Preparing for Your Hospital Stay

Who is calling from 866-851-5111?

Swedish Medical Center offers pre-registration to our patients to verify demographic and insurance information prior to their hospital visits to ease their way on the date of service. Many of our patients can expect a call up to two weeks in advance of their appointment, but sometimes as near as the day prior to service depending on scheduling timeframes.

Calls take between 2-5 minutes on average to complete, and the information provided must be validated every 30 days for most services.

The Swedish Pre-Registration team looks forward to serving you.

Registration & Preadmission During Your Stay
Registration & Preadmission

The more you know about what to expect and the less you have to deal with on the day of your surgery, the more comfortable you’re likely to feel.

For all patients, a preadmission appointment within 14 days of surgery is required. Typically, the preadmission process occurs within 14 days of your surgery, especially if blood work is required. The appointment takes 45 to 60 minutes, depending on your procedure. For many patients, the preadmission interview process can be done over the phone. For in-person appointments, bring your photo ID and insurance card.

During your appointment, we will:

  • Obtain comprehensive health history
  • Obtain complete current medication list
  • Determine needs for pre-anesthesia studies (blood work, EKG, etc.)
  • Offer pre-surgical instructions
  • Answer your questions

To schedule your preadmission appointment, please call 206-386-2314.

Your comfort and peace of mind is of the utmost importance to us. From top-notch, experienced inpatient physicians to compassionate chaplains, we're here to make sure your stay is as healing and as restful as possible. Here you'll find a list of patient services available to you during your stay with us.

  • Interpreters are available for patients who speak little or no English or have sensory or speech impairments. If you need assistance, please let our staff know and we can arrange this service for you at no additional cost.
  • We rate pain on a zero to 10 scale, where zero equals no pain and 10 equals the worst. Be sure to tell staff about any pain that won’t go away.
  • Your primary or specialty care physician may ask our hospitalist team to help care for you during your hospital stay. Swedish hospitalists are available onsite 24/7 at each Swedish Medical Center location. The team includes adult hospitalists, who are board-certified in internal medicine; and pediatric hospitalists, who are board-certified in the care of children.
  • If you or your family is faced with making a difficult treatment decisions, our ethics committee is available for consultation.
  • Chaplains are available 24/7 to all Swedish patients. Chaplains of specific denominations or religions are always on call and available by special request.
  • Smoking is not allowed on Swedish property, owned or leased, including parking garages and lots. While you're a patient at Swedish, you won't be allowed to smoke during your stay. Nicotine-replacement therapies such as gum or patches are available, as allowed by your physician, and can be billed to your insurance.
  • Á la Carte dining service offers you a wide variety of menu selections delivered to your bedside on demand much like a hotel's room service.
  • Visiting hours are flexible to accommodate family members and friends. Your visitors are invited to talk with a nurse about the best time to visit. If there's a specific time when you don’t want visitors, your nurse can convey that message for you.
  • The Swedish Health Channel includes more than 100 different health-education videos ranging in topics from heart disease to breastfeeding to smoking cessation. Patients can access the channel 24 hours a day from the TV in their room. 
  • Before you leave, your physician will write your discharge order and your nurse will give you written instructions for your care at home and for taking any prescribed medications. A one-week medication supply can be filled at the hospital pharmacy.
  • Checkout time is at 11 a.m. Please be aware that from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., you'll be charged partial-day occupancy and after 6 p.m., you'll be charged for an extra day’s stay. When you're ready to go home, a staff member or volunteer will escort you to the front entrance and help you into your car.