For Our Patients

Welcome to WakeMed.  Please know that we are committed to providing you with the finest quality medical care.  Our pledge to you includes offering some of the most advanced medical care in the Southeast and providing a dedicated staff of more than 5,600 registered nurses, technologists and support staff.  Over 1,000 physicians, including many who are on the teaching faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, round out our team of medical caregivers.

In addition to serving your health care needs, we want to make your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible.  We hope you will find this information about WakeMed helpful.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for choosing WakeMed.  We look forward to serving your health care needs.

Parking

Raleigh campus: Parking for patients is in the P3 (Orange) Parking Deck near Patient Registration and the Medical Office Building next to the hospital.  Enter the hospital at the Patient Registration entrance.  There is no charge for patient parking.

WakeMed Cary Hospital: Parking for patients is in the parking lots in front of the hospital’s main entrance.  There is no charge for parking.

Your Room

Your room assignment at WakeMed is based on your diagnosis and bed availability on the day you are admitted. 

Raleigh campus: Patients are assigned to a private room (single bed) or semi-private room (two beds) based on need and availability.  Insurance usually does not cover the full cost of a private room.

WakeMed Cary Hospital: All patients rooms are private.

At WakeMed, you will have a hospital bed that is electronically operated; your nurse will show you how it works. Should you need your nurse, a call button is located at your bedside. When you press the button, the nursing station is alerted that you need help. A staff member will respond as soon as possible.

We provide patients with in-room television at no charge. We also have a library of educational videos patients may access through their television, as well as the Triangle (Radio) Reading Services (TRS). TRS provides local news and information for the blind, print-impaired and elderly in the greater Triangle area.

WakeMed is not responsible for misplaced or stolen pieces of personal property.  To prevent such losses, we strongly recommend that you send any valuables home with a family member or friend.  Another option is to check your valuables with our Public Safety staff, which will provide you with a detailed receipt.  Your property will be placed in a safe until you leave the hospital.

As an organization committed to the betterment of your health, WakeMed is a smoke-free facility.  Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the hospital.  Smoking areas outside the main entrances are designated for those who wish to smoke.

Telephones

In-house telephone numbers are just four digits. For outside local calls, simply dial 9 + the local number.  There is no charge for local calls. 

When making a long distance call on the Raleigh campus, dial 9 + 0 + area code + number.  At WakeMed Cary Hospital, dial 67 to access an outside long distance line.  At both locations, an operator will come on the line before your call is completed.  Please tell the operator whether you are making a collect call, or whether you would like the call to be billed to your home or to a credit card.  Long distance calls cannot be billed to your room. Telecommunication devices (TDDs) are available for our hearing-impaired patients.

Menu Selection

The Food & Nutrition Services department prepares all meals.  Our goal is to provide nutritionally adequate and attractive meals within the diet prescribed by your doctor.  If you are at one of our facilities for an extended stay, a dietician may visit you to discuss your nutritional needs and address any questions or comments you may have.

Other conveniences

• Hospital volunteers deliver flowers to patients daily.  Because of the need to maintain a sterile environment, we cannot allow flowers on the Critical Care Units.
• Letters and packages for patients are delivered Monday through Friday by volunteers.  Letters and parcels that arrive after you leave are forwarded to your home.  You can buy stamps and stationary in the gift shop, and you can leave outgoing mail at the nurses’ station or give it to a volunteer.  A mailbox is located just outside the Visitor Entrance Lobby.
• Notary service is available.  If necessary, weekend and evening appointments may be scheduled in advance.
• If a patient needs a language interpreter, please ask your nurse to request one.

Your Health Care Team

Several professionals will be involved in your health care during your stay at WakeMed.  The following are just some of the people with whom you may come in contact.

Medical Staff – The doctor who admits you is responsible for your care while you are here.  As coordinator for your treatment, this person should be consulted if you have questions about your medical condition.

Nursing Staff – A team of professional registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse assistants, provides nursing care 24 hours a day.  A nurse manager is responsible for directing and coordinating nursing care on each unit.

Imaging Services (Radiology) – If you are scheduled for a radiology procedure (an X-ray, MRI or CT scan, for example), Radiology staff members will escort you through the process.  Following your test, a specially trained doctor, called a radiologist, will read the X-rays and discuss the findings with your physician.  Your doctor will then talk with you about the results of the test.

Case Management – WakeMed’s case management services are provided by teams of care coordinators (registered nurses) and social workers.  Their goal is to make sure quality care is provided, both during your hospital stay and after discharge.

Spiritual Care – WakeMed’s department of Spiritual Care provides spiritual guidance and support for you and your family or friends during your hospital stay, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Patient Financial Services – Patient Financial Services can answer questions about your hospital bill and help interpret financial policies and billing procedures at WakeMed.

Environmental Services – A member of the Environmental Services department cleans your room daily.

Volunteer Services – Many local residents volunteer each day at WakeMed.  They perform valuable services, such as providing clerical support, delivering patient mail, staffing the Critical Care Family Waiting Room and delivering flowers to patients.

Ethics Committee – There may be a time when you have to make a difficult health care decision for yourself or a loved one.  The Ethics Committee is here to help you.  The group includes doctors, nurses, a hospital chaplain, and representatives from medical social work, administration and the community.  They are trained and prepared to listen to your case objectively, helping you make the best decision possible.

Other Personnel – During your stay, many other health care professionals may visit you.  In addition, the WakeMed family includes many behind-the-scenes workers, like engineers, secretaries and food service workers who contribute greatly toward your well being while you are here.

Compliments & Concerns

WakeMed encourages the involvement of patients and their authorized representatives in all aspects of their health care experience.  In fact, feedback about how we are doing is very important to the staff at WakeMed.  It not only helps with our ongoing quality improvement initiatives, it helps us to recognize those who have provided outstanding quality of care and service.  Please feel free to share your compliments and concerns with the staff delivering your care, the department manager, or WakeMed’s Chief Operating Officer at 350-8104.  If you have a concern regarding the quality of your care or about patient safety, and our management staff has been unable to help you resolve that concern, you may contact the Joint Commission's Office of Quality Monitoring by calling 1-800-994-6610 or by e-mailing complaint@jcaho.org.

For an explanation of your rights and responsibilities as a patient at WakeMed, click here.

For an explanation of WakeMed’s Patient Financial Policy, click here.

To learn more about WakeMed’s practices and procedures regarding patient safety, click here.