Welcome

On behalf of our healthcare teams throughout the St. Joseph Health System – Sonoma County, we wish to extend our warmest welcome. We are pleased that you chose one of our hospitals for your care. We feel our physicians, nurses, technicians, dietitians and other support staff make up the best healthcare team available anywhere and we hope you will feel the same. Our goal is to work together to give you quality, compassionate care and technically advanced medical treatment.

This patient guide has been prepared as a convenient resource for you. In it you will find answers to most of the questions you will have as a patient. However, if you cannot find the information you are looking for, please ask your nurse or another member of our hospital support staff. You are our guest as well as our patient, and we want to help in any way we can.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. We hope your stay with us will be in every way a positive, healing experience.

Your Patient Care Team

St. Joseph Health System – Sonoma County

Pre-Admission

To make the admitting process easier, we encourage you to have pre-admission testing completed in advance, if possible. Please ask your doctor.

If you are being admitted for elective surgery, a pre-admissions counselor will contact you. You will be given an appointment with our early admission surgical evaluation (EASE) nurse a few days prior to your surgery so we can complete necessary pre-operative tests, obtain medical, demographic and insurance billing information from you and answer any questions you may have about your hospitalization.

What to Bring

Please bring your own personal toilet articles (toothbrush, shampoo, etc.) with you when you are admitted. The hospital can provide these but there is a small charge.

Please label items you bring with an indelible marker. Also, please note that the hospital cannot be responsible for lost or stolen valuables kept in your room.

For your comfort and a sense of familiarity, we encourage you to bring a few personal items from home if you would like. For example:

• Pillows
• Throw blanket
• Robe and slippers
• Magazines and books
• Radio, CD or cassette player (battery operated only)

Additional items to bring:

• A copy of your Advance Directive
• A list of any medications you are taking and how often you take them
• A list of any allergies you have
• Insurance cards
• Up to $10 cash for gift shop or newspaper purchases
• Telephone calling card for long-distance calls

Please do not bring any of the following:

• Electrical appliances
• Medications
• Credit cards and cash over $10
• Valuables and jewelry

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Admitting

Registration

When you arrive, certain necessary information will be requested for financial arrangements and to accurately complete your medical records. Please be assured that all of the information given will be handled confidentially.

Your room assignment will be determined by the type of medical care that you are to receive and by room availability. If, for some reason, you have brought valuable items such as jewelry, cash over $10 and credit cards with you, please send the items home with a family member. If this is not possible, a member of the admissions staff can deposit the items in the hospital safe.

Financial Counselors

Financial counselors are available to discuss billing and insurance information with you. The financial counselor will review and verify your insurance benefits. If your health insurance does not provide 100% coverage, you may be asked to pay the deductible and/or copayment portions before or during your stay. If you are not insured, a deposit may be required before you are admitted and we will also request that you make arrangements for paying the balance of your bill. In order for our financial counselors to provide you with the best possible service, please be sure to bring your current insurance cards with you at the time of your admission. We will request copies with every admission due to the frequency of change in the health insurance industry. The financial counselors are available weekdays from 8 am to 4:30 pm. Within Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital , please dial 5348 or 5349. Within Petaluma Valley Hospital please dial 2830. You may also call the operator for assistance within either hospital.

Financial Assistance

At St. Joseph Health System, our mission is to provide quality care to all our patients, regardless of ability to pay. We believe that no one should delay seeking needed medical care because they lack health insurance or are worried about their ability to pay for their care.That’s why St. Joseph Health System has a Patient Financial Assistance Program that provides free or discounted services to eligible patients.

For more information please see Financial Assistance Brochure (PDF).    English | Spanish

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Patient Responsibilities

A patient has the responsibility to provide, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to his/her health. He/she has the responsibility to report perceived risks in their care and unexpected changes in his/ her condition to the responsible practitioner. A patient is responsible for asking questions until he/she clearly comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him/her. Patients and families can help the hospital understand their environment by providing feedback about service needs and expectations.

Patients are responsible for ensuring that the hospital has a copy of their written advance directives, if they have any.

Patients are responsible for following the agreed upon treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for his/her care. Patients and their families should express any concerns about their ability to follow the proposed care plan or course of care, treatment and services. The patient is responsible for keeping appointments and when he/she is unable to do so for any reason, notifying the responsible practitioner or the hospital.

The patient is responsible for accepting the consequences of his/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner’s instructions.

The patient is responsible for assuring that the agreed upon financial obligations are fulfilled as promptly as possible.

The patient is responsible for following hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct. Patients and their families are responsible for being considerate of the hospital’s staff and property, as well as other patients and their property.  

Notice to All Recipients of Health Services

Saint Joseph Health System, in accordance with Federal and State law, hereby declares that:

"No person in the State of California shall, solely on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that is funded directly by the Department of Health Services or receives any financial assistance from the Department of Health Services."

If you need additional information or feel that you have been discriminated against, call or write to:

Chief, Office of Civil Rights

Department of Health Services
1615 Capitol Avenue, Suite 720
Sacramento, CA 95814

Public Number: (916) 440-7370
ATSS Number: (916) 440-7399

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