a complaint

If you need to report a patient safety concern or file a complaint, contact:

Office of Quality and Patient Safety

The Joint Commission One Renaissance Boulevard Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

jointcommission.org/contact-us/ (630) 792-5800

Hospital policies & practices

Advance directives

One of the most important decisions you can make about your care is to fill out an advance directive in case you can no longer speak for yourself. Advance directives are documents that let others know who will decide about your treatment and your wishes about the type of care you want. They will only be used if you become unable to make health care decisions for yourself.

You do not need a lawyer to fill out an advance directive. If you have already filled one out when you enter the hospital, be sure to give a copy to the Admissions Office or to your physician or nurse. Ask your care manager if you would like more information about these options.

Health Care Proxy

This is a legal form that enables you to appoint someone you trust to make treatment decisions. Unless you state otherwise, the person you appoint—your health care agent —can make all decisions to consent to or refuse treatment, including life-sustaining measures. The hospital can provide a copy of the proxy form if you would like to fill one out. You should discuss your treatment wishes with the person you appoint, with your health care providers, and with family members or other loved ones who may be involved in your care. The Health Care Proxy will only take effect once you can no longer make decisions for yourself. A Health Care Proxy covers only treatment decisions. It does not cover financial decisions or payment for your care.

Living Will

A living will is a statement of your treatment wishes. It can be on a living will form or in other writing. It can include your wishes about any treatment, including the use of resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops or a ventilator if you stop breathing. If you have appointed a health care agent, as discussed above, the living will provides guidance to your agent about your wishes.

Ethical and Religious Directives

Catholic Health provides care to all patients in accordance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health (“Directives”). In certain instances, health care decisions by or for a patient may conflict with the Directives. In those cases, patients or those authorized to decide for them will be told about the conflict, their rights under the circumstances, and steps that can be taken in such cases.

If a conflict arises between you and a member of the care team, the hospital or those involved in your care about treatment decisions, or difficult ethical questions come up, the hospital can assist you, your family and other loved ones by providing a social work or ethics consult.

You can first try to discuss the conflict or question with your attending physician. Sometimes he/she can provide medical information that clarifies the concerns and alternatives.

If you feel that your ethical concerns have not been addressed or a conflict continues, you can speak to the nurse or nurse manager and request an ethics consultation. You can also call the Patient Advocacy Program at (516) 705-1319 for assistance.

If those steps do not resolve your concern, you can seek a consultation by the hospital Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee includes individuals with different expertise (physicians, nurses, pastoral care) who provide advice and information in individual cases. Unless specifically required by law, the Ethics Committee does not make a decision but seeks to be a resource to resolve ethical questions and conflict.

Resources

Helpful phone numbers

Calling from inside the hospital?

Dial the last four digits for phone numbers starting with 705:

Main ................................................................... (516) 705-2525

Billing (888) 681-1749

Gift Shop ........................................................... (516) 705-3652

Physician Referral Line....................(516) 62-MERCY (63729)

Ambulatory Surgery Unit (ASU) ................... (516) 705-1322

Behavioral Health Central Intake (516) 705-2248

Diabetes Education ......................................... (516) 705-3623

Dialysis (Renal Center) (516) 705-1440

Emergency Department ................................ (516) 705-1210

Endoscopy Suite (516) 705-1204

Food and Nutrition (516) 705-3600

Infusion Center (516) 517-7100

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (516) 705-1342

Laboratory and Pathology (516) 705-2202

Maternity Labor and Delivery ...................... (516) 705-1212

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (516) 705-2291

Pastoral Care .................................................... (516) 705-1414

Pharmacy (516) 705-1611

Physical Therapy ............................................. (516) 705-2637

Pre-Surgical Testing (516) 705-1810

Radiology and Imaging .................................. (516) 705-1300

Security (516) 705-1030

Sleep Disorders Center................................... (516) 218-9097

Social Work (516) 705-1612

Telephone/TV Rental (516) 705-2591

Wound Care (516) 705-3950

Resources

Catholic Health

MyChart

Connect with Catholic Health through your own patient portal at mychart.chsli.org

Review your discharge papers for a 30 day access code and directions on how to signup for MyChart. This free patient portal will connect you to your medical information and even allow you to message your doctor’s office online. Once the portal is set-up you will be able to:

View your test results

Pay your bill and view your statements

Request a prescription refill

Communicate with your doctor’s office via online messaging

Schedule and view your appointments

Urgent Medical Matters:

Begin checking in for your appointment online

Review your health summary and other health information

Access and submit updates to your personal and health information

Please do not use to send any messages requiring urgent attention. For urgent medical matters, call 911.

FAQs and Patient Guide:

Please see FAQs and Patient Guide at: mychart.chsli.org/MyChartProd/MyChart_PatientQuickStartGuide.pdf

Technical Support:

Please contact the Catholic Health MyChart Service Desk at (631) 465-6100 for assistance.

1000 North Village Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY 11570

(516) 705-2525

Our Mission

We at Catholic Health, humbly join together to bring Christ’s healing mission and the mission of the mercy of the Catholic Church expressed in Catholic health care to our communities.

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