Admissions
At MultiCare Yakima Memorial, we are committed to providing you with the very best in health care, as well as making your visit as comfortable as possible.
The Patient Access Services department is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Admission takes place in the general Patient Access Services area, the outpatient area, the Emergency Department or at the patient’s bedside.
Patients shall be admitted upon referral and placed under the care of a physician who shall be a member of the medical staff or who has temporary privileges according to the medical staff bylaws. Patients admitted to the hospital will go through the admission process coordinated by Clinical Resource Management.
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital will not deny admission to any patient due to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, financial class, marital status, disability, veteran status, age, or national origin. To share concerns or compliments, please contact any staff member or contact the Patient Experience team by email or call 509-469-5411.
Outpatient or observation status
If you have been placed into an outpatient status for observation, you are still considered an “outpatient” even though you will be in a bed on a nursing unit. Nurses and your physician will be evaluating your symptoms. Within 24 hours, your physician should make a decision to either admit you for inpatient treatment or discharge you for continued outpatient follow-up care. Care Coordination staff will keep in close contact with your physician regarding changes in your outpatient status.
Your outpatient observation stay does not count toward the three-day inpatient stay requirement for admission to a skilled care facility under Medicare. It is important for you to understand that as an outpatient, you may be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-payment, deductibles and certain medications, in accordance with your specific insurance plan. If you have questions about your insurance coverage, please contact your insurance carrier directly.
During your outpatient observation stay, Medicare will not pay for medications that Medicare determines you are able to take by yourself without nursing assistance. These are called self-administered medications.* You will be charged separately for these medications. If you have questions regarding which medications Medicare will NOT pay for during your outpatient observation stay, please contact Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
*Self-administered medication is any medication that a person takes on a daily, weekly or monthly basis at home regardless of the method used to take the medication. Some example include insulin, cholesterol, high blood pressure and ulcer medications.
The SOS team
In keeping with our philosophy of patient-and family-centered care, MultiCare Yakima Memorial has designed a system for patients, patient surrogates and family members to call for emergent SOS assistance whenever the patient’s condition is perceived to be declining or is worrisome.
The SOS response team is a made up of specially trained clinical staff. These individuals respond to the patient’s bedside immediately to evaluate the patient’s condition and take any necessary actions to keep the patient safe and help prevent a respiratory or cardiac arrest.
Reasons to call the SOS Team
- Increasing or sudden difficulty breathing
- Unexplained sudden onset confusion
- Unexplained sleepiness or inability to awaken patient
- Uncontrolled pain
- A “gut feeling” that something is not right, or the patient’s condition is worsening
**Always contact the nurse first.
How to call the SOS Team
- Using the hospital bedside telephone, Dial “0”
- Tell the operator: “I need an SOS Team to my room”
- The operator is able to tell which room you are calling from
Patient meal service & cafeteria
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital offers patients a menu that features freshly prepared, seasonally inspired local favorites.