Discharge Information
Start thinking about plans for your discharge early in your Hospital stay. Your care manager and social worker will help you and your loved ones arrange an appropriate discharge plan. Each patient has different needs, so we approach the development of all plans with those needs in mind.
When your doctor tells you that you are ready to go home, your nurses will discuss ongoing care with you or your support person. If any prescriptions are required, they will be sent electronically to a pharmacy for you or provided to you before you go home. You will also receive a written discharge plan that describes the arrangements for any future care that your doctor may order after discharge and a list of the medications that you will need to take at home. You may not be discharged until the services required in your written discharge plan are secured or the Hospital determines they are reasonably available. You also have the right to appeal your discharge plan. An envelope for your discharge information is provided in the pocket of this guide, so you will be able to easily keep track of the material, including discharge plans, medication prescriptions, and any other follow-up information.
As you make arrangements to leave the Hospital, please note that the target discharge time is before 10 am.
Your Checklist for Discharge
Your care team wants everything to be in place when you are ready to leave the Hospital. Use this checklist to make sure you have all the information you need before you go home.
- I have my doctor’s phone number.
- I have an updated list of all my medications.
- I have all the equipment and supplies I need to go home.
- I have reviewed and understand all discharge instructions.
- I know who to call to set up my follow-up appointments or I have all my follow-up appointments set up already.
- I have the name and phone number of the person to call if I have any questions during my first week home.
- I have transportation home from the Hospital.
In addition, asking the following list of questions will help you have a smooth transition home.
- Do I have clean, comfortable clothes to wear?
- Do I have keys to my home?
- Is there food for me to eat at home?
- Is it the right food for my diet?
- Do I need someone to help me at home?
- If needed, have these arrangements been made?
- Will I need home care services after I leave?
- If needed, have home care services been arranged?
- What else should I ask my doctor, nurse, or therapist?
Parking is complimentary on the day of discharge when you show your discharge papers.
Discharge Phone Call
After you are discharged, you will receive a discharge phone call from the Hospital. The purpose of this call is to see how you are feeling, inquire about your experience during your hospitalization, and to help make your transition home as easy as possible. Before you are discharged, please tell your nurse the most convenient telephone number we should use to call you.
Patient Satisfaction Survey
After your discharge, you may receive a Patient Satisfaction Survey. The Survey will ask about your stay in the Hospital. Please take a moment to complete and return this Survey, which is very important to us. Your participation will help us take steps to improve the Hospital experience for our patients and their loved ones.
Cashier (212) 305-6200 / (212) 305-2188
Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm
The cashier is located in the main Hospital on the first floor off the main entrance lobby. Payment for Hospital charges and other services can be made by cash, personal check, traveler’s checks, or most major credit cards.
Billing
Hospital Charges
Your Hospital bill will reflect all of the Hospital services you received during your stay. Charges fall into two categories:
- A basic daily rate, which includes your room, meals, nursing care, and housekeeping
- Charges for special services or procedures, which include the operating room, recovery room, and/or items your physician orders for you, such as X-rays or laboratory tests
Additionally, physician charges for services provided in the NewYork-Presbyterian Ambulatory Care Network (ACN or clinic) are included in the Hospital bill and are not billed separately.
Hospitals are required by law to make available information about their standard charges for the items and services they provide. To obtain information about the Hospital’s charges visit us at http://nyp.org/payingforcare.
Physician Billing and Services
You should check with the physician arranging for your Hospital services to determine whether the services of any other physicians practicing at the Hospital will be required for your care, such as anesthesiologists, radiologists, and pathologists. Your physician can provide you with the practice name, mailing address, and telephone number of any physicians whose services your physician anticipates may be needed.
It is also important for you to know that you will be billed separately for physician services you receive while in the Hospital, including those services from physicians who do not see you in person, but who provide professional services related to diagnosing and interpreting test results while you are a patient. These include pathologists, radiologists, and other specialists.
Contact information for the physician groups with which the Hospital has contracted is available online. You may also visit http://nyp.org/payingforcare and contact these groups directly to find out whether they participate in your health plan, or if you have questions about their bills, please call the number printed on the statement you receive from them.
Insurance and Related Information
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a participating provider in many health plan networks. You can find a list of the plans in which we participate by visiting http://nyp.org/payingforcare. Some health plans use smaller networks for certain products they offer so it is important to check whether we participate in the specific plan under which you are covered. Our list will tell you if we do not participate in all of a health plan’s products.
All insured patients should familiarize themselves with the terms of their insurance coverage, including commercial insurance carriers, HMOs, Medicare, and Medicaid. This will help you understand which Hospital services are covered and what your responsibilities for payment are, if any. You should also bring copies of your insurance cards with you to the Hospital. The Hospital is responsible for submitting bills to your insurance company for Hospital services and will assist you to expedite your claim. You may receive a bill from the Hospital for any deductible/copay/coinsurance or noncovered items indicated on the explanation of benefits received from your insurance company. If you have any questions regarding your insurance coverage, please call (866) 252-0101 or the telephone number indicated on your billing statement.
If you are uninsured, you will be responsible for payment of your Hospital bill unless you are eligible for and receive coverage from other payment sources. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital offers assistance to patients who do not have insurance or are underinsured to determine whether there may be other sources of payment, such as Medicaid, Workers’ Compensation, No-Fault, COBRA benefits, or Charity Care, available to cover Hospital services rendered here.
With regard to Charity Care, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long-standing policy to assist patients who receive healthcare services at our Hospital and are in need of financial aid, regardless of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, culture, disability, age, sex, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, source of payment, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you have a financial obligation to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and believe you cannot afford to pay, the Hospital has a Charity Care policy that can assist qualified patients. Information regarding eligibility for Charity Care/financial aid and the application process are available from the Admitting Department, by calling toll-free (866) 252-0101, or can be obtained online at http://nyp.org/payingforcare.
Various physicians and other service providers (providers) may provide care to patients at a Hospital facility. NewYork-Presbyterian’s Ambulatory Care Network (ACN or clinic) providers are covered by the Hospital’s Charity Care policy; other providers are not. Such providers are described by category of service, or department, and the ACN (clinic) at http://nyp.org/payingforcare, if applicable. For more specific information about a particular provider, you may inquire with that provider.
Contact Information
Billing Inquiries: (212) 632-7440
Charity Care Inquiries: (866) 252-0101
Website: www.nyp.org
For Hospital charges and physician participation in insurance plans: http://nyp.org/payingforcare.
Medical Records/Health Information Management (646) 697-4764
Mailing Address
Medical Correspondence Unit
NewYork-Presbyterian/
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
622 West 168th Street
New York, NY 10032
Drop-Off Location
Medical Correspondence Unit
Milstein Hospital Building
Main lobby near the Admitting Office
To request Hospital medical records, patients should complete the Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information/Medical Records form. This form is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese on the Hospital’s website at http://nyp.org/him, or the form can be picked up from the Medical Correspondence Unit in the Milstein Hospital Building main lobby near the Admitting Office.
Please read the form carefully and check the appropriate box for the information you need. Completed forms may be placed in the Drop Box located by the Medical Correspondence Unit or sent to the mailing address indicated to the left.
For assistance in completing the form, please call (646) 697-4764, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.