Discharge Information
Planning for your return home begins as soon as a patient is admitted to the health centre. Throughout your stay at RVH, your care team will speak with you about a plan for discharge and the support you may need once you return home. Members of your care team may arrange a meeting with you and your loved ones to discuss your needs once you return home.
There are in-home supports available for individuals who need care and support in order to leave RVH and continue their recovery at home, or are awaiting transfer to a long term care facility.
• Extensive planning occurs between RVH and providers of community services and in-home supports
• Home and community care case managers, work together with your RVH care team, and are specialists in planning for in-home supports such as nursing and personal care assistance
• We will support you in decision-making about long-term care, so that you are confident and fully informed in your choices
• RVH works with other community partners to ensure other needs will be met once you are home, such as cooking/meals, housekeeping and transportation, while you await a vacancy in a long-term care facility
• If you were already receiving services and supports before this recent hospital visit, your care team will work with you, your loved ones and caregivers to ensure your services and supports continue and are adjusted to meet your current needs
For more information on home and community care please visit the Health Care at Home website or contact the office at 1-888-721-2222 Ext. 6100
Throughout your stay at RVH, your care team will discuss your estimated date of discharge with you and your loved ones. Ideally, we like to provide you with this date within the first 24 hours of your admission to hospital. Please ensure you have a friend or family member available to pick you up on your discharge date by 9 a.m.
Patients are responsible for arranging their transportation home from RVH. If you can be transported safely in a car, RVH recommends that you plan a ride home with family or friends. If a loved one is not available to drive you, a taxi service can be called by the Volunteer Information Desk at either the Main or Atrium entrances. If you require transportation home by a private patient transfer service (because you are in a wheelchair or stretcher), RVH can help arrange it. The cost is the responsibility of the patient. Some medical insurance will cover some or all of the cost of a patient transfer service.
RVH will pay for transportation when an appointment related to ongoing inpatient medical care is at a location other than RVH, for instance, at another hospital.
Patients can also contact Home at Last – a free service for seniors providing help with patient transitions from the hospital to home – at 705-737-5044 Ext. 223.
Once transportation home has been arranged, please let your nurse know your plans.
After you leave the health centre, you will receive a phone call from RVH within 48 to 72 hours to ask you a few questions about your stay, as well as your recovery. The purpose of these calls is to ensure you made it home safely, contacted the pharmacy for your medication needs, have made your follow-up appointments and are managing well at home.
RVH@home Program
RVH@home provides you with the care and support you need at home when discharged from RVH.
To learn more, click HERE
Bill Payments
Make an Online Payment.
During your stay, you may incur some additional costs not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or other insurance such as crutches or some casts. When this occurs, RVH will keep track of the charges and send you an invoice five days after you are discharged. Usually these charges are put on the credit card you provided on the Inpatient Responsibility Form at the time of admission.
Accounts are due upon receipt of the invoice. Payments can be made at our cashier station located inside the main entrance of RVH.
The Cashier’s Office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Patients can make payments at most banking institutions, on our website, mail-in cheque or by phone.
- At most banking institutions in person or online
- By mailing a cheque or money order to RVH made payable to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
- Over the phone by calling 705-728-9090 Ext. 42139 during business hours (Visa, Mastercard,
American Express) - In one of two drop boxes – located just inside the Main Entrance beside the front doors (across from Volunteer Desk) and in the Emergency department located in Minor Exam (beside the interprofessional station)