Patient Information
Your specialist will arrange your booking with the hospital and will let you know the date and time of your admission and how long you are expected to stay in hospital.
Completing your admission forms and health questionnaire
Please complete the three forms which you will find inside the back cover of your patient information booklet and deliver, post, fax or email them to us to arrive at least 7-10 working days prior to your admission. If this is not possible (eg, if your admission is urgent or has been arranged at short notice), then please bring the completed forms with you on admission.
Deliver
Bowen Hospital, 98 Churchill Drive, Crofton Downs, Wellington
Post
Bowen Hospital, 98 Churchill Drive, Crofton Downs, Wellington 6035
We recommend that you take a photocopy of the forms and bring these with you on your admission day.
Fax
(04) 479 8520
admin@bowen.co.nz
If you are unable to get these forms to us, or if you faxed or emailed them to us, please ensure that you bring the originals with you on your admission day.
About these forms
The Admission Form contains personal and payment information.
The Consent Form relates to your medical diagnosis and details of the treatment which will be provided to you. You can fill in most of this information yourself but the rest must be completed in consultation with your specialist. We also ask you to sign your consent to the treatment which you will receive.
The Health Questionnaire provides us with necessary details about your medical history.
These forms are also reproduced below if required.
Bowen Consent Form
Bowen Admission Form
Bowen Questionnaire
You might also like to read the anaesthetic information pamphlet which you will also find inside the back cover of the booklet.
Estimates and Costs
We recommend that you make contact with our patient accounts staff for a written estimate of costs and, if applicable, apply for ‘prior approval’ from your Health Insurer. By doing so, you will be more aware of what cover is available to you, as well as the possible shortfall that you may need to pay yourself.
The estimate we will give you will be based on current average costs and will comprise:
*
Theatre fees (based on time estimated by your surgeon).
* Medical supplies.
*
Accommodation.
* Specialised nursing care (if applicable).
* Intensive and high-dependency
care (if applicable).
* Special equipment and services.
* Physiotherapy and occupational
therapy.
* Other ancillary care requested by your surgeon.
Please remember these will only
be estimates. They may be higher or lower than the actual amounts you are finally charged, if your
particular treatment has been more or less complex than ‘average’.
Our actual costs are charged on an ‘as used’ basis (unless a fixed price fee is applicable) and can vary significantly from patient to patient, even for the same procedure.
As well as the hospital account, you will receive separate accounts from your anaesthetist, surgeon and/or physician. If you have received radiology or laboratory services during your stay, their charges will be invoiced separately to you.
Physiotherapy and occupational therapy charges are included in the hospital invoice.
Many insurance companies will not cover the cost of an occupational therapist’s consultation fee, estimated to be between $50 and $100. You should discuss this with your insurance company prior to your admission.
Prior to coming to hospital
If there have been any recent changes in your health, please ensure that your surgeon, anaesthetist or Bowen nursing staff is advised at the earliest opportunity. For example, if you develop a cold, flu, infection, vomiting, diarrhoea, laceration, appearance of a skin infection or suffer an asthma attack prior to your admission to hospital, you should let one of the above know as soon as possible, as it may be necessary to postpone your operation.
If you have been admitted to any hospital since last seeing your surgeon, please phone Bowen Hospital nursing staff at the earliest opportunity.
The night before and on the day of your surgery:
* Take extra care of your body.
* Do
not shave near where you will be having surgery. Shaving can irritate your skin and this may lead to
infection.
* Keep warm. Wear warm clothes to the hospital and, in cold weather, heat up the car
before you get in. Keeping warm before surgery can lower your chance of getting an infection.
*
Please do not apply moisturisers or hair gel and remove make-up, nail polish, body piercings and
jewellery. Make-up and moisturisers interfere with and, in some cases, block transmission of
important operating-room equipment.
* If applicable, please leave your medic alert bracelet /
pendant on.
Medications
Discuss with your specialist any regular medications you are taking and bring all your usual medications (including herbal and dietary supplements) to hospital with you.
A detailed list from your general practitioner will help our doctors chart the correct medications for you.
Medication for diabetes mellitus and anticoagulants (eg, Warfarin, Persantin) should not be taken without consulting your specialist. Also check with your specialist whether you should take your prescribed aspirin or disprin during the week prior to surgery.
Eating and drinking before your anaesthetic
If you are undergoing surgery, your stomach must be empty and therefore it is very important to ask your specialist whether you should fast (neither eat nor drink, which includes chewing gum and sweets) before admission, and from what time. Here are some general guidelines, but you will receive specific instructions from your specialist.
Adults and children over 2 years
Do not eat anything for 6 hours before your admission time. You may drink WATER freely up until 2 hours before your admission, then nothing more.
Children under 2 years
Cow’s milk or formula may be taken up to 6 hours prior to admission time, and breast milk up to 4 hours before admission. WATER only may be drunk up to 2 hours before admission.
These instructions are for your safety and well-being. Please follow them closely. If your surgeon or anaesthetist gives you other instructions, you must comply with them. Your operation may have to be postponed if you do not follow these guidelines.
MRSA
If you have been employed in a clinical care role,or admitted to any other hospital in New Zealand or overseas in the six months preceding your admission to Bowen, swabs from your nose need to be taken and tested in the laboratory.
Ideally, these swabs should be taken a week before your admission to the hospital. The senior clinical nursing staff will arrange this with you. In case there is a delay in your health questionnaire being assessed by the senior nursing staff, please phone the hospital and speak with the Clinical Nurse Manager, the Infection Control Co-ordinator or the Director of Nursing. This will incur a cost to you from Aotea Pathology Laboratory, who will send you an invoice.
Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs
We recommend that you avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs (other than those drugs your specialist or general practitioner prescribes) during the 24 hours prior to your admission.
Transport to hospital
In case of traffic congestion, please allow yourself plenty of time to get to the hospital. It is always better to be early rather than late, and you will feel more relaxed. However, if unavoidable circumstances delay your arrival, please telephone us (04) 479 2069.
What to bring to hospital
* Your admission forms and health questionnaire (or copies if already posted to us).
*
X-rays and scans relevant to your surgery.
* All your usual medications (including herbal and
dietary supplements) in their original containers – please refer to important 'medications'
information above.
* Your medical insurance company’s letter of prior approval.
* ACC’s
letter authorising your treatment in a private hospital.
* Glasses and physical aids (walking
sticks, hearing aids, etc).
* Comfortable clothing and footwear.
* It is a good idea for
children to bring their favourite toy or blanket.
Patients staying one or more nights:
* Suitable nightwear and dressing gown.
* Slippers.
* Toiletries.
* Reading and
writing material.
Please do not bring to hospital
* Large amounts of cash.
* Jewellery.
* Other valuables.
While we take great care to
secure personal effects, Bowen Hospital cannot guarantee their security and cannot accept
responsibility for their safekeeping.
Admission
When you arrive at Bowen, you will be greeted at reception and then taken to your room and introduced to the nurse who will care for you.
Before your operation you will be asked to shower using a medicated soap (there may be a few exceptions to this) and change into a special theatre gown. You may also be given a 'pre-medication' before going to the operating theatre. A 'pre-medication' is a tablet or tablets to relax you if you are nervous, or to help with your pain relief after the operation.
You will be accompanied to the operating theatre by your nurse and, once your surgery is complete, our recovery room staff will take care of you until you are ready to return to your room.
We welcome enquiries from you and your support people about your treatment at any time.
Children
If you are a parent or caregiver, you may stay with your child overnight if you wish. Please discuss this with our admissions staff as soon as possible.
For day-stay surgery, if your child is under 16 years of age, lunch is available for one accompanying adult free of charge.
Other meals are available on request for a small fee.
We encourage children to bring their favourite toys with them and to visit us in advance of their admission so that the hospital will be familiar when they are admitted.
Accompanying your child to the operating theatre
In order to reduce separation anxiety in children over the age of twelve months, a parent or caregiver may stay with their child while the child is anaesthetised, provided that both the surgeon and the anaesthetist are agreeable to this. You will be asked to change into appropriate hospital supplied clothes.
Once your child is anaesthetised you will be shown out of the theatre area and back to your room. Please use the ward kitchen to make yourself a hot drink while awaiting the return of your child.
You should not feel pressured in any way to go into theatre. We realise that parents or caregivers need to feel comfortable about going in, and children do often cope remarkably well with just the theatre nurses and doctors. As an alternative, parents or caregivers may accompany their child into the reception area of theatre without getting changed.
After the operation your child will be monitored in the recovery area of theatre. The recovery staff will keep your child only as long as necessary to ensure that they have properly recovered from their anaesthetic and that their condition is safe for them to be returned to their room. It is hospital policy not to allow parents into the recovery area as this compromises the privacy of other patients. However, if it is in the best interests of your child, the recovery staff may request that you sit with your child in the recovery unit.
Discharge
The discharge process is important because it ensures that your care is formally transferred from the hospital to your specialist and/or general practitioner.
The nursing staff will assist in the arrangements for your discharge, in consultation with you and your specialist. A discharge form will be completed by medical or nursing staff and will contain details of the procedure performed and instructions relating to it.
In the first 24 hours following surgery you should not drive a vehicle or operate any machinery. You are also advised not to make any important decisions, sign any legal documents or drink alcohol.
Overnight patients
If you have stayed overnight, we ask that you vacate your room by 10.00am on the day you are discharged, so please feel free to ask us to arrange your transport accordingly. If this is not possible or convenient, you are welcome to wait in any of the patient or visitor lounges. If you wish to remain in your room after 10.00am on the day you are leaving, please discuss this with the Clinical Nurse Manager the day before. This will depend on bed availability, and a late-discharge fee may apply. Should you wish to remain in hospital for a longer period to convalesce, the Clinical Nurse Manager or Director of Nursing will be happy to discuss this option and the associated room rates with you.
Transport
You should not drive yourself home after discharge. Please arrange to be taken home by a relative or friend in a private car, or use a taxi (we recommend that you do not use public transport). If this is a concern, please ask our staff for assistance.
When you get home
You should arrange for a responsible adult to stay with you for 24 hours after you get home. We recommend that you rest and follow the instructions of your doctor and/or hospital staff. If you require extra care at home we can arrange that for you.
Please ring your specialist or general practitioner if you require medical advice after your discharge.
Payment of Accounts
All patients are admitted on the understanding that they have made arrangements to pay the hospital’s accounts. In some situations, such as when patients have no private medical insurance cover, payment is required prior to admission. In such cases, the charge will be estimated by accounts staff. Any additional charges will be shown on the final invoice and the difference will need to be paid according to normal business practice. If the final invoice is less than the amount already paid, a refund will be sent to you.
In addition, the payment of a refundable bond will be required on or before your discharge for any mobility equipment loaned to you by the hospital.
To assist you, EFTPOS is available and Mastercard, American Express and Visa credit cards are also accepted. We also accept Mastercard and Visa credit card payments over the telephone. If paying by cheque, please make it payable to Bowen Hospital.
Some medical insurance policies will refund only a portion of your hospital account. A prompt claim from your insurer, and settlement by you of any shortfall, is expected. It is advisable to contact your medical insurer prior to surgery to obtain prior approval. This will speed up the processing of your claim and may indicate to you in advance the amount you can expect your insurer to reimburse. If you require assistance with the completion of a Claims Form, please ask our reception or accounts staff to help you.
In addition to the hospital account, you are likely to receive separate accounts from your surgeon, anaesthetist, radiology and laboratory, as well as other specialists, if applicable. You should pay their fees directly to them.
ACC Patients
ACC often authorises treatment in a private hospital. Please bring your letter of approval and present it to the receptionist on admission. If your surgery has been approved under an ACC elective contract, there is no charge to you other than the bond for mobility equipment and any ancillary charges that you may incur. If approval is granted under ACC Regulations, and you have no medical insurance, the estimated shortfall applicable is due for payment at time of admission to Bowen Hospital.
Surgery cannot go ahead without ACC approval. We suggest that you confirm this with your specialist prior to admission in order to avoid any embarrassment to you and the delay of your treatment.
Terms and Conditions of Payment
The following are our terms and conditions of payment:
Bowen Hospital payment terms are 7 days following date of invoice. Any balance remaining unpaid 1 month after the date of invoice will attract interest at the rate of 14% per annum. Interest will be calculated daily from the due date of invoice and may be added to the outstanding balance at the end of each calendar month, up to the actual date of payment. Any debt collection, legal or other costs incurred in the collection of outstanding amounts will also be payable by you, the debtor. Any variation to these terms will be at the discretion of Bowen Hospital management.
If there is a delay with your insurance claim, or another reason that you are not able to pay our account within 7 days (1 month for insurance claims) of the date of invoice, please ensure you contact us before the due date.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding your hospital account, please discuss these with the Bowen Hospital accounts staff.
Our facilities and services
Ancillary Services
Comprehensive radiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services are available on site.
Chaplain
Bowen has the services of an inter-denominational chaplain. If you wish to be visited by a chaplain of your own faith, please ask your nurse.
Communications
Family and friends can phone you by dialling (04) 479 2069. Our receptionist will transfer calls directly to your room.
Patients and visitors are asked to refrain from using cell phones within the hospital as these can interfere with calibrated medical equipment. Cell phones should be used only in reception and patient lounges.
Fax facilities are available at reception and internet access is also available, but please notify us in advance if you require this facility. You will need to bring your own laptop, cables and your dial-up (ISP) access number.
Cultural Needs
Please let us know if you have any spiritual or cultural needs.
Should the services of an interpreter be required, please let us know well in advance of your admission to ensure that this is arranged. There is a cost for this service.
Parent or caregiver
Arrangements can be made for a parent or caregiver to be accommodated at the hospital. Please discuss your requirements with the Clinical Nurse Manager prior to admission. There is a fee for this service.
Parking
Ample free parking is provided within our hospital grounds. Please note that Bowen Hospital accepts no responsibility for car security.
Patients' Meals
Our menus are carefully selected to provide you with a choice of meals each day. If you require a special diet please notify the nursing staff well in advance in order that the food services team can carry out your wishes.
Meals are served in your room at the following times:
Breakfast – 8am, Lunch – Midday,
Dinner – 5.45pm (5pm weekends).
Patients' Rooms
We endeavour to give our patients a choice of room to suit their needs. Irrespective of your choice, you will receive the same high standard of nursing care.
Overnight patients have a choice (subject to availability and appropriate to your operation) of a private room with en-suite bathroom, a single room with a shared bathroom or a shared room with shared facilities. All patients’ rooms have private TV (Sky), radio and telephone, and a complimentary copy of the daily newspaper is provided.
Smoke-free policy
A smoke-free policy applies throughout the hospital.
