Admission Information

Piedmont Augustal
1350 Walton Way
Augusta, GA 30901
706.722.9011

Access services working with a patientLearn More About ...

Welcome to Piedmont Augusta

We are pleased that you and your physician have placed your trust in us to provide your medical care. Our team of healthcare professionals is committed to doing their best to make your visit as pleasant as possible.

Pre-admission Testing
Up to two weeks before your actual procedure, your physician may arrange for you to have tests completed in preparation for your surgery or procedure. You may call for an appointment at 706-774-5777. When you arrive, please be prepared to present a current insurance card and picture ID. At this time, you will also be asked to pay your portion (deductible, co-insurance) toward the services.

For Main OR, Women's Center and Day Surgery Services, you will go to the Outpatient Center on the second floor. Parking is provided in front of the Outpatient Center.

Important Documents to Bring
Please bring the following documents or information, as it applies to you:

  • Insurance cards
  • Social Security numbers for patient and spouse, and, if a pediatric admission, for parent and patient
  • Retirement dates for patient and spouse (Medicare patients)
  • Birth dates for parents (for pediatric admissions)
  • If you are being admitted, Living Will and/or Medical Power of Attorney if you have completed these forms. If not, call Piedmont Augusta's Pastoral Care department at 706-774-5811 to request either or both of these forms.
    Please note: Due to the nature of these materials, we suggest that you take time to read and make decisions about them in the quiet of your home, before coming to the hospital. Georgia laws relating to the witnessing of these documents make it difficult to sign them after admission to the hospital. If you need more detailed information, please call Piedmont Augusta's Pastoral Care department at 706-774-5811.

Parking
Parking is complimentary in the decks and lots adjacent to Piedmont Augusta. A valid handicapped permit must be displayed in vehicles using handicapped spaces.

Where to Report
On the day you are to enter the hospital, please go directly to one of the following areas unless instructed otherwise by your physician or pre-admission advisor. 

  • If you are being admitted to the hospital, please come to the main entrance and go to the Access Services on the first floor, just off the main lobby.
  • If you are having surgery in the main hospital and entering the day of surgery, please go the Surgery Care Center on the second floor of the main hospital. Note: If you did not have pre-admission testing before your surgery, please go to Access Services on the first floor of the main hospital.
  • If you are having a procedure in Day Surgery, please go directly to the Day Surgery Center adjacent to Piedmont Augusta Medical Building 2.
  • If you are having surgery in the main hospital and entering the day before surgery, please come to the main entrance and go to Access Services, just off the main lobby on the first floor.
  • If you are having a baby, come to the main entrance. Enter through the doors to the W.G. Watson, M.D., Women's Center and take the dedicated elevator directly to the third floor. Stop at the information desk if you need assistance. You may also access the Labor and Delivery area through the Emergency Department entrance.
  • If you are having a heart or vascular procedure, please go to the registration area on the first floor of the Piedmont Heart at Augusta. 
  • If you are having a procedure in the Endoscopy Suite, please go to Access Services.

If you need additional directions once you get to Piedmont Augusta, please stop at the Information Desk, where assistance is available 24 hours a day.

  • Personal Items: Please label your luggage with an identification tag that includes your name, address and phone number. We suggest you pack your personal toiletry items, a nightgown or pajamas, slippers, reading glasses, hearing aids, a book and magazines, and if you are having a baby, an outfit for your baby to wear home.
  • Valuables: Please understand that the hospital is not responsible for the loss of personal items during your stay. Please leave all valuables at home. If that is not possible, ask your nurse to secure your valuables in the hospital safe. You will be given a receipt to reclaim them upon discharge.
  • Room Accommodations: Your room assignment at Piedmont Augusta is based on your admitting diagnosis, medical condition and bed availability on the day of your admission. Charges will reflect the actual room usage regardless of your stated request. We try to honor each patient's preference for a semi-private or private room, but other arrangements may be necessary due to occupancy, physician's orders or the nature of your condition.
  • Calling Your Nurse: To call your nurse, press the nurse call button located in the bed control panel. Do not hesitate to call your nurse anytime you have a concern about your care or condition. A staff member will respond to your signal as soon as possible. Please stay in bed after you receive pain medication, pre-procedure medication or you have been prepared for the night. Strange surroundings and sleeping medications may create a hazard if you get out of bed. For assistance during the night, please use your call button, and the nursing staff will be happy to assist you. If your physician has indicated that you are to be up only with assistance, please call the nursing station and wait for the help your physician has determined you need.
  • Lost and Found: Lost and found items are turned in to Security. To inquire about a lost item, please dial 706-774-2295. We make every effort to notify patients of personal articles left at the hospital.
  • Newspapers and Magazines: The Augusta Chronicle and other local and regional newspapers are located in racks just outside the Food Court entrance on the first floor and in the vending area of Piedmont Heart at Augusta. Magazines may be purchased in the Sunshine Gift Shop in the main lobby.
  • Click here for a list of important telephone numbers.

 

MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS DURING ADVANCED ILLNESS / Living Wills / Advanced Directives

When recovery from an illness is not expected, patients and families need to consider a multitude of issues, even in the midst of sorrow. Others, seeking to decide what should be done for them when certain catastrophic circumstances arise, often do not know where to turn for information and planning. These issues include living wills and other advanced directives for care.

Both Georgia and South Carolina have laws regarding the establishment of advanced directives in the event a patient becomes incapacitated due to illness.

Advance Directive Forms

Georgia

South Carolina

Piedmont Augusta also is proud to offer a link to the "Completing a Life" website created at Michigan State University. This site can help patients and families learn about the practical, emotional, spiritual and medical issues faced by those dealing with advanced illness. With more than 100 topic pages, it invites patients to take charge, find comfort and reach closure through such areas as getting good pain relief and other supportive care talking with health professionals, family communication, writing advance directives and finding answers to spiritual questions. The site offers specific pages for family members and a chance to read personal stories of others who have addressed the end-of-life journey.

Click here to access this resource.

Credits
Created at Michigan State University by the Communication Technology Laboratory and the Palliative Care Education & Research Program

Supported by Michigan State University Cancer Center and Office of Libraries, Computing and Technology, the Henry Ford Health System, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Michigan Department of Community Health

The RightPatient® Identification System

We take very seriously our responsibility of ensuring we have the most complete and accurate information possible when you register with us for your care. Having complete and up-to-date information helps ensure you will receive safe, high-quality care, and allows us to fulfill Piedmont Augusta's mission of improving the health of those we serve.

Processes to Ensure Proper Identification

With the high volume of patients treated at leading health systems like Piedmont Augusta, it is highly likely that we have patients who share the same name and possibly other identifiable information. For that reason, we have introduced the RightPatient® Identification solution to ensure your unique health information is accurate.

Why is this Necessary?

The path to safe, high-quality care begins with successfully verifying your identity with 100 percent certainty through a fail-safe system. This program will ensure you do not receive a misdiagnosis or improper care because of inaccuracies in your health record. Being able to verify your identity also greatly diminishes your chance of being a victim of identity theft or fraud by someone other than you being associated with your unique information.

How Does it Work?

When you register at Piedmont Augusta, your Access Services representative will take your picture with the RightPatient® Security camera. The first time your information and picture is collected by RightPatient®, it will extract and store unique identification data. It does not store your actual photograph. Each time you return for care, your photo will seamlessly be taken again as part of your registration and matched to your unique medical record to confirm your identity and health information.

Additional Features to Protect Health Information

Access Services has also begun to implement an electronic signature process on patient forms throughout the organization. Patients will use electronic signature pads to sign consent forms, which will feed directly into your electronic health record. Eliminating printing, scanning, passing and storing paper copies of your records greatly reduces the chance that your information will be confused with that of another patient. This process also adds another layer of protection for your private health information.

We take very seriously our responsibility of ensuring we have the most complete and accurate information possible when you register with us for your care. Having complete and up-to-date information helps ensure you will receive safe, high-quality care, and allows us to fulfill Piedmont Augusta's mission of improving the health of those we serve.

THE RIGHTPATIENT® IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

  • Increases patient safety
  • Prevents duplicate medical records
  • Eliminates medical identity theft at registration
  • Removes language barriers
  • Streamlines the patient identification process