Patients' Bill of Rights

Click here for the Minnesota Patients’ Bill of Rights from the Minnesota Department of Health (pdf).

Patient Safety

Dedicated to safety

St. Joseph's Hospital and HealthEast Care System are dedicated to ensuring the safest possible care for our patients. Through the work of our Patient Safety Committee, our membership on the Safest In America collaborative of Twin Cities' hospitals, and our participation with the VHA national hospital organization's patient safety initiatives, we are reviewing and enhancing our systems and processes to provide safe patient care.

• Patient safety is a priority throughout the hospital and HealthEast, with our leadership, physicians and staff.
• Our Patient Safety Committee evaluates any safety concern raised by staff, patients or family members. The committee is responsible for developing steps to make HealthEast a safe place to receive care.
• All physicians and nurses at our hospital are board licensed and participate in continuing education.
• For medication safety, we double-check to make sure you receive the right medication, right dose, with the right method at the right time. We encourage you to speak up if you have any questions about your medication.
• We recommend you to have a family member or friend with you during your health care visits. They can provide comfort, support and can also help ask questions.
• We encourage you to ask questions and takes notes.

Communication

One of our goals is to encourage and support open and honest communication with you, your family and your health care team.

• We participate in the Minnesota Hospital Association's Patient Safety Registry. This provides us with the latest safety information from around the state.
• We encourage you, your family and our staff to speak up if there is a safety concern.
• It is our policy to be open and honest with you and your family by informing you of the potential results of your care, including unexpected results.
• We encourage you to designate a family spokesperson to help communicate with your family and the health care team.
• We encourage you to complete a satisfaction survey. We survey our patients to learn about their hospital stay. We review these surveys and make changes as a result of your comments.
• We welcome the opportunity to discuss the care you receive. If you have comments, questions or concerns, please contact us at:
  
  St. Joseph's Hospital
  651/232-3737

Safety highlights

Our hospital participates in statewide safety and quality activities:

• We participate in the Minnesota Hospital Association's Patient Safety Registry. This allows us to share safety resources and knowledge with hospitals across the state.
• Our hospital is committed to provide information to our patients and their families. We completed the Leapfrog Group survey at www.leapfroggroup.org .
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ranked Minnesota 4th in the nation for providing quality care to Medicare patients.
• HealthEast hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission.
• We are a member of Safest in America, a collaboration of Minnesota hospitals working together to ensure that our patient care is the safest in America.

Patient safety focus areas

Safe site surgery

Policy and procedure ensure that the correct site and procedure is done:

• Patient or family asked to verify
• Consent form states procedure and site
• Site is marked if left or right
• Surgeon confirms procedure and site before patient is brought to the operating room
• In the operating room, a "pause for the cause" occurs to confirm patient, procedure and site before beginning surgery

Patient identification

Policy and procedure ensure accurate identification of patients before giving medication, blood products or taking blood samples, or before surgery or other invasive procedure:

• Use at least two unique identifiers to establish a patient's identification
• Verify identification by asking the patient to state their full name and date of birth/staff checks medical record number
• Check the patient's ID band

Medication safety

Policy and procedure follow the Twin Cities' Hospitals' Safest in America Medication Safety Collaborative recommendations for writing safe orders.

• We have prohibited certain abbreviations and are discouraging the use of others.
• For verbal orders, to verify the order, policy requires the person receiving the order to first write the order as they hear it, and then "read back" the complete order for verification.

Five Wishes/Health Care Directives

Due to recent stories in the media, people are talking about health care directives. A health care directive (HCD) is also called an advance directive or a living will. We use a document called Five Wishes.

What is Five Wishes?

Five Wishes is a health care directive that talks about your personal, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as your medical wishes. It's an easy-to-complete form that lets you say exactly what you want. Once its filled out and properly signed, it is valid under the laws of most states.

Five Wishes helps you communicate:

• The person you want to make care decisions for you when you can't
• The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want
• How comfortable you want to be
• How you want people to treat you
• What you want your loved ones to know

Why have a health care directive?

Health care providers will listen to what people close to you say about your treatment preferences, but the best way to be sure your wishes are followed is with an HCD. And the best time to create one is when you are healthy.

Before August 1, 1998, Minnesota law provided for several types of HCDs including living wills, durable health care power of attorney and mental health declaration. The law changed so that people can use one form - such as Five Wishes - for all health care instructions.

Where can I get a copy of Five Wishes?

To order a free copy of the Five Wishes document, call HealthEast Care Connection at
651/326-CARE (2273).

To learn more about Five Wishes, go to www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html

Social Services

Patient and Family Advocate
Your needs are important to us. If you have specific questions or concerns, call Patient and Family Advocate Candy Joppru at 651/232-3061 during regular business hours for a personal reply. If you have a concern in the evening or on weekends, contact St. Joseph’s customer service hotline at 651/232-3737.

Interpreter Services
Interpreter services are provided.

Health Care Financial Information
St. Joseph’s financial counselor is available to answer your questions about your insurance coverage. Call 651/232-3300 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

Spiritual Care (Chaplain/Pastoral Services)

Phone: 651-232-3060

At St. Joseph's, we recognize that the spirit also needs care to restore health and to maintain wellness. That's why we're here to help you, regardles of your religion, culture or faith tradition.

In an emergency
On-call emergency chaplains are available at all times by calling 651- 232-1000. To contact a chaplain within St. Joseph's, ask a staff person for assistance or dial 0.

Chaplains
Chaplains are available for personal visits daily and may be contacted 24 hours a day in emergencies.

To request a visit from a chaplain:

• Ask your nurse
• Call Spiritual Care by dialing 2-3060 from your bedside phone
• Call the hospital operator by dialing "0"

Chapel
The chapel is located on the lobby level of the hospital and is open daily from 6 am to 10 pm for individual meditation. Catholic Mass is celebrated at noon on weekdays and at 11:30 on Sundays. In addition, an ecumenical service is offered at 9 am on Sundays.

For those who are unable to leave their hospital room, all services are broadcast over the hospital’s TV channel 14.

Channel 14 also provides day/night support for a healing environment and is an important resource to promote relaxation and sound reduction for our patients and their families.

Seeking additional places of worship? Please consult Spiritual Care at 651-232-3060 or click here for a list of area churches.

HealthEast and CaringBridge

www.caringbridge.com

A free online service to keep friends and family - your caring community - in touch and informed during important life events, including
medical treatment, childbirth or adoption.

Follow three short steps to create your personalized CaringBridge page free of charge. Each step takes less than two minutes. All information is required unless noted as optional.

About CaringBridge
CaringBridge is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, offering free Web pages to those receiving care since 1997. It was started after an unbelievable reaction to a Web page created for a premature baby.

CaringBridge has grown steadily since 1997 and by the begining of 2003 had hosted more than 8,000 personalized CaringBridge pages, with more than 20 million visits, and more than a million guestbook entries.

CaringBridge was developed using a unique grassroots approach. This service has developed ties with individuals, the medical community and corporate organization through word of mouth. Those who visit a CaringBridge page are undeniably impacted.

CaringBridge Mission:
CaringBridge brings together a global community of care powered by the love of family and friends in an easy, accessible and private way.

Accreditation

St. Joseph's Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission.

What is The Joint Commission?
The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization established over 50 years ago. It is the world leader in evaluating the quality and safety of care delivered in more than 17,000 health care organizations across the country.

To maintain and earn accreditation, a hospital undergoes an extensive on-site review by a select team of Joint Commission professionals including administrators, physicians and nurses at least once every three years. The purpose of the review is to evaluate the hospital's performance in areas that affect patient care. Through an assessment of a hospital's processes and personal visits with its patients and staff, the hospital is evaluated and scored.

Insurance

We have contracts with and accept the insurances below. If you have questions about your coverage, please first contact your insurance company.

• America 's PPO
• Beechstreet
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• Choice Care Network
• GEHA
• Great West
• Integrated Health
• HealthEast insurance
• HealthPartners
• Labor Care
• Medica
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Patient Choice
• Preferred One
• PPO USA
• Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
• Select Care
• TriCare/Champus
• Worker's Compensation
• UCare