Preparing for Hospitalization

Whether you are getting ready for an outpatient procedure, surgery or hospitalization, here is some helpful information you’ll need to make your stay at Los Angeles Community Hospital a better experience. To contact an admissions representative, call (323) 267-0477.

For your comfort and safety, there are several things to keep in mind prior to being admitted as a patient. These include:

• If instructed, please observe time and date requirements about eating and drinking. If you are having a surgical procedure, it may be cancelled or delayed if you have ingested any food or fluid when you were instructed not to do so.
• Do not wear jewelry and remove all body piercings at home.
• Leave valuables and money at home.
• We are not responsible for lost or stolen cell phones, laptops or other personal items, so consider leaving them at home.
• If you develop a cold, cough or fever prior to your surgery, please notify your surgeon immediately.
• Bring a list of your current medications and notify the staff of any allergies.
• For your convenience, bring items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving supplies, etc.
• Our staff will be checking with you frequently to make sure that your needs are met. If you have any special requests, please contact any of our staff so that we can address any issues or concerns immediately.

Your nurse can help resolve any issues or concerns that may arise during your hospitalization, if your nurse is unable to assist you. Ask to speak to the nursing supervisor or our Patient Ambassador at (323) 326-3642. After hours and on weekends, ask to speak to the administrator on call.

Patient Experience

We participate in a patient experience (satisfaction) survey through a third-party company. You may be contacted following discharge with a series of questions about how satisfied patients are with the service they received during their stay. We encourage your participation. If you need assistance from our Patient Ambassador during your hospital stay, email or call (323) 267-0477.

The nursing supervisor is always available to help patients and visitors.

Advance Directive

This is a written statement of a person’s wishes regarding medical treatment. Its purpose is to ensure those wishes are carried out should a patient be unable to communicate them to a healthcare provider.

Usually, an advance directive includes both a Declaration and a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare in one document. Having both is the strongest basis for legal enforcement.

Billing

As a patient at Los Angeles Community Hospital, you have the right to understand our billing processes, and how our financial counselors can be of assistance to you. If you have any questions or concerns about your bill, please let us know at (323) 267-0477.

Please note that you may get more than one statement for services received. To meet federal and state billing regulations, we must align the cost of different services to providers, staff and supplies. This can result in multiple, separate billings for a single date of service. It can also lead to more than one statement.

Working together, we can keep the billing process as simple as possible. For insurance, billing information and inquiries, call (323) 267-0477.