For Patients
Procedures after the First Consultation｜ Hospitalization｜ Inpatient Medical Care｜ After Hospital Discharge
Procedures after the First Consultation
Exams
You will undergo exams that are arranged by your physician at the first consultation. Please discuss the schedule of exams with your physician as we do not change the exam dates once they have been scheduled. The required exams may vary by the type of cancer, and it can take several days up to several weeks to receive your results.
Accurate diagnosis and Choosing a treatment plan
After the results of your exams are ready, you will have a consultation with your physician again. Your physician will tell you about the current condition of the cancer, treatment options and treatment plans that are considered most suitable for your condition. Then, you will be asked to decide on a treatment plan.
Fact about cancer diagnosis and informed consent
Some patients’ family members wish to receive the patient’s diagnosis without having the patient
know his/her own diagnosis. However, our policy is that the patient chooses his/her treatment
plan after being informed of accurate diagnosis and treatment options. We will not start any
treatment without the patient’s consent, understanding or presence. If you do not agree with
our diagnosis or treatment plans, you always have a right not to receive a treatment.
Every patient has a right to choose his/her own treatment. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding your diagnosis or treatment plans, please talk with your physician until you understand well.
Informed consent is the process in which the physician provides the patient with accurate information about medical care he/she will receive so that the patient can then voluntarily decide whether or not to accept the proposed treatment.
All patients will be asked to give us the informed consent before having some treatments, some exams, hospitalization and surgery.
Application for Hospitalization
After the treatment plan has been decided, a patient who does not have Japanese National
Health Insurance will be given an estimated cost of hospitalization. You will be asked to
deposit the total estimated cost before your admission. Please contact International Services
for further information.
➡Payment and Billing
Schedules towards admission
During the consultation, you will be given a printed schedule for exams and admission. Although we cannot always meet your request for the admission date, please inform your physician if your period of stay in Japan is limited, or if you have to return to your home country before admission.
Consultation by anesthesiologist and scheduling surgery
Your physician will schedule your surgery and necessary consultations.
Patients do not need to make an appointment for their surgery by themselves.
If you need to consult other departments or receive treatment for other disease
We provide multi-disciplinary team care, which means all of your medical information will be shared among the relevant physicians within the hospital.
Patients do not need to make an appointment for other physicians or departments within the hospital. Your physician will arrange appointments for you.
Hospitalization
Interpreter
If you are a patient who does not speak Japanese or English, we ask you to be accompanied by
an interpreter at all times during your hospital stay. An interpreter will help us communicate with
you properly and provide you appropriate and safe medical care. It is often very difficult to have
the same interpreter the entire time during the hospital stay. For this reason, we recommend you
to have multiple interpreters.
Before your admission, please make arrangements for interpreters who can support you for a full
24 hours during hospitalization. We ask you to stay in a private room so that the interpreter can
be with you during nighttime.
The duration of your hospital stay will vary, depending on your condition. We
recommend you to arrange for
interpreter services well in advance of your admission.
International Services staff will also support you during regular office hours.
Private room of the West Ward on the 12th floor
We will do our best to provide you with your room preference. However, please understand that it is not always guaranteed as your room assignment is based on the bed availability and your medical needs as well as other patients’.
Items to bring with you
We will provide a list of things to bring with you for your hospital stay when you apply for admission. There are convenience stores on the 1st and 5th floor, which carry most of the items on the list. However, please note the below:
Pajamas
Hospital pajamas are available at JPY 200 per day. (The fee is included in the room charge if
you stay in a private room of the West Ward on the 12th floor.) If you bring your own pajamas,
please make sure that the top has front buttons so that physicians and/or nurses can easily
examine you.
We recommend patients to wear hospital pajamas. You can always wear clean pajamas, and it helps
to prevent infections.
Room shoes
Shoes with rubber soles are recommended. They should be easily put on and taken off. Please do
not wear sandals without heel straps.
You can buy the room shoes at stores in the hospital. However, we are not sure if your size is
available, so it may be convenient to bring your own. Flip-flops or sandals without heel straps
should be avoided as they can increase the risk of falling.
Safety Box
During the hospitalization, every patient is provided with a safety box next to the bed for free. If you go out of your room, please make sure that you lock the box and carry the key with you.
*For your safety, please do not carry large sums of money or any other valuables to the hospital. Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR is not responsible for any stolen or damaged personal belongings on the premises.
Inpatient Medical Care
Admission Procedures
Please check in at the scheduled time. After the check-in, you may go to the inpatient ward. At the ward, your assigned nurse will give you an orientation of the facilities available inside the ward as well as the room amenities. The nurse will also check your medical history and medication that you have brought with you.
A patient-centered multidisciplinary team
Physicians
During your hospitalization, your primary physician will provide you with comprehensive medical care, working closely with other doctors in the same department as a team. The team of physicians makes ward rounds to see you in the morning and/or evening, so please talk to them if you have any questions or concerns. Even when your primary physician is not in the hospital, the on-call physicians will be responsible for your care.
Nurses
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your condition/treatment during your hospital stay, please use a nurse call button to inform the nurse of your needs. Nurses will use the clinical pathway to explain you the daily schedules and planned exams during your hospitalization.
Pharmacists
Your medication will be managed by a ward pharmacist while in the hospital. Please follow the instructions given by the pharmacist. You can always talk to the pharmacist when you want to know whether or not you need to stop or continue to take your medications before the treatment.
Certified dietitians
We believe that nutritional management is an essential component of comprehensive medical care. Each ward has an assigned certified dietitian to provide patients with nutritional treatment. After your admission, you will have a consultation with the ward dietitian. You can discuss your dietary needs with the ward dietitian. In order to meet with individual patients’ needs, we offer both Japanese- and Western-style meals from which patients can choose. If you have any concerns about your meals, such as food allergies, religious observances, or cultural conditions, please let us know.
Scheduling hospital discharge
Please consult with your physician about the approximate date you are scheduled to be discharged.
In general, an outpatient visit will be scheduled in 1~3 weeks after hospital discharge, and your
physician will check your condition. We strongly advise you not to fly back to your country on
the day following your discharge from the hospital because your physical condition may not be well
enough for air travel.
Before admission, you will be informed of the expected length of hospital stay, but please note that
it can change, depending on your condition.
At a consultation with your physician before hospitalization, please discuss not only treatment plan
but also how long you will need to stay in Japan for the treatment after hospital discharge.
Until your first outpatient appointment after the hospital discharge, you are advised to stay close
to the hospital in case of emergency related to your treatment.
➡After Hospital Discharge
After Hospital Discharge
Billing and payment at the time of discharge
If you do not have Japanese National Health Insurance, we will make necessary adjustments to your
deposit upon discharge. You will receive the refund if the amount of your prepayment exceeds the
actual charges. If the actual charges exceed the deposit, you will need to pay the balance.
➡Payment and Billing
Medical information we can provide to patients
Please ask your physician if you need medical information, such as a letter to other hospital or other physicians, pathology reports, exam reports, diagnostic images. Also, please let us know if you need a certificate for your insurance company or your workplace. If necessary, your physician will fill in a claim form of your insurance company. A document can be issued in Japanese or English.
Length of stay in Japan before returning to your home country
Your outpatient visit will be scheduled in 1~3 weeks after hospital discharge, and your physician
will check your condition. We strongly advise you not to fly back to your country on the day following
your discharge from the hospital, because your physical condition may not be well enough for air travel.
Please ask your physician how long they recommend you stay in Japan after being discharged.
If you are to have lung surgery, there can be restrictions on taking a flight. You may need to wait
longer to travel by airplane, compared to patients undergoing other kinds of surgery.
After returning to your country
Please consult with your physician regarding your future appointments and where you will continue
your treatment and/or take follow-up exams after you return home.
If you wish to continue treatment in your country, we will provide necessary documents (referral letters,
etc.) in either English or Japanese.
If you find out that you need exam reports or a referral letter after returning to your country, please
contact International Services
Many patients visit our hospital for follow-up exams and consultations once or twice a year, while seeing
physicians at hospital in their home country. Your physician will schedule your next appointment at the
consultation. We usually do not reschedule the appointment, so please make sure to visit us on scheduled
date.
If you are not sure about your schedule of 6 months or 1 year later, you do not have to make an appointment
at the consultation, but please contact International Services 3 months prior to your next visit. We will
arrange your appointment.
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