During Your Stay

On this page, you will find information to help you during your inpatient or outpatient care. We hope we’ve covered all you need to know, but if you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask your nurse, care coordinator, or other staff member.

When You Arrive

Please check in at the admissions desk, located off the main lobby. It is essential that we have your current medical and financial information. Please bring the following:

• Insurance card and/or policy
• Medicare or Medicaid card
• Social Security numbers of the patient and the insured
• Driver’s licenses and/or photo ID cards of the patient and the insured
• Emergency contact information
• A list of your current medications, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, vitamins and herbals
• Physician’s orders, if you have any
• Your Advance Directives (living will, power of attorney, etc.)

Your ID Bracelet
As a patient, you will receive a special identification (ID) bracelet that states your name and hospital number, your physician’s name and other important information. Your ID bracelet will be checked often during your stay. Please wear it at all times to prevent delays with important lab tests, X-rays and various other tests and treatments.

If your ID bracelet is damaged or lost, please let your nurse know immediately.

Our Commitment to Quality Care

Our goal is to provide the best patient care. If at any time you have questions or concerns about the quality of care that you or a family member are receiving or have received at one of our facilities, do not hesitate to speak with your nurse or nursing supervisor. If you feel that your issue wasn’t resolved, please ask for the House Supervisor. Appalachian Regional Healthcare System seeks to provide prompt review and timely resolution of concerns from its inpatients and outpatients.

Resolution of Conflicts

Although conflicts are often a part of life, they can add to the stress you feel when you or a loved one is hospitalized. At ARHS, our job is to:

• anticipate potential care-related conflicts and eliminate them
• work with you to resolve conflicts quickly and considerately

While we strive to meet and exceed the expectations of our patients, staff, physicians and visitors, at times we may fall short. An important value at ARHS is receiving, responding to and resolving all complaints in a courteous and timely manner. Your feedback helps us to improve our care and delivery systems.

If you have a complaint, you may speak with any facility employee or volunteer, and he or she will initiate the complaint process. If the individual can resolve the problem, he or she has the authority to do so. If not, your concerns are forwarded to the appropriate department manager, and if necessary, to hospital administration.

Ethics Committee

All ARHS facilities have an ethics committee available to give you support and guidance when you are faced with difficult decisions about medical care and treatment issues. These committees do not tell you what you should do, but help affected parties look together at a larger situation and consider all feasible alternatives. Below is a list of how to contact the ethics committee and your location:

Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital
(828) 737-7596 – request to speak with a care manager

Watauga Medical Center
(828) 262-4100 – request pager number 1400