Services for patients with basic insurance

Admission form

• Please send us the completed and signed admission form and a copy of your insurance policy within two working days by post or email to check-in.hi@hirslanden.ch.

Assumption of costs / deposit

• For all patients with basic health insurance, the hospital requests a cost reimbursement guarantee from the health insurer. For out-of-canton patients, cost reimbursement guarantees are also obtained from the canton. In circumstances where there is no full cost coverage, a deposit must be paid before you are admitted to the hospital. Should this be the case, we will notify you.
• A deposit is not required for patients treated in the general ward of the hospital if they have Swiss basic health insurance and live in the canton of Zurich or if there is a service mandate from another canton. 

Upgrade

• If you would like an upgrade, please contact the Revenue Assurance department (T +41 44 387 95 90).

Surgery under anaesthesia

• Depending on the procedure, we will invite you to an anaesthesia consultation held either in person or over the phone. You can find the exact information in your invitation for surgery.

Billing of costs

• Billing of costs takes place in accordance with our contracts with the health insurance companies and the applicable tariff system. We usually send the invoices directly to the health insurance companies, meaning you don’t have to do anything else yourself.

Extras / private expenses

• You will receive a separate, detailed invoice from us for any extras (e.g. telephone costs or food and drink in restaurants) after you have been discharged.

• Please report to the Welcome Desk upon arrival at the hospital, which is where you will receive initial information and directions to your ward. For organisational reasons, you may be admitted via the day clinic. If this is the case, you will move into your room after the surgery.
• The dates for any medical clarifications or a consultation with the anaesthetist will have already been arranged and reserved in advance. For your admission on the day of the surgery, your appointment has been arranged in such a way that you will not have to wait for an unnecessary length of time. We therefore rely on your punctuality.
• Adherence to your admission time is very important to us. Due to emergency admissions and in consideration of medical indications and priorities, it may become necessary for us to postpone your admission. This is always done in consultation with your attending doctor and may also happen at short notice. If this is the case, we will inform you of the postponement as soon as possible.

Medical documentation

• Please bring your current medication with you to the hospital in its original packaging along with an up-to-date medication plan. Pre-prepared medication boxes (filled with tablets) are not suitable. Please hand over the medication to the nursing staff so that the information can be entered into the system and passed on to your attending doctors. This will enable us to ensure that your existing medication therapies are continued correctly.

Personal belongings

• We recommend not taking valuable items (large sums of money, jewellery, watches, etc.) with you to the hospital. The wardrobe in your room contains a safe for your personal items or small amounts of money. The hospital accepts no liability for everyday items (such as clothing, etc.) or for valuables (especially glasses, hearing aids, dental prostheses, etc.).
• If a stay in the intensive care unit is planned after your surgery, it is possible that you will no longer have the same room available to you afterwards.
• In this case, the hospital will provide storage for your everyday items. Your valuables will be stored in the safe at the Welcome Desk.

Patient safety

Patient safety is a top priority at Klinik Hirslanden. The following measures directly affect you as a patient:

• You will receive your personal patient identification wristband upon admission.
• Hand disinfection for staff and doctors is of course one of the most important standard hygiene measures for preventing infections in our ISO-certified hospital.
• If you are coming in for surgery, you will be asked several times to confirm your identity and the place on your body where the intervention will take place, among other questions. These questions are part of the standard surgical checklist.

Doctor’s rounds and preparation before the examination

• Before your examination, your attending doctor will discuss the entire procedure. The nursing staff will provide you  with information about any physical  or medical preparations needed.

Eating

• As a rule, you must fast on the day of the examination. Further information can be obtained from your attending doctor.

The examination

• As soon as you are in the examination area, the examination team will assume responsibility for your care and will keep you informed about the individual phases of the examination.

After the examination

• Depending on the type and scope of the examination, you will either be looked after at the monitoring station initially, or escorted straight to your room.

Before surgery / doctor’s rounds

• The anaesthetist and the surgeon who will be operating on you will discuss  all the important details with you before the surgery and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Depending on the intervention, an anaesthesia consultation may have already taken place.

Preoperative fasting

• You must fast before the intervention. You will be informed of the details either in your invitation letter or by your doctor during your preliminary examination.

Physical preparations

For your own safety, the following preparations must be made before the operation:

• Remove dentures and partial dentures, hearing aids, contact lenses (risk of eye inflammation) and jewellery, especially earrings and piercings (risk of burns).
• Remove makeup, nail polish, hair clips and hairpieces (if you have gel nails, speak to your attending doctor).
• Please shower on the day of surgery, but avoid using skin creams and body lotions.
• Please do not shave the relevant area yourself, as there is a risk of skin injury. If shaving is necessary, it will be carried out by our trained nursing staff immediately before the intervention.

Medication

• If necessary, the anaesthetist will prescribe medication for the night before the intervention. You will receive additional medication around an hour before your surgery. After that, for your own safety, do not get out of bed on your own.

The operation

• The nursing staff will take you to the operating theatre in your bed, where you will be greeted by specialist staff and the anaesthetist, who will make preparations for monitoring your cardiac activity and circulation. The anaesthesia team will look after you continuously throughout the intervention.

Monitoring after the operation

After your surgery, you will first be looked after at the monitoring station, where your state of health will be monitored by specially trained nursing staff. The anaesthetist will be responsible for you in the first few hours after the surgery.

If a higher level of care is required, you will be transferred to the intensive care unit after the surgery, where you will be monitored around the clock with state-of-the-art technical equipment and looked after by a team of specialised nursing and intensive care specialists.

Information about your surgical procedure

• The attending doctor will let you know as soon as possible how the procedure went.

Pain

• Pain management is determined by the attending anaesthetist. If you are in pain, do not hesitate to tell the nursing staff.

Rooms

Each of our rooms is equipped with a toilet and a shower. Towels, soap and shower gel are available for you to use.

Bed

• The bed can be adjusted electrically. The nursing staff will show you how  to work it, so that you can adjust it to how you like it yourself. For hygiene reasons, our mattresses are provided with a breathable protective cover.
• Klinik Hirslanden offers the latest generation of bedding. What is unique about this is that the cover is firmly sewn shut, with the bedding inside. This way you can rest assured that you will always receive freshly laundered bedding upon admission and during your stay.

Telephone

• You can be reached via the direct line to your room from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., all calls will be redirected to the Welcome Desk. Mobile phones are not allowed in some parts of the hospital for safety reasons. Please see the relevant notices.

Internet

• Free wireless internet access is available in patient rooms. No password is required.

Mail

• Any letters, parcels and flowers will be delivered to your room. You can hand your own mail to the hospitality staff or to the Welcome Desk to send.

Radio / TV

• Out of consideration for your fellow patients, please keep the volume of your radio or television reasonably low. The nursing staff will be happy to provide you with a pair of headphones at no cost.

Laundry service / dry cleaning

• We can have your personal laundry washed or dry-cleaned by an external partner at standard market prices. Please note that this service may take several days. Please speak to the hospitality staff about this service.

Flowers and plants

• Vases are available for flowers. Please do not hesitate to ask our hospitality staff. Potted plants are not allowed for hygienic reasons.

Nutrition

Menu choice 

• You can choose your main meals from our weekly menu. Kosher meals are also available, as well as special diet meals, if necessary. If you have any questions, our hospitality staff will be happy to help.

Meal times 

• Our nursing staff will be happy to inform you of meal times during your admission consultation.

Nutritional advice 

• From Monday to Saturday, our experts advise and support patients on medically related nutritional issues.

Pastoral care

• If required, our pastoral care service will be there for you and your relatives during your hospital stay and can offer regular visits or discussions, depending on your wishes. 
• If you would like pastoral care, please speak to the nursing staff or dial the internal telephone number 2100 (Reformed Church pastoral care), 2101 (Catholic pastoral care). Pastoral care is available at any time. Religious services are held at the hospital during the festive season.

Coffee lounge/shop and Hairdresser

Coffee lounge and shop

Our coffee lounge has a shop offering a wide range of newspapers, magazines, books, various gifts, toiletries and hygiene items

Opening times: 

• Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.  
• Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Hairdresser 

There is a hairdressing salon in the hospital for both men and women. Patients who are not mobile can also have their hair done in their rooms on request.

Opening times:

• Monday to Friday: 9:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. 
• Saturday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
• Wednesday afternoon: closed

Cash withdrawals

• Opposite the shop is an ATM that is available at any time for cash withdrawals in Swiss francs or euros.

Smoking

• Please note that smoking is prohibited in all areas of Klinik Hirslanden, as well as on balconies. Smoking is permitted on the terrace  of the Quadro restaurant and in our courtyard, both of which are accessible day and night.

Fire protection

• We have equipped the entire hospital with automatic fire detection equipment and clearly marked emergency escape routes for your safety. Lighting candles is prohibited.

Time of discharge

• Your doctor will inform you of your discharge date. Please vacate your room by 10 a.m. at the latest on this day so that we can prepare it for new patients.

Deregistration

• When you are discharged, please deregister with your nurse and return your telephone card to them or to the Welcome Desk.

Health resorts / physiotherapy /  rehabilitation / Spitex home care

• You should discuss and organise any necessary follow-up care with your doctor at an early stage. If you have any questions about home care (Spitex), health resorts, physiotherapy, rehabilitation or technical aids, please speak to the nursing staff.
• Some technical equipment can be purchased directly from the hospital. We do not offer a rental service.

Discharge medication

• Before you are discharged, your doctor will tell you about any medication you may need and will give you the necessary prescriptions.