Admission Procedures

Your admission to the hospital will be arranged by your physician. Unless you are admitted through the Emergency Department or directly admitted from your doctor’s office, your first stop at the hospital will be at the Admissions Office in the hospital lobby.

Insurance

• You will be asked to provide the name and address of your insurance carrier, insurance policy numbers and name, address and phone number of your employer.
• You will be expected to present your insurance card at each visit so that Admissions staff may complete the registration process.
• Please be patient while we verify your insurance card information. This review is a necessary step that must be completed each time you register for a service.
• When Medicare is involved, Admissions staff must determine if Medicare is your primary insurer and whether you have supplemental insurance.

Personal Belongings
Valuables such as expensive clothing, jewelry, credit cards and important papers should be left at home. If you do choose to keep valuables with you in the hospital, please be sure to notify your nurse. The valuables should then be placed in the safe. Patient gowns are provided, but you may bring your own. All you need during your stay are a bathrobe, slippers and personal toiletry items. These toiletry items can be:

• Bathrobe/Slippers
• Denture Cup
• Toothbrush/Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Razor
• Shaving Cream
• Comb/Brush
• Lotion/Powder
• Facial Tissue
• Chapstick
  

Medications
Regulations require that all medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, used in the hospital be dispensed from the hospital pharmacy and administered by a nurse. If you have medications or herbal supplements from home with you, please give them to your nurse and they will be returned to you at the time of dismissal.

Please inform your physician about the medications you take regularly so that they can be incorporated into your hospital treatment plan.

In some circumstances, your medications may be used during your hospital stay. The medication must be reviewed by the pharmacist and dispensed by the nursing staff. The medications will be stored at the nurses’ station and will be returned to you upon dismissal.

Patient-Owned Equipment

• You may want to bring personal entertainment or grooming appliances. Please inform your nurse if you bring any electrical appliance into the hospital or if a visitor brings a device in for you. For your safety and the safety of other patients, all such electrical devices must be made available for inspection by hospital personnel.
• The hospital reserves the right to remove from your room or vicinity any personal electrical device that presents a significant safety risk for you, your fellow patients or staff.
• The hospital does not assume responsibility for any injury, damage, theft, or other loss associated with any device brought into the hospital by you or your visitors.

Getting Settled
When you arrive at the hospital, your nurse and other staff members in the patient unit will greet you and help you get settled. All nursing floor employees wear a name badge clearly marked with their name and title. Here are some facts about your room which your nurse will explain more fully:

Nurse Call Unit

• Located next to your bed
• For nursing service, push the button on the unit. This activates a light over your doorway and a buzzer at the nurses’ station.
• The emergency call button located in the bathroom is operated by pushing the red button.

Telephone

• Each patient room has two telephones with the same number.
• Family and friends can contact you directly by dialing “426-12” + your two digit room number (for example, 426-1205 reaches Room 5) or by calling the hospital number, (402) 426-2182, and then giving your name or room number.
• Dial “8” to get an outside line and then dial the full number of the person you are calling.
• Long distance calls may be placed through the operator and billed to your home phone number. You can also make long distance calls by using prepaid phone cards or credit cards.
• To reach the front desk operator from your room, dial “0”.
• There is a pay phone located in the front hospital lobby.
• Operation of cellular phones and electronic communications devices within this building have no restrictions. Laptop computers and other electronic devises are required to be checked prior to use.

Television

• Television sets are located in each room.

Your Bed

• Adjusts electronically to be positioned for your personal comfort.
• For instruction on the operation of your bed, please check with nursing staff.
• Two side rails may be used on your bed during some portion of your hospital stay and your bed positioning may be restricted due to your physician’s orders.
  

Accommodations
MCH Health System provides hospital care in a licensed 25-bed complex consisting of :

• 15 medical-surgical beds (2 special care units)
• 10 skilled nursing beds
• An obstetrical suite with two labor and delivery rooms.
• And a 3-bassinet nursery unit. New mothers are encouraged to keep their babies in the room with them.

Patient rooms:

• Semi-private – two patients to a room.
• Whenever possible, we try to provide private rooms for all patients.

Dismissal
Arrangements for your dismissal are usually made by your physician after visiting you. Please check with your nurse before you leave the building. This is to assure that all representatives from other departments who may need to visit you and go over discharge instructions have done so. Someone from the nursing staff can assist you with packing your personal belongings and, if requested, in arranging transportation.

Please be sure that you have provided a copy of your insurance card at the admission desk before you leave so that your account can be processed according to your wishes. A final bill will be mailed to you shortly after your dismissal. An itemized statement is available by request through the Business Office by calling (402) 426-1443.