Helping you make wise healthcare decisions
Having to make difficult decisions
regarding your medical care can be challenging. At Novant Health
Forsyth Medical Center, we respect your wishes – including your right
to refuse medical and surgical treatment. It is also our policy to
help you determine and express your preferences about treatment if
the time comes when you are unable to make those decisions. You have a
choice when it comes to healthcare and we are here to honor those
choices.
For
additional information on our medical care decision services, please
call
Treatment decisions
During admission, you will be asked to
sign a conditions of admission form to grant our care team permission
to treat and release medical information to
your insurance company concerning your treatment.
If the time comes when you are unable
to make decisions about the kind of care you want, we encourage you
to make your wishes known to your doctor and family before you are
admitted to the hospital. A state law protects this right.
Upon each hospital admission, we are
required to ask a patient about his or her advance directives, or living will, and healthcare power of attorney. During admission, we
will make copies of these documents for your medical record, if you
already have them. If you do not and wish to complete an advance
directive, the nursing unit on your floor will supply you with an
educational booklet and advanced directive forms at your request.
We will follow the instructions
expressed by your advanced directive to the extent required by law.
If you are unable to make, or make known, medical decisions and do not
have an advanced directive, we will obtain consent from your spouse,
parents, guardian, nearest relative or other person authorized to
speak to you.
Ethics committee
The ethics committee at Forsyth Medical Center is made up of
physicians, nurses, the hospital chaplain, and representatives from
medical social work, administration and the general public. This
group of professionals is here to help you and your family make
difficult decisions about life-sustaining treatment.
Our ethics committee will listen to
your case objectively and bring collective wisdom to it. They can
help gather all the facts you need to make a decision, and they can
offer feedback and suggestions at your request. Our goal is to help
everyone involved make the best decision possible. All conversations
are held in the strictest confidence.
Organ and tissue donation
There is great
need for organ and tissue donors. By becoming a donor, you can save a
life.
Sadly, an
average of 17 people die each day due to a lack of available donated
organs. Every organ and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives
of up to 50 people. By becoming a donor, you have the power to change
someone's life for the better.
People of all
ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential
donors. It is possible to donate life to others as a healthy, living
kidney donor or a partial liver, lung or pancreas donor. For other
donations, your medical condition at the time of your death will
determine what organs and tissue can be donated.
Your
commitment to donation will not interfere with your medical care.
Organ and tissue donation becomes an option only after all
life-saving efforts have been made and death has been declared.
Consent for donation is confirmed and your family will be asked to
participate in the process by providing your medical history.
For
additional information on our medical care decision services, please
call 336-718-2005.