Patient & Visitor Information

You will be provided with a selective menu to order your meals for the following days. All meals are served restaurant style in our dining room. Meal times are:

Feel free to sit anywhere you would like. If you need help getting to the dining room, we will escort you. Assistance is also provided to anyone who has trouble swallowing. Meals will be brought to your room only if medically necessary. This will be determined by your physiatrist.

Our goal is to offer you tasty and nutritious choices on a daily basis. A staff member from nursing or food services will meet with you to get your preferences. If on a particular day there isn't a suitable choice, a sandwich can be provided. We do not offer soda on the menu, however you or someone visiting can utilize the vending machines. Snacks are available for those with diabetes and others upon request. Please contact your nurse who will coordinate your request with food services.

Because of feeding and diet restrictions, be sure to have your family member and friends check with the nurse before bringing food and beverages to you. Food items cannot be left in patient rooms. A staff member will put food in a designated area in the refrigerator. Food must be labeled and dated, if placed in the refrigerator.

If you speak a language other than English, including American Sign Language, we provide an interpreter and/or interpreter phone at no cost. Your case manager will review your preferences with you.

Review of Documentation

If you would like to review your medical record during your stay, please inform your nurse and a meeting with your provider of service will be coordinated. You may only review the documentation with the designated provider present.

Release of Information

If you want a copy of your medical record, please complete a release of information authorization form, prior to your discharge. This may be obtain per your request from the front desk staff. There is a per-page fee to copy your medical record and it may take 30-60 days for you to receive your copies. The time frame is extended due to physicians having 30 days to complete inpatient documentation.

Satisfaction Surveys

We are committed to providing quality care in an environment that preserves your dignity. Accordingly, we are very interested in how you and your family feel about the services you receive at our hospital. A company called Press Ganey will be mailing a satisfaction survey to your home approximately 2 weeks after you are discharged. The survey provides information that will assist us in making sure that we continue to provide services that meet the needs and expectations of our patients. Your feedback will help us understand how we can continue to improve the caliber of our services. Please complete the survey and return it in the self-addressed stamped envelope as soon as possible.

Outcomes

A company called IT HealthTrack will conduct a follow-up telephone survey three months after discharge to ascertain whether you have maintained the level of functioning achieved during your hospital stay. This call helps us evaluate and improve our programs. We value your comments in our ongoing effort to provide quality care.

If you or a family member have a complaint or grievance, please do not hesitate to bring it to the attention of any staff member. Our policy is to address the complaint or grievance and identify a resolution agreeable to both parties as quickly as possible. If you prefer to speak to a supervisor feel free to ask a staff member for a supervisor. Your communication is important to us and our response to your concern will be non-retaliatory in any respect.

The findings and actions, if appropriate, will be communicated to you by the department director/manager within 48-72 hours. If a resolution is not obtained within the above period, the complaint will be forwarded to the Administrator for final resolution within an additional 3 business days. If you are not satisfied by the findings and action taken by the hospital, the complaint may be reported to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Health Care Quality at 410-402-8000 or you may choose to report your concern to the Joint Commission by phone or email: Call the Joint Commission Hotline: 800-994-6610 or email your concerns to complaint@jointcommission.org.

The hospital's visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Your family member or friend has worked very hard during the day and is understandably tired and needs rest to be fully ready for the next day's treatments and therapies. Our visiting hours are set to allow staff to prepare patients for sleep. An announcement is made on the overhead speakers 15 minutes prior to closing letting all visitors know that visiting hours will end soon. The purpose of the announcement is to give you time to say your goodbyes and to exit the hospital by the end of visiting hours.

At 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. on weekends, the front doors are locked because our reception coverage ends at this time and we want to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. If you leave after these times, you will have to be escorted by staff out of the building.

Because of limited space, we ask family and friends not to attend the patient's therapy sessions, unless arrangements have been made for training. Visitors may not use the therapy gym equipment.

Children may visit, however, they must be supervised at all times by their parent/guardian or adult member of the family.