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At Daviess Community Hospital, we are committed to high-quality, compassionate, comprehensive, and cost-effective care. We are committed to excellence — to the caring tradition which began in 1913. Today, 90 years later, our tradition of strong values means excellence in healthcare for the residents of Daviess County and the surrounding area.
At Daviess Community Hospital, we offer our patients a healthcare team with the skills needed to deliver a full range of preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and health maintenance services. While we strive to keep up with new technology, we have not lost sight of the importance of patients' and their families' emotional well-being.
Our staff is here to serve you. Let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or needs.
All About Us
Daviess Community Hospital is committed to improving the health of the people who live in our communities by providing excellent medical care, ensuring access to that care, teaching health lifestyles, and working with local agencies to meet community health needs. The hospital offers a wide range of services designed to meet personal healthcare needs. We provide acute, emergency, rehabilitative, home care, and health education programs and screenings to the residents of our community. We serve the residents of Daviess and surrounding counties.
Daviess Community Hospital has as its prime concern the personal safety and well-being of its patients and its employees. We recognize that each person has the right of free choice and are committed to high standards of general health principles. Smoking is a deterrent to good health; therefore, smoking is prohibited inside the hospital.
The Rights and Responsibilities of Our Patients
As a patient at Daviess Community Hospital, you (or your representative when appropriate) have the following rights:
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To receive information from your doctor that you need in order to give informed consent before the start of any procedure or treatment, unless you are having life-threatening problems. |
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To be told your rights before any care starts or stops. |
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To kind and respectful care. |
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To be told about your condition and treatment in understandable terms. |
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To help make decisions in your plan of care, and to request or refuse treatment. |
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To be completely informed if a transfer to another hospital becomes necessary. |
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To expect every consideration for your personal privacy. |
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To receive care in a safe place. |
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To expect that all of your records will be treated as private, and to get information from your records soon after you ask for them. |
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To be free from physical restraints, seclusion, or drugs that are not medically needed. |
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To expect timely assessment and treatment of physical pain and emotional or spiritual discomfort. |
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To get information as to the relationship of this hospital to hospitals and schools. |
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To be advised when the hospital asks you to start in, or do, any human experimentation affecting your care. |
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To expect the same level of care and to be told of any community resources before you leave Daviess Community Hospital. |
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To look at and get an explanation of your bill no matter who is paying it. |
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To know which hospital rules and regulations you will need to follow. |
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To expect medical treatment equal to that of any other patient no matter how you will pay, or your race, creed, nationality, age, gender, disability, veterans status, or sexual preference. |
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To voice any problems about Daviess Community Hospital without fear of reprisal, and to ask for a quick ending to the problem! |
Voicing Complaints
You may lodge a complaint or grievance with the Indiana State Department of Health, at 1-800-246-8909 or The Joint Commission at 1-800-944-6610. If you receive Medicare, you may file complaints or grievances about quality of care, disagreements with coverage decisions, or if you wish to appeal a premature discharge, or HINN, by calling Health Care Excel, at 1-800-288-1499.
It is our obligation to provide to you appropriate, professional, and high-quality care, without discrimination as to your race, creed, color, religion, sex, natural origin, sexual preference, age, or any disability you may have.
You have the responsibility:
As a patient at Daviess Community Hospital you have the responsibility:
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To provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses and hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to you health. It is important that you also report any changes in your condition to your doctor or nurse. |
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To tell your doctor or nurse whether you clearly understand your medical treatment and what is expected of you as a patient. |
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To assume the consequences of your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow your doctor’s instructions. |
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To assure that the financial obligations of your health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible. |
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To follow hospital rules and regulations relating to patient care and conduct. |
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To be considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel in the control of noise, smoking, and the number of visitors, and to be respectful of the property of other persons and the hospital. |
Community Benefit Report
Daviess Community Hospital submits each year to the Indiana State Department of Health a report of unreimbursed benefits it provides to the community, outreach educational programming, and certain patient services for high-risk populations. The annual report is public information and is available upon request from Hospital Administration by calling (812) 254-8840, or from the State Department of Health by calling (317) 383-6541.
About Your Stay. . .Your Belongings
During your stay at DCH, you will need only a few items. Often a few personal belonging from home can make a stay easier. Please remember however that we cannot be responsible for the loss of any personal items.
For your stay, we suggest that you bring a robe, non-skid slippers, pajamas or nightgown, dentures, glasses, hearing aids, personal toilet articles, and reading material.
While you are at DCH, all of your medications will be ordered for you by your physician and noted in your medical record. Using medication that has not been prescribed by your doctor for use during hospitalization may be harmful.
When You Are Admitted
When you arrive at the hospital, you or your family member will be asked for information necessary for your hospital medical record. This information will be obtained in the admitting department, which is located on the main floor near the lobby and in the emergency room.
Consent Form
Certain medical and surgical treatments can only be provided with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Authorization is needed for operations, diagnostic tests, and release of information. Consent of a patient under the age of 18 must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
Identification
As part of the admitting procedure, an identification bracelet with your personal data is fastened around your wrist. Whether you are asleep or awake, the bracelet tells all who treat or serve you exactly who you are. For your protection, please do not remove this band until you leave the hospital.
Advance Directives
The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 requires all hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid to ask all adult patients if they have an advance directive. An advance directive is a statement, either verbal or written, in which a person indicates in advance their choices about medical treatment or designates someone to make such choices should they become unable to make these decisions.
An advance directive can help doctors and staff who are providing care to know your preferences for medical treatment. Daviess Community Hospital social workers and pastoral staff are available to answer questions if you would like more information.
Your Hospital Medical Record
Your hospital medical record is confidential. Upon request, medical records can be sent to other medical facilities. Contact the medical records office for questions about access to your records.
Your Valuables
It is strongly urged that you leave your valuables at home or send them home with members of your family. If that is not possible, you may deposit such items in the hospital vault. Under no circumstances will the hospital be responsible for money or other valuables kept in your room.
Universal Infection Control Precautions
Universal Infection Control Precautions are observed at Daviess Community Hospital to prevent the transmission of blood-borne diseases. This means our healthcare professionals may wear gloves or eye goggles when caring for you or when handling soiled objects. If you have any questions about Universal Precautions, please ask your nurse.
Your Meals
Because food is important to your recovery, your doctor will order a diet best suited to your condition. Selective menus are available for most diets. From time to time, the doctor may change your diet. When this occurs, your previously selected diet is cancelled and the new diet is substituted. This may cause a change in the menu items selected.
Breakfast service begins at 7:15 a.m., lunch service begins at 12:00 p.m., and dinner service begins at 5:15 p.m. Snacks are served between meals if requested from your nurse.
Your Visitors
At Daviess Community Hospital, we encourage visits from friends and family as they can be vital to a speedy recovery and serve as a source of reassurance. We request that your visitors observe the following guidelines:
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Routine visiting hours on the Medical/Surgical units are open. Nursing discretion will be used when it is in the patient's best interest. |
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The Obstetrics area is often a busy place. The new mother and baby need special care that can be time-consuming. Rest is also very important after childbirth. This is why we may limit visiting hours on the Obstetrics unit. |
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Visitors to the Intensive Care Unit are permitted for 10 minutes every 2 hours. Special visiting privileges may be arranged through the patient's physician or a nurse. |
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Children under 14 years of age are permitted to visit with special permission. Please inquire with the nursing unit secretary. |
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Daviess Community Hospital is a smoke-free facility. Please observe this policy. |
Letters, Flowers, & Gifts
Any letters, flowers, and gifts that you receive while you are in the hospital are delivered to your room daily. Any mail delivered to the hospital after you're discharged will be forwarded to your home. For the safety of our patients, flowers and plants are not allowed in the Intensive Care Unit.
Gift Shop
For your convenience, the Gift Shop offers such products as magazines, gifts, and small personal items.
Telephone Services From Patient Rooms
To make a local call, dial 9 + the number.
To make a long distance call, dial 7 + 0 + area code and the number. These calls must be billed to a credit card, be made collect, or billed to your home number.
To reach Directory Assistance, dial 7 + 0 + area code + 555-1212.
If you need to dial an 800 number, call the Hospital Operator by dialing "0".
For Your Safety
Because we are concerned for your safety while you are a guest at Daviess Community Hospital, we ask that you help us maintain a safe environment by following the precautions below:
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Observe all signs posted throughout the hospital. |
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Never hesitate to use the nurse call system for assistance. The signals are placed at your bedside and in the bathroom. |
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Wear your robe and slippers whenever you are out of bed. |
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No personal electrical appliances of any type may be used unless they are checked by the Hospital Maintenance Department. |
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Fire and disaster drills are conducted periodically to prepare the staff for action in case an actual emergency should occur. In a real emergency, you will be moved to a place of maximum safety if necessary. |
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Smoking is NOT allowed in Daviess Community Hospital. |
Nursing Care
Your nursing care team may include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse assistants, and nursing students. At all times, a registered nurse is designated to oversee your care. Each nursing unit is provided clinical and administrative leadership by a nurse director. A nursing supervisor is available on the evening, night, weekend, and holiday shifts.
Surgery
Patients being admitted to Daviess Community Hospital for surgery will be given a tentative time for their operation at the time of the pre-admission testing visit. Visitors wishing to see you before surgery should come at least one hour before the scheduled time of operation. Families of patients undergoing surgery are asked to wait in the surgery waiting area.
Social Work Services
A medical social worker is available to counsel patients and family members, regarding emotional, social, and financial problems that may be causing stress or interfering with treatment.
Referral to local community agencies is used when additional support or follow-up is needed. A request for assistance from your social worker may be made by you, your physician, DCH staff, or a family member.
Patients are reminded that during your hospital stay, all of your medications will be ordered by your physician. Using medication that has not been prescribed by your doctor for your use during hospitalization may be harmful.
Chapel
The chapel is always open for prayer and reflection. The chapel is located on the 2nd floor, just west of the hospital's north elevators.
Financial Arrangements
The hospital's basic daily rate includes 24 hour nursing care, nutrition services, housekeeping services, and linens. It does not include special services that your doctor may order such as operating room, anesthesia, physical therapy, X-ray, medications, laboratory, or other specific diagnostic and therapeutic services.
The professional service fees of your personal physician and other specialists and consultants you may see are not included in the daily rate. These fees are billed to you directly by the physician and are payable by you or your insurance company.
Our staff will file a claim with your insurance company at the earliest possible date following your discharge. Follow-up will begin 30 days after the submission of the claim. We will provide all necessary information to your insurance company to make a determination for payment. You will be expected to make full payment of the account balance if insurance fails to pay timely or denies payment, and of your self-pay portion (co-insurance and deductible) at time of discharge.
If you do not have insurance, you will be expected to make payment or payment arrangements through the Business Office prior to registration unless the treatment is an emergency. Otherwise, your registration may be postponed in cooperation with your physician.
At Daviess Community Hospital, a financial counselor is on staff to discuss confidential arrangements with you or a member of your family. We accept cash, check, or credit card including Mastercard, Visa, Discover, or American Express. We will assist you in applying for Medicaid and Charity Care.
Workers Compensation
Claims made for accidents at work can be accepted and billed only if the company or the insurance carrier guarantees payment. If a lawsuit is pending, the patient must assume the financial responsibility and make payment to the hospital prior to the settlement of the case.
Leaving The Hospital
A discharge planning nurse is available to help you and your family plan for the care that might be needed after leaving DCH. The discharge planning nurse can refer you to other agencies for help in your own home and can assist in making arrangements for transfer to other living arrangements, i.e. nursing homes and adult foster care homes. You can ask for this help directly or have your doctor or family make a request for you.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Center
Daviess Community Hospital's Inpatient Rehabilitation Center provides individualized and flexible treatment programs designed for individuals who have been disabled by injury or illness. Each individual referred to the program is evaluated and a rehabilitation plan developed to help the patient develop the skills to live as independently as possible after leaving the hospital. For more information about this program, speak with your physician, or call 254-8881.
Behavioral Health Services
Daviess Community Hospital's Behavioral Health Service provides intensive, structured outpatient counseling services to persons who are medically stable, are not in acute crisis, and can benefit from the therapeutic programming. Our multi-disciplinary treatment team provides assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of each patient in an environment that fosters positive change. Possible activities for the patient could include individual counseling, medication management, group therapy, family therapy, discharge planning, activity therapy, and behavior management. Anyone may make a referral to the DCH Behavioral Health Services. For more information, speak with your physician or call 254-8634.
Outpatient Dialysis Services
Through a joint venture with other area health care providers, outpatient renal dialysis services are provided at DaVita Center of Washington. The Center is located at 310 N.E. 14th Street, Washington. For more information, speak with your physician or call 254-9950.
Home Health
Home Health Services are available to provide continuity of care from hospital stay to home recuperation. Home Health Services are arranged by the discharge planner upon physician referral. When referrals are received prior to the patient's dismissal, a Home Health staff nurse will contact you with an explanation of services. For more information on types of services, contact the Home Health Department at 254-8950.
Going Home
At this time, please check your room to be sure that you have not left any personal belongings behind. Before you leave, a nurse will provide discharge instructions and any prescriptions that are necessary.
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