Patient information

Providing you with comfort, care and compassion

When you receive care at Novant Health Matthews Medical Center, we want your stay to be as easy and comfortable as possible. Your first step prior to any outpatient or inpatient procedure is to visit our admitting department. There you will find a team of helpful staff members that can help you complete the necessary paperwork and answer any questions you may have.

The admitting department is located in the main lobby and is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Emergency department registrations are conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What should I bring?

Please bring your insurance card, a list of your current medications and any medical records your doctor may need. You may also want to bring the following items for your stay:

• Sleepwear (robe, slippers, etc.)
• Grooming items (comb, toothbrush)
• Eyeglasses and case
• Contacts and containers
• Dentures and containers

Please leave all valuables, including jewelry, cash, at home. If you accidentally bring them to the hospital, they can be stored in the hospital's safe. Keep in mind that even though our hospital professionals will take every reasonable precaution with personal belongings, Matthews Medical Center cannot be responsible for loss or damage of personal items.

Consent and medical decisions

During admission, you will be asked to sign a Conditions of Admission form to grant Matthews Medical Center permission to treat you and release medical information concerning your treatment to your insurance company.

If the time comes when you are unable to make decisions about the kind of care you want, we encourage you to make your wishes known to your doctor and family before you are admitted to the hospital. 

Upon each hospital admission, we are required to ask you about your advance directive or living will and healthcare power of attorney. During admission, we will make copies of these documents for your medical record, if you already have them. If you do not and wish to complete an advance directive, the nursing unit on your floor will supply you with an educational booklet and advanced directive forms at your request.

We will follow the instructions expressed by your advanced directive to the extent required by law. If you are unable to make or make known medical decisions and do not have an advanced directive, we will obtain consent from your spouse, parents, guardian, nearest relative or other person authorized to speak for you.

Medications

To safeguard your treatment, medications from home should not be brought to the hospital. Patients are not permitted to keep medications at their bedside.

Patient meals

In partnership with Morrison Healthcare Food Services, Matthews Medical Center is working to redefine hospital food. To accomplish this, we have created the Great Living Menu. This program helps patients discover that eating healthy can also be delicious. We use fresh, wholesome ingredients that treat your taste buds and your body. We even take it a step further by teaching patients how to continue eating those healthy choices when they go home.

Our food services are available through our Catering to You system or our Dining on Call system. With Catering to You, we provide personal, restaurant-style service, with a nutrition expert discussing the menu choices and taking the patient's order. With Dining on Call, patients can order their meals when they are ready to eat, with delivery within 45 minutes by our friendly, professional staff.

Discharge

When you are admitted to Matthews Medical Center, you will be asked questions to help our healthcare team identify if you will need additional assistance after you are discharged. We will work with you, your family and your physician to plan for your discharge.

Your physician will determine when you are ready to go home and will provide you with the written authorization of discharge. At that time, your physician or nurse will review any instructions for follow-up care with you.

Discharge time is approximately 11 a.m. and we ask that you please plan to have someone available to take you home at your time of discharge. Your discharge plan may include information about:

If you have concerns about your discharge, please call the Matthews Medical Center resource management department at 704-384-4277.