Patient Information for Manchester Memorial Hospital

Preregistration Made Easy

If you are coming to Manchester Memorial Hospital for a test or procedure, we make it easy for you to preregister. Preregistration makes it easy to go directly to the department you need on the day of your test. Just call our preregistration line at (860) 872-5150.

About Doctors and Hospitals

Few people think about the possibility of needing hospital care some day. But did you know that in order to be admitted to the hospital of your choice, your doctor must be a member of that hospital's medical staff? This is something you may wish to consider prior to choosing a physician for your medical care. Learn about the physicians who admit patients to Manchester Memorial Hospital.

Obtaining Your Medical Records

If you need records from a physician, you will need to contact that physician's office to make arrangements. If you'd like records from services delivered at one of our facilities, please call our Health Information Management Department at (860) 533-2930, ext. 6433. Due to the number of calls received, you may need to leave your name and phone number so someone can return your call. You also may download a copy of our Release of Information (ROI) form by clicking here. Just complete the form and mail it to the facility where you were treated, and you will be contacted when your records are available.

What to Bring to the Hospital

Most of what you need in the hospital will be provided, but here are some things you may wish bring:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, razor and shaving cream, hairbrush or comb, and other grooming aids
• Notebook and pen or pencil for writing down questions for your doctor, nurse or other staff members
• Books or magazines to read
• Personal phone numbers list
• A list of the medications you take and the dosages, including over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies
• A small amount of cash, if desired, to make gift shop or other purchases

Here's what you should leave at home:

• Large amounts of money
• Jewelry and other valuables
• Medications
• Electric razors, hair dryers, clocks, radios, music players or television sets - only battery-operated appliances are permitted
• Cellular phones, because their signals interfere with medical equipment

Advance Directives

An advance directive is a legal document that allows you to state your wishes about your medical care should you become unable to communicate. Under Connecticut law, there are two types of advance directives:

Living will. This is a document that states whether you would want life-sustaining procedures or treatment administered should you be in a terminal condition or permanently unconscious. The living will tells your doctor whether you want "life-support systems" to keep you alive or whether you do not want to receive such treatment, even if the result is your death. A living will goes into effect only when you are unable to make or communicate your decisions about your medical care AND when you are in a terminal condition or permanently unconscious.

Healthcare Representative. A Healthcare Representative is a person whom you authorize in writing to make any and all health care decisions on your behalf, including the decision whether to withhold or withdraw life support systems. A Healthcare Representative does not act unless you are unable to make or communicate your decisions about your medical care. The Healthcare Representative will make decisions on your behalf based on your wishes, as stated in a living will or as otherwise known as your wishes and known to your Healthcare Representative. In the event your wishes are not clear or a situation arises that you did not anticipate, your Healthcare Representative will make a decision in your best interests, based upon what is know of your wishes.

You are not required to use an attorney to create advance directives. You can use the forms provided by the state of Connecticut.

Visit the Connecticut Attorney General's office special website about making health-care decisions at http://www.cslib.org/attygenl/mainlinks/tabindex6.htm. You can receive a printed copy of a living will by emailing the Connecticut Attorney General's office at attorney.general@po.state.ct.us

SOURCE: Your Rights to Make Health Care Decisions, Office of the Conn. Attorney General

Lifeline Emergency Monitoring

• Do you have a high-risk pregnancy?
• Are you a mother with high-risk newborn?

If so, you might consider ECHN's Lifeline services, which have been bringing peace of mind to hundreds of individuals in eastern Connecticut for decades. Lifeline is a personal emergency response unit that can be used to call for help.

Lifeline users wear a small button on a chain around their neck or on a wristband. In case of illness or emergency, such as a fall, they simply push the button, sending a signal to a small base unit in their home that is connected through a telephone jack. That signal immediately alerts emergency personnel that there may be a problem.

Lifeline is not just for the infirm or the ill. It can be used for people who are isolated, for women who have high-risk pregnancies, for mothers with high-risk newborns, and many others. It is available on a long-term or short-term basis.

Lifeline is available for a minimal monthly charge. Financial assistance is available. Major credit cards are accepted. For information about ECHN's Lifeline program, please call (860) 647-6889.

Visit Lifeline's national website.

Read an article about ECHN's Lifeline services and meet our Lifeline coordinator.