Discharge Information
The Discharge Lounge
- Patients who are discharged and who are waiting for transportation will be escorted to the comfortable and convenient Discharge Lounge.
- Eliminating discharge delays allows the hospital to provide beds for patients waiting to be admitted.
- The Lounge is conveniently located on the first floor near the hospital’s main entrance and gift shop.
- The Lounge provides discharged patients with comfortable chairs, a television, reading materials and light snacks or meals.
- If your physician has given you a prescription, the staff would be happy to fax that prescription to your pharmacy of choice. Also the staff can arrange a follow-up appointment with your physician’s office while you wait.
- For additional convenience when family members or friends arrive, they can use valet parking at the main hospital entrance, or wait in the circular driveway after calling into the Discharge Lounge or information desk at extension 8508 and your family member will be escorted to the lobby.
- The Discharge Lounge is open weekdays. For more information about the lounge, call extension 4646.
- Discharge time is 11:00 a.m.
On your discharge day, please plan to have a relative or a friend pick you up by 11:00 a.m. If you need assistance with arrangements for returning home, please ask your nurse to contact the hospital Case Management Department at extension 8702.
Transportation
If it is medically necessary for you to travel by ambulance your nurse can submit an ambulance request. Medicare and Medicaid will cover an ambulance transport that is medically necessary. A form must be completed by your health care professional.
If you have private insurance, your social worker or outcomes manager will contact your insurance company for authorization for transport. If you do not have coverage, payment arrangements are required at time of transport. You can check with your community’s rescue squad. Community rescue squads are usually staffed by volunteers and may not be available until after 6 p.m. Moreover, 24 hour notice is usually required. Medicaid will cover invalid coach services if wheelchair transport is medically indicated.
For a taxi, you may contact extension 8899 for assistance.
Home Care
The Home Care Department at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital offers a variety of skilled services to those patients who might require additional care after they are discharged. These services, directed by the primary care physician, could include skilled nursing care, physical, speech and occupational therapy visits, social work services and home health aide services. Home Care visits are provided on a periodic basis with the goal to help patients and families become independent in their care.
The Department is licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to provide services in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties and accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The Department accepts Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross, and some private insurance. The Department also offers a sliding scale fee.
The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Home Care Department can be reached at (732) 828-8884 or toll free at 1 (888) 997-9584. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. A nurse is on call through the answering service when the office is closed. You may also speak with your outcomes manager or social worker about your home care needs.
Click here for more information on the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Home Care Department.
Case Management
Outcomes managers are nurse case managers who facilitate your care while in the hospital. They arrange for home care services and durable medical equipment upon discharge if prescribed by the physician and will coordinate with your insurance company to insure needed services are covered.
Social workers are available to address problems you may have adjusting to your illness or disability. They arrange for referrals to rehabilitation hospitals, sub-acute rehabilitation units, nursing facilities, psychiatric facilities and substance abuse treatment programs. They coordinate with your insurance company to insure needed services are covered. Social workers are available to assist with adoption, child welfare, domestic violence, elder abuse, and sexual abuse. Confidentiality is maintained. Social workers and outcomes managers can provide you with information about services available in your community. You may contact an outcomes manager or a social worker through your physician or nurse, or by calling the department directly at (732) 937-8702.
Lists of home care agencies and nursing facilities in your area are available as required under the Medicare Conditions of Participation.
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