Your Patient Care Team

Each unit is the responsibility of a designated clinical director and nurse manager. A patient care team is assigned to care for all your needs.

Access Coordinators

Access Coordinators verify insurance benefits. They also register you as a patient and advise you concerning financial arrangements. They are responsible for collecting the patient's portion, such as co-payments and deductibles at the time of admission or registration

Assistant Nurse Managers

Assistant Nurse Managers (R.N.s) on each shift have operational responsibility for the nursing unit in addition to giving direct patient care.

Case Managers

Case Managers are the link between medical services and financial reimbursement. The case manager will arrange post-hospital services as necessary following payor guidelines and requirements.

Catering Associates

Catering Associates are your personal contact for menus, meals and snacks.

Hospitalists

Hospitalists are private practice physician members of our medical staff who specialize in management of acute medical problems for patients who are admitted to the hospital as inpatients. Hospitalists may care for you during your hospitalization instead of your primary care physician. This helps your primary care physician because the hospitalist is in the hospital to answer your questions and assist you with the recovery process by following up on tests and adjusting your treatment plan throughout the day. Upon discharge, the hospitalist will discuss your hospitalization with your primary care physician, who will follow up with you in his/her office. If you have any concerns regarding a member of the medical staff, please notify the charge nurse on your unit.

Housekeeping Aides

Housekeeping Aides take care of your environmental needs such as room cleanliness and linens.

Intensivists

Intensivists are private practice physician members of our medical staff who specialize in the management or co-management of patients admitted to critical care units in the hospital. An Intensivist helps your admitting physician manage your medical problems while you are in the Critical Care Unit. The program includes interdisciplinary working rounds with the team setting daily goals for your care. Upon your transfer out of the Critical Care Unit, your attending physician will continue to care for you on the regular nursing unit. The Intensivist may continue to consult on your case if requested by your attending physician.

Licensed Practical Nurses

Licensed Practical Nurses (L.P.N.s) deliver patient care within the scope of their licensure. Your L.P.N. is cross trained to administer medications and intravenous fluids, obtain blood samples, perform EKGs and provide direct patient care.

Other Professionals

Other professionals on the team are recognized by their proper professional titles, such as Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Speech Therapist, Audiologist, Social Worker and Pharmacist. These licensed health care professionals work with other disciplines to deliver treatment/therapies.

Patient Care Assistants

Patient Care Assistants prepare your room for arrival and orient you to your room; change linens in your room daily; deliver direct patient care including measuring vital signs, weight and intake/output; assist with your daily living needs and perform basic patient care procedures such as preps and dressing changes. Patient care assistants with advanced training also perform EKGs and obtain blood samples.

Registered Nurses

A Registered Nurse (R.N.) assesses your needs, analyzes data, develops your individualized nursing plan of care in coordination with you and your family, your physician and other team members, provides complex nursing care and evaluates how you respond to care.

Social Workers

Social workers assess the patient and the patient's support system to determine the care that will be needed at discharge. This is matched with the willingness and ability to care for the hospitalized patient at the time of discharge. Social workers also assist patients and family members with seeking charity and financial assistance, legal guardianship, adoptions, and psychiatric and drug rehabilitation referrals.

Unit Clerks

Unit Clerks take care of dismissals and the clerical needs of the unit, order all supplies and manage patient calls.

Medical Records

Your medical record begins when you first receive services from the hospital. After dismissal, your medical record goes to Health Information Services where it is scanned into an electronic database and confidentially maintained. Once online, it is immediately available for continuing care, posting of final lab, pathology and other pending reports, physician dictation and completion. Except as permitted by law, information contained in your medical record will be released only upon presentation of a release signed and dated by you or by a person legally authorized to act on your behalf. When your record is complete, you may request a copy (fees apply) or schedule an appointment to review your record. Fees for copying are consistent with state and federal guidelines. Requests for copies of a completed record or portions thereof will be processed within three working days of the request. Requests for copies or an appointment to view your record should be directed to Piedmont Augusta, Health Information Services (Correspondence Section), 1350 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30901-2612.