An advance directive is a written document that expresses the individual's wishes for medical care if he or she becomes incompetent or incapacitated. Advance directives may include living wills, health care agents, or durable powers of attorney. When you are admitted to the hospital, a staff member will ask you if you have already prepared an advance directive.
If you have an advanced directive, and a copy is available, it will be placed in your medical record. More information and resources are available on our Advance Care Planning website .
Visitors may purchase meals in the cafeteria during the following times:
Vending machines are located:
Please read and follow all posted signs in the hospital regarding restrictions on the use of cell phones, wireless computers, and other wireless devices that transmit radio signals. Restrictions may exist in hospital areas such as operating rooms, transplant intensive care rooms, and radiology imaging rooms. Do not use cell phones or any wireless devices within six feet of medical equipment in patient care areas.
Condition Help was created to increase the safety of patients while in the hospital. It is a resource to call in an emergency or when a patient cannot get the attention of the health care team.
You can call Condition Help for a concern about a noticeable change in the patient’s medical condition that the health care team is not recognizing. You can also call Condition Help for concerns about a breakdown in how care is given or confusion over what care is needed. Either the patient or a family member may call.
Each hospital has a special Condition Help phone number to dial. Give the operator your name, the room number, the patient’s name, and the patient’s concern. The operator will immediately activate Condition Help. This alerts a team of medical professionals to come to the patient’s room to assess the situation.
Your nurse will work with you and your family to make your discharge as smooth as possible. Before you are discharged from the hospital, your nurses will review with you any special instructions for your at-home care or medicines.
Clinical social workers can help arrange for discharge to another facility, such as a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. They can help arrange for home nursing care or home health care equipment or supplies, if needed.
You should arrange for a family member or friend to take you home from the hospital. Your attending doctor will decide when you are ready to be discharged.
Most attending doctors make the final decision to discharge patients in the morning. If you disagree with your doctor’s decision and wish to appeal the decision, tell your nurse.
Discharge time is usually 11 a.m. or earlier. Check with your nurse for your discharge time.
To safeguard the health of all patients, our staff uses routine protective measures, such as wearing gloves and other protective clothing, for many aspects of your care. These precautions protect patients and health care staff against many types of infections that are carried in blood and other body fluids.
Many infections are not spread by casual contact. However, contact with an infected person’s body or body fluids can pose a risk if the blood or body fluid enters an opening in the skin, or comes in contact with the skin that lines the eyes, nose, or mouth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all health care workers take precautions when they come in contact with a patient’s blood or other body fluids. If you have any questions about infection precautions, please ask your nurse.
You are responsible for your personal belongings and valuables. Please leave all valuables — such as jewelry, large amounts of cash, and sentimental items — at home. If it is absolutely necessary to secure your belongings until someone can take them home for you, we strongly advise you to deposit them in the hospital's safe. To make arrangements, please speak with your nurse.
UPMC is a part of a national effort to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donations. To raise awareness, staff members ask patients who come to the hospital, or their designated family members, if the patient would be willing to serve as an organ or tissue donor.
Some people may have incorrect ideas about the donor program. As health care professionals, we can help answer your questions about organ and tissue donation so you can make an informed decision. Thousands of people are awaiting organ and tissue transplants.
You have the power to save lives and improve the quality of life of those in need of organ and tissue transplants by becoming a donor. If you have questions about becoming an organ or tissue donor, please ask your doctor.
You may also call the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) at 1-800-DONORS-7 (1-800-366-6777).
We recognize that pain control is essential to good health care. As a patient you can expect:
In turn, we expect that you will:
Palliative care services are offered for those who are dying, and their families. The service emphasizes relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; integration of physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of patient care; and development of a support system, both to help patients live as actively as possible until death and to help the family cope during the patient’s illness and in bereavement. To request palliative care services, speak with your nurse or doctor.
Pastoral Care arranges pastoral visits for patients who want spiritual support. To arrange for a visit from your pastor or the hospital chaplain, please ask your nurse. If you would like to speak with the hospital chaplain, you can call the hospital switchboard by dialing “0” on your hospital phone.
The goal of our staff is to provide you with the best medical care available in a concerned and compassionate way. Each employee plays a key role in this ongoing effort. We make every effort to resolve any problems you may encounter while in our care. You should talk with your nurse about any questions or concerns you may have.
However, if you encounter a problem that you feel has not been resolved by our staff, call 724-589-6240 from your bedside telephone. This will put you in touch with the patient advocate. The patient advocate reviews all messages and will be in touch with you promptly.
Concerns may be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care, Health and Welfare Building, P.O. Box 90, Harrisburg, PA, 17108-0090. The phone number is 1-800-254-5164.
UPMC Horizon is accredited by the Joint Commission. If the patient believes his or her concerns about care or safety have not been addressed by the hospital, the patient may contact The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring by phone at
1-800-994-6610, or by email at complaint@jointcomission.org.
We are here to help with your billing questions and concerns. Please call UPMC Patient Financial Services Center or UPMC Customer Service or visit our Paying My Bill site to learn more about the services we offer, such as payment plans, price estimates, and Financial Assistance.
At UPMC, service to our patients is our top priority. Please take a moment to review our system-wide Patient Rights and Responsibilities adopted to protect the interests and well-being of our patients.
Hospital patients will be assigned a status based on the level of care needed. For more information about your status, please read our Patient Status Frequently Asked Questions .
To protect our patients, visitors, and staff from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, smoking is not permitted anywhere on UPMC property. All UPMC hospitals, facilities, and grounds, including parking lots and garages, are smoke-free. UPMC has no designated smoking areas.
If you choose to smoke, you cannot do so on the UPMC campus.
UPMC hospitals are designed for easy access by patients and visitors with special needs and/or physical challenges. If you have any concerns, please talk with your nurse or the head nurse on the nursing unit. Special assistance is available if you have impaired hearing or if your first language is not English.
Telephones in all patient rooms are available for use at no charge. Phone service in patient rooms is available during the following hours:
If you have impaired hearing, amplified phone receivers and TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) are available. Please ask your nurse for assistance.
Television service is provided by the hospital at no charge. Any problems with your television or speakers should be reported to the nursing staff.
Please leave valuables such as jewelry, large amounts of cash, and sentimental items at home. You will need a small amount of cash for newspapers or other small items during your stay.
The hospital cannot be responsible for the safety of valuables or other personal items. To deposit valuables in a safe deposit box, please call Security.
Free wireless Internet –Wi-fi – is available at UPMC hospitals. Patients and visitors can access the Internet from laptops or other computer devices.
To access the wireless network, open “Network Connections” on the laptop and connect to Guest Internet Access (GIA).
Your health information, right at your fingertips. Select MyUPMC to access your UPMC health information. For patients of UPMC-affiliated doctors in Central Pa, select UPMC Central Pa Portal. Patients of UPMC Cole should select the UPMC Cole Connect Patient Portal.
The portal for all UPMC patients EXCEPT those in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC patients in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC Cole patients receiving inpatient care.
