Registration at Hughston Hospital

Hughston Hospital is pleased to offer our patients several ways to pre-register for scheduled tests or surgeries to be performed at Hughston Hospital in Columbus, Georgia.

Pre-registering will allow us to verify insurance information prior to your pre-op visit or procedure, and to have paperwork for your review when you arrive. This will allow you to spend less time during the registration process on your service date.

Ways to Pre-Register
Please pre-register, at a minimum, 48 hours prior to your first visit for pre-op tests or prior to service if no pre-op tests will be performed. If less than 48 hours, please call our Pre-registration Office. Please allow 7 days when mailing a form.

1.) Fax or Mail Pre-registration Form
You can print the attached form and complete. Depending on how far in advance your procedure or test is scheduled, you can choose to mail or fax the form directly to our Pre-registration Office. Please allow 7 days when mailing a form.

Click here to print the forms that need to be completed for pre-registration.
Once completed, fax or mail all forms using the information below.

2.) Online Pre-registration at Hughston Hospital

Fax Numbers:
Hughston Hospital (706)494-2130

Mailing Address:
Hughston Hospital
Attn: Patient Access
100 Frist Court
Columbus, GA 31908-7188

2.) Call our Pre-registration Office
For tests/procedures to be performed at:
Hughston Hospital: Call (706)494-2115 , Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Where to Come on the Day of Service
Please report to the Hughston Hospital Patient Access Registration Office, which is on the ground floor of the hospital. If unsure of where to report, please call the Pre-Registration Office 706-494-2115.

1.) Main Admissions
Located on the ground floor main entrance of the hospital. Services handled by this registration area are: Pre-op testing for surgeries, Laboratory testing, Cardio Pulmonary, CAT scans, MRI’s, EMG's, Nuclear Medicine, Echo Doppler Ultrasounds, Myelograms, X-Rays, and other radiology procedures.

2.) Outpatient Surgery
Located on the ground floor at the back of the hospital. Services handled by this registration area are: Outpatient and Inpatient Surgeries.

What to Bring with You

1.) Physician Orders
Please bring any orders for procedures given to you by the physician.

2.) Insurance Cards
It is important that you bring your insurance cards with you. The Patient Access Office will make copies of these for the billing office. It is your responsibility to make sure that any authorizations for your services have been obtained by your physician. If not obtained in advance of the service, your service may have to be rescheduled or your insurance may deny payment.

3.) Photo Identification Card
Please bring a photo identification card of yourself.

4.) Durable Power of Attorney or Living Will
Advance Directives are documents, to include Living Wills and Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care, that state your choices about medical treatment or name someone to make those choices for you, should you become unable to do so. Federal law requires that all health care facilities provide each adult patient with written information on Advance Directives.

During the admission process, you will be asked to provide information regarding Advance Directives. An Admission Representative will ask if you have executed an Advance Directive. If you have, you will need to provide a copy to the Hospital upon admission for your medical record. At that time, you will be provided a hospital information packet, which will include Advance Directive information to assist you with any questions or concerns. In accordance with Georgia law, hospital employees cannot witness Advance Directive documents, so these should be completed if at all possible before the time of admission.
Please note Hughston Hospital does not require or request patients to execute Advance Directive documents but does recognize the patient's right to express such healthcare decisions.

If you have either of the above documents, please bring a copy with you.

5.) Personal Belongings
Please bring minimal personal belongings with you. You will want to leave valuables at home. The hospital is not responsible for lost or damaged personal property.

Payment
As a courtesy to you, we will file your insurance after discharge. Upon admission, you will be asked to pay a deposit to cover any estimated deductible, co-insurance or non-covered charges. If you need to make financial arrangements, please let the Pre-registration office know prior to service so as to avoid any delays on the day of service.

The Admissions Office obtains as much information as possible from your physician's office and will verify your insurance and eligible benefits. Your insurance benefit information and estimated charges for your hospitalization will enable us to calculate the approximate patient responsibility. After the compilation of this information we will be able to discuss your insurance benefits and any required deposit prior to your procedure.

In order to receive full benefits, most insurance companies require pre-certification prior to your admission. Please check with your physician's office to ensure that a pre-certification number has been furnished to the hospital, should it be required. Many insurers now require that the surgical patients be admitted the same day as their surgery, your physician's office will provide you with information regarding admission date and time for arrival. If your stay is longer than anticipated, our Utilization Review Department will obtain re-certification.

The Business Office will finalize your insurance claim with your insurer following discharge. The billing submitted by Hughston Hospital represents only the hospital charges. Please be aware that you will have separate billings from your surgeon, radiologist, anesthesiologist and pathologist.

At the Time of Arrival
You will be asked to sign consent for treatment and authorization to bill your insurance. We will make a copy of your insurance card and your driver's license or photo ID. If you have an Advance Directive or living will, we will make a copy of that. You will be given a copy of our Privacy Practices. If you have pre-registered, you will be given a copy of your demographic and insurance information to review and approve.

Medicare Patients
We are required by federal law to ask you questions regarding other payment sources. Although you may have answered these in the past on other visits, we have to ask the questions each time you come for treatment except for recurring treatments where we have to complete one every 90 days. For patients spending the night, you will also be given a copy of your Medicare Rights.

Tricare Patients
If you will be staying overnight, a copy of your Tricare Rights are included in the pre-registration forms below. Please print, sign and fax them to pre-register.

Notice of Privacy Practices

Click here to view our privacy practices