PATIENT INFORMATION

Admission
To help your admission to Cleveland Regional Medical Center (CRMC) go smoothly, please arrive at the Admissions Department, adjacent to the main lobby, at your pre-arranged time. This is especially important for surgical patients that may have tests performed prior to surgery.

Please bring all of your insurance identification cards, including Medicare and Medicaid. Any questions you have regarding health services and financial arrangements will be answered in the Admissions Department. At the time of admission, you will also be required to sign forms consenting to treatment, accepting financial responsibility and assigning health insurance benefits. If you are under 18 years of age and unmarried, a parent or legal guardian must sign for you.

Pre-Admission
Most patients complete admissions forms when they visit CRMC prior to the admission date. Obstetric patients may pre-admit Monday through Friday.

Valuable and personal belongings should be left at home. CRMC is not responsible for lost items after 30 days.

Pastoral Services
CRMC believes that total patient care includes attention to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional needs of each patient. A chaplain is available to assist you, whatever your religious traditions. If you would like a visit by a chaplain, call extension 3579.

Living Wills
During the course of your treatment at CRMC, circumstances may arise that present ethical dilemmas to you, your family or your physician. Advanced medical technology sometimes creates complex ethical choices, such as deciding about life-sustaining treatment or interpreting a living will. You and your family may want to discuss the implications of pursuing certain treatments. Or, if you are unable to take part in your healthcare decision making, your family may find it difficult to make these decisions on your behalf. In such cases, a nursing supervisor or patient advocate will assist you in any way possible. For more information about living wills, contact Pastoral Care directly at 980-487-3579.

Patient/Family Advocates
Patient Family advocates serve as liaisons between patients/families and hospital and medical staff. Their primary role is to make the CRMC experience more comfortable and satisfying for patients and their friends and family. Patient advocates assist patients and their families with questions regarding personal needs and hospital procedure. Additionally they assist patients in resolving issues and concerns patients and their families may have. Patient/Family advocates can be reached at 980-487-3957 or by paging them at 704-471-7042. They are available to offer their services to patients seven days a week.

Televisions/Telephones
All patient rooms are equipped with televisions and telephones. Long-distance calls must be collect calls, credit card calls or billed to a third party. Hearing-impaired patients may request a decoder for their television and telephone. For the safety and convenience of CRMC patients, a bedside nurse's call button allows contact with each nursing station. Patients may block calls to their room.

Mail and Newspapers
Letters and packages for patients are delivered each morning by volunteers. Letters and parcels that arrive after discharge will be forwarded to the patient's home. Stamps and stationary may be purchased in the Gift Shop. Outgoing mail may be left at the nurses' station or given to a volunteer. Newspapers may be purchased at the CRMC entrance or from volunteers. If you would like a newspaper, you may call the Information Desk at extension 73816.

Flowers
Flowers are delivered to rooms by volunteers. Flowers and live plants cannot be accepted in the Intensive Care Unit or for some patients. Questions regarding the appropriateness of flowers or live plants can be answered by a nurse.

Interpreters
Interpreters for speech and hearing impaired patients are available. Patients rights and responsibilities are available in English and Spanish.