Patient Services

Our Patient Services officers work as advocates for you and your family to ensure that your experience at the hospital is pleasant and comfortable. Patient Services officers can help answer specific questions, provide information, facilitate problem solving, and coordinate communication between you, your family, and the appropriate hospital staff. Our Patient Services officers are on duty from 8:30 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday and from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm on Weekends.

Concierge services

Booking transportation and accommodation

For families that reside outside of Beijing, our Patient Services Department can assist you and your family members in finding accommodations near our facilities as well as transportation to our locations. Contact our Patient Services Department for help with reserving and purchasing international or local air tickets or train tickets. We can also help with local transportation should you wish take a taxi. We can also provide you with information regarding short-term and mid-term lodging. We have arrangements with nearby hotels where you can rent a room or an apartment at a reasonable rate.

ATM

An ATM is conveniently located at the lobby of BJU 1, BJU 2 and BJU 3 so that our patients can withdraw cash in local currency.

Hospital coffee shop

Light meals and snacks are available in the coffee shop located at the lobby of BJU 1, BJU 2 and BJU 3 next to the main reception area. Hot entrees, sandwiches, fresh-baked muffins and cookies are available daily. The coffee shop is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday.

Items for sale

For patients, family members, and visitors, we have a selection of goods and gifts available for sale on the first floor of the main building next to the pharmacy, in the lobby of Building 3 and on Dermatology Center items such as baby essentials, maternity goods, medical products, and beauty care products are available.

Multilingual support

Our hospital staffs are fluent in a number of languages, including English, Arabic, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi, Spanish, Russian, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Laotian, Polish, Portuguese, Thai, Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Sichuanese, and Cantonese. If our staff doesn’t speak your language, we are pleased to offer, free of charge, a telephone translation service that operates in over 40 languages, 24 hours a day. Please ask the nurses for assistance.

Patient rights and responsibilities

Every patient has rights and responsibilities. These rights apply to all of our patients without regard to gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, social, cultural, educational, or religious background. Every clinic or nursing unit can provide you with a copy of the Patient Bill of Rights and Patient’s Responsibilities. Inpatients will find a copy of each of these documents in the Patient Services Manual.

Request for a copy of your medical records

Obtaining a copy of your medical records is easy. To start your request, simply download, print, complete, and sign the Informed Consent for Release of Information request form. Then send email to mr@ufh.com.cn, fax the request form to us (5927 7210) or bring it to the hospital. Please be sure to sign the form. Unsigned requests cannot be processed. Your request will be processed and completed within ten working days. We will email, fax or mail a copy of your records to you. You may also pick up a copy of your records from Beijing United Family Hospital between 8:30 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Coming to the hospital can be an unsettling experience. You have to adapt to new surroundings and routines at a time when you are not feeling your best. We go to great lengths to make sure you are as comfortable as possible during your stay. To this end, we provide you with all the conveniences you would expect, including fresh linens, nightwear, robes, disposable slippers, bath and hand towels, and toiletries. If you are taking any medications or if you regularly use any auxiliary devices and equipment, please bring these with you and hand them to the nurse in charge to ensure the continuity of your medical care. For security reasons, we ask that you do not bring large amounts of money or valuables into the hospital.

Services to make you feel more comfortable

The hospital offers a number of entertainment options to help patients feel more relaxed. These include:

• Daily newspapers
• A selection of DVDs
• Books
• CDs

Amenities such as toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, slippers, housecoats, and towels are provided upon admission to your suite. Should you require additional amenities, please contact the nurse or the Patient Services Department. We also have an open visiting policy. This means that you can receive visitors whenever you like as long as it does not interfere with your treatment or recovery. We can also help you send your clothes out for washing. Please contact your nurse for assistance. Please note that this is a self-pay service, and you will be charged when you are discharged from the hospital.

Valuables and belongings

If you are carrying any valuable items when you are admitted, please arrange for them to be taken home, or hand them to the nurse for safekeeping. The hospital is not responsible for the security of money or valuables left in your room. We do provide safe boxes for you to keep your valuables in while you are at the hospital. Please contact your nurse if you need a safe box.

Preparing for surgery

If you are coming to the hospital for surgery, you must not eat or drink anything during the 4 to 6 hours prior to your surgery or to receiving a general anesthetic. If you are to be admitted on the day of the surgery and have not yet been given specific instructions about your diet, please ask your nurse for advice. On the day of the surgery, please do not wear any make-up, nail polish, or jewelry. (Wedding rings, however, are permitted.) After the surgery, we will advise you on the length of your recovery and on what you can do to aid the healing process. It is important that you do not drive on the same day you receive an anesthetic. If you plan to leave the hospital the same day your surgery is scheduled, please arrange for someone to collect you. If you are receiving a general anesthetic, you will not be fit to drive yourself. It is also important that you do not start driving until you have had a full night’s rest. Whoever collects you should stay with you for 24 hours after you have received the anesthetic. We would be happy to show you around our hospital before your stay. This tour can help familiarize you with where you will be staying. To arrange a visit, please contact our Patient Services Department. We will arrange for a member of our staff to show you around.

Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) provides free parking spaces for patients. Currently, there are three patient parking lots at our hospital’s main campus. These are located in front of Building 1, in front of Building 2, and to the east of Building 2 (up to the entrance of Building 1). For your convenience, we provide patients with professional valet parking services during peak hours.

Please kindly note:

• The aforementioned parking lots are reserved exclusively for BJU patients only for the duration of their visits at BJU.
• Please take good care of your vehicle and property. Please report any loss, damage, or theft by calling the police immediately at 110.
• Please follow the instructions of the security guard when parking. Do not park your vehicle in the way of emergency vehicles or in a position that obstructs the entry or exit of other vehicles, except in special circumstances and under the specific guidance of the security guard. In such special circumstances, please ensure that you leave your contact number with the security guard so that it is possible to reach you to move the vehicle if needed.
• Due to limited space, all parking spaces might be fully occupied during peak hours. To avoid unnecessary disputes, please follow the instructions of the security guard.

In view of the limited number of parking spaces, during peak hours, if possible, please arrive at the hospital 20 minutes before your appointment. Building 3 is located inside the Care Bay Maternity Care Center, and there is no parking lot available for BJU patients on that site. We therefore provide BJU patients with professional valet parking services during the working hours of the clinics in Building 3. During peak hours, we also provide valet parking services for patients in Building 1 and Building 2. The procedure is as follows:

• Please let the security guard know if you need valet parking services. Our security team will contact a professional valet driver.
• The valet driver will fill out an information ticket before taking over your vehicle. The owner’s stub of that ticket will be handed to you. We will check the condition of the vehicle at that time and the entire parking process will be recorded.
• After your appointment, to take your car back, please give your stub to the security guard. The valet driver will confirm the information and bring your car back. Kindly note that this process will take longer during peak hours.
• If there is any damage to your vehicle, or if you lose any of your personal belongings, please let us know right away. Our security captain and customer service representatives will provide immediate assistance.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

If practitioners within a health organization are thought of as the cast of a play, Patient Services would be the crew, tirelessly working behind the scenes to make sure patients take center stage and feel cared for by providing important little extras; and smoothing over any hiccups in the day-to-day operations. We, the members of the Patient Services team, act as advocates for every one of our patients to make certain they receive the outstanding care they deserve.

Hospital operations are a complex undertaking. Equipment must be maintained, quality healthcare must be delivered, facilities must meet patients’ expectations and international standards must be upheld. Yet even with numerous departments covering the major facets of healthcare delivery, the main goal of a hospital – to serve patients – still needs a champion. Our team ensures that healthcare has as much to do with care as it does with health. The patient services department serves as a bridge between the patient and the healthcare organization; our mission is to assess patients needs and expectations, to act as patient advocates with care, empathy, dignity and respect; and to enhance the quality of service in a culturally-sensitive manner, encouraging collaboration between departments and stimulating a positive environment.  In a word, in direct contact with patients, patient services officers supplement the excellent clinical care provided by doctors, nurses and pharmacists, with a vast array of non-clinical care elements.

To achieve the goal of providing comfort for the patient, patient services officers start by putting themselves in the patient’s shoes to better anticipate needs or quickly address them as they arise. One of the main functions of the department is to provide language support, whether for appointments or emergency visits.    A patient services officer is always available – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – to provide assistance to patients through every step of their hospital or clinic visit. Language support also plays an important role in outreach to different communities in their native languages. While the language of our hospital is English, and many of our international patients do speak English we recognize that – especially when unwell – many will like the comfort of communicating in their native tongue.  That is why our on-site officers speak not only English and Chinese, but between them speak over ten languages. If we do not have a team member who can speak the patient’s desired language at hand, we call on a telephone interpretation service.

In response to United Family Healthcare’s ever-growing patient diversity, patient services provide an additional facet of quality care: cultural sensitivity. Without compromising the quality of healthcare, we seek to address the cultural needs of each patient by employing team members who not only represent a variety of nations, but also have a deep understanding and appreciation for all cultural backgrounds. Gestures that most people would not think twice about – a bow instead of a handshake, or helping patients to keep a headscarf during an x-ray – are essential pieces our behavioral repertoire. Even when the patient does not share a nationality with one of our staff, good training and the team’s strong commitment to service ensures that every patient still feels that they are receiving quality personalized care.  We also make sure that patients admitted to the hospital receives flowers, and information about their rights, their condition, and all available services.  Each patient is given the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of our care and their overall impression of the hospital.

As patient needs extend beyond language and cultural considerations, so does the scope of the patient services charter. Social care and services to inpatients are among services which make the greatest difference for the wellbeing those in our care.  As such they are among the most rewarding services we render, and closest to our hearts.  This service can include tasks as varied as picking up relatives of an unexpectedly hospitalized foreign patient from the airport, to phone calls to a patient’s family overseas to provide emotional support.   If needed we even accompany such a patient’s family outside the hospital to find items like a special food or clothes. As we work with patients visiting China from all over the world, we often support with visa extensions and emergency visa letters for family members. This is a vital service for our patients who are unfamiliar with China’s visa rules and regulations.  As we all as contacting family members outside of China, we also assist by advocating for patients by contacting their respective embassies, tour guides, colleagues, or insurance company. For our patients who live in China, we are in contact with many schools, organizations and resources that can be helpful to our patients and give them a sense of community within the hospital setting. Helping patients navigate our healthcare system is certainly a big part of what we do, but we provide more than directional guidance. Patient requests for help run the gamut of life activities that the path to wellness either makes necessary, or puts on hold. For every opportunity to assist – including laundry, shopping, helping visiting family members, or simply finding innovative ways to make patients smile – we are ready and willing to lend a hand. We also work with the palliative care team and give emotional support and guidance to patients and families who are dealing with end of life issues.

In many cases, healthcare needs extend beyond physical concerns. Patient services team members are trained to provide emotional support to patients and their loved ones. No matter how a patient responds to the care they are receiving, beyond medical management, we are always the first on the scene to offer assistance.

Importantly, in addition to meeting the needs and expectations of patients, patient services plays a central role in assisting other hospital departments to do the same. This includes our officers consulting with all departments regarding relevant patient feedback. These consultations may include passing along patient comments to clinicians, billing issues to finance, or suggestions to facilities. The department also works closely with kitchen staff to ensure hospital menus meet patient dietary requirements such as vegetarian, kosher, halal or gluten-free meal choices, to name a few. Internally, our team organizes campaigns for employees that reward growth in cultural awareness.  An example is the celebration of many of our patients’ national holidays with fun activities for the whole family in our BJU hospital.

In essence, patient services creates the magic behind a seamless healthcare experience. As advocates, we make patients our first priority in everything we do – and we take pride in providing excellent service. When you walk through the doors of a UFH facility, you can count on receiving practical expressions of our values: innovation, caring, empathy, accountability, respect, inclusion and excellence. These are not simply words on our mission statement; these are core elements of a service model which each of us has made a commitment to embrace. No matter what situation we face, you will not see a patient services officer “lose form”. We have fixed our sights on service excellence, and patients can rely on us to deliver the quality we promise.

We engage in all of this without any expectation of recognition.  Patients often send encouraging notes of appreciation and feedback, some of which we gratefully share on our website, not unlike the tiny credits which might appear after the final curtain in theater.