Planning for Your Stay

Being a hospital patient can be stressful, so please be assured that all of us at Peach Regional Medical Center are here to make your experience a positive one.

PRMC provides a wide variety of services and personnel from each department will assist you throughout your hospital stay. We will protect your privacy and make sure you know your rights as a patient. Do not hesitate to ask questions or ask for asssistance. As a Peach Regional patient, we make your care and well-being our No. 1 priority.

Before Your Admission
Insurance
Insurance plans vary widely in their coverage and requirements for notification of in-hospital care. If you have any insurance-related questions before you arrive, please call Registration Department at 478-825-8691.

Housing
If you need assistance finding housing for your family members while you are in the hospital, please call 478-825-8691. Our Registration Department can provide you with information about area hotels and motels.

Private Room
If you wish to have a private room, please make arrangements in advance. Because the extra cost of a private room is not covered by insurance, we must also ask that you arrange for payment in advance. While we can’t guarantee that we will have a private room available for you, we will make every effort to accommodate your request.

PLEASE NOTE: Patients in private rooms may have one family member spend the night each night they are hospitalized. Overnight visitors are not allowed in shared rooms that have more than one patient.

Bringing What You Need for Admission
The first three items are “musts” for everyone. The remaining items may or may not be necessary, depending on your individual situation. It is vitally important that you bring everything necessary with you.
  • Social security number
  • Insurance card, including the insurer’s name and address and the patient’s policy number
  • Cash, check, or major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express) to pay for services not covered by insurance (Please call 478-825-8691 if you have questions.)
  • Your employer’s name, address, and phone number -- if you are covered by traditional insurance or managed care (HMO or PPO) provided by that employer
  • Your spouse’s employer’s name, address, and phone number -- if you are covered by traditional insurance or managed care (HMO or PPO) provided by your spouse’s employer
  • Managed Care Referral Authorization -- if you are covered by an HMO or POS plan and it is required
  • Medicare or Medicaid card, plus the date of your spouse’s retirement if that applies to you
  • Advance Directive (living will). Click Here Now for more information
  • Name, address, and phone number of your referring physician if you were referred here
Bringing What You Need for Your Stay
To help assure a comfortable hospital stay, the items you may wish to bring with you include:
  • Personal toiletries, such as shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrush
  • Bathrobe and slippers or socks
  • Glasses, dentures, hearing aids, prostheses or other assistive devices you may need. Please ask the nurse for a container to protect these items. Please label these and other personal items with your name if possible.
  • A book or magazines, and personal items such as your pillow,
  • Any instructions your physician may have provided
  • Cash to purchase a magazine, snack, and/or debit card for long distance calls (local calls are free)
What Not to Bring
It can be difficult to keep track of personal items here. We are sorry that the hospital cannot be responsible for personal items, and we ask you NOT to bring:
  • Jewelry or other valuables
  • A lot of money or extra credit cards
  • Hair dryer, electric shaver, or other electrical appliances (If you need assistance shaving, ask your nurse or another patient care staff member.)
  • Computer
  • Electronic calendar/appointment book
Should I Bring Medications?
There is no need to bring your regular medications but please bring a list of your current medications with you. If you are spending the night, bring your inhaler and eye drops only. Your physician may prescribe medication for you to take home.

Suggestions from Our Staff
As part of our comprehensive effort to make your experience at Peach Regional Medical Center as comfortable as possible, our admissions staff has prepared the following information:
  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing; be sure to dress warmly for the trip home, which will decrease your risk of surgical site infection.
  • Do not wear make-up or lipstick.
  • For your safety, rings, jewelry and body piercings must be removed prior to surgery. If you cannot remove your rings, a jeweler can, and he should be able to size the ring to fit you properly. Please leave all jewelry at home.
  • Bring crutches, walker or cane if you will be needing them.
Entering the Hospital
Patients reporting for outpatient procedures or day surgery enter the hospital at the Outpatient Registration entrance at the front of the hospital. Patients expecting to be admitted should enter the hospital at the right rear near the Emergency Room.

Making Phone Calls Inside the Hospital
If you are calling a number inside the hospital, you will only need to dial the three digit extension number. For another patient room, dial the room number; for another department, refer to the directory provided.

Receiving Phone Calls and Having Visitors
If you check the privacy box on your admission form or tell the person admitting you that you wish your information to be keep private, you will not be listed on the Peach Regional Medical Center information system. This means that people telephoning you from outside the hospital will be told by the operator that you are not on record and they cannot be connected to your room. It will also mean that visitors requesting to see you will be told that there is no listing for a patient by your name.

If you wish to receive phone calls and visitors, do NOT check the privacy box on your admission form.

Privacy Issues
Because of new laws to protect patient privacy, staff at PRMC cannot release any information about you to your family and friends without your permission. When you are being admitted, a staff member will ask you for an access code. Give this access code to the people you want to be able to obtain information about you. When someone provides a aospital staff member with your access code, the staff member can provide that person with information about your condition.