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.
If
you have concerns about your discharge, please call the Matthews Medical Center resource management department at
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:
- Medications
- Foods to avoid with your medications
- Use of equipment
- Available community services
- Care of your incision
- Activities of daily living
- Safety measures
- Follow-up appointments and care
- Special diet
- Activity
- Pain management
- Financial concerns
- Lifestyle changes, such as stopping tobacco use
If
you have concerns about your discharge, please call the Matthews Medical Center resource management department at
704-384-6500.