At Summit Pacific, we have a number of policies in place to help keep our patients safe and ensure they are receiving the right care at the right time, in a manner that they can understand. Whether you’re a patient or a visitor to one of our locations, we’re here to help answer your questions. Below are links connecting you to a wide range of topics—from medical records requests to billing information.
Patient Policies
- Access to Reproductive Health Services
- Admissions Policy-Hospital
- Admissions Policy-Swing Bed
- End of Life Policy
- Financial Assistance Information
- Good Faith Estimate
- No-Show Policy Notice
- No Surprise Billing Act Notice
- Nurse Staffing Plan
- Patient Non Discrimination Policy
- Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Summit Pacific Medical Center Statement on Participation with the Washington Death with Dignity Act: A Summit Pacific Medical Center (SPMC) provider may choose to participate in the Washington State Death with Dignity Act. Providers who choose to participate in the program will determine, based on their clinical judgment, whether or not a patient is a candidate for life-ending medication. Life-ending medication is generally intended to be taken outside the hospital setting. While SPMC allows its providers to participate, it prohibits patients from taking the medication at any SPMC location, including the hospital. The life-ending medication is a mixture of medications. SPMC’s pharmacy is not a compounding pharmacy; therefore, SPMC will not dispense life-ending medication. While patients may receive a prescription from SPMC providers, it must be filled elsewhere.
SPMC understands that significant ethical and clinical considerations are associated with the Washington State Death with Dignity Act. Each SPMC provider and each SPMC patient is a unique individual with their own beliefs about what represents an acceptable quality of life and their moral values regarding the Death with Dignity Act. SPMC does not mandate that any provider participate in the “Washington State Death with Dignity Act,” nor encourages any provider to do so.
All providers at SPMC are expected to respond to any patient’s query about life-ending medication with openness and compassion. SPMC believes our providers have an obligation to openly discuss the patient’s concerns, unmet needs, feelings, and desires about the dying process. Providers should seek to learn the meaning behind the patient’s questions and help the patient understand the range of available options, including but not limited to comfort care, hospice care, and pain control. Ultimately, SPMC’s goal is to help patients make informed decisions about end-of-life care.
Washington Death with Dignity Act