• How do I pay my bill?
• How can I obtain copies of my health record?
• Can a hospital share information with my family without my authorization?
• I'm caring for a parent, how can I get a copies of their health records?
• Can parents stay overnight with their kids?
• Are there different kinds of anesthesia?

How do I pay my bill?

Payment for your portion of the bill (co-insurance, co-payment, deductible, uncovered services, full bill) is due prior to the time services are provided or within 30 days of receiving a bill. Payment can be sent by check, money order, or accepted credit cards. Please do not send cash through the mail. If you choose to pay in cash, please pay in person. Please include the patient’s name, medical history number, and/or hospital account number with your payment. Back to top...

How can I obtain copies of my health record?

Contact your doctors’ offices or the health information management or medical records staff at each facility where you received treatment. Find out if your provider has his or her own plan for helping patients to create pesonal health records (PHRs). Ask if your records are in an electronic format that you can access yourself, or if you need to request that they make copies for you. Also, ask your physician or health information management professional to help you determine which parts of your record you need. If you want medical records kept by your health plan, contact the plan’s customer service department. Back to top...

Can a hospital share information with my family without my authorization?

Hospitals can share information with family members without your authorization if you are unable to consent and a family member (such as spouse, parent, or child) is involved in providing your care. For example, your spouse or child may be involved in caring for you following a hospital stay (by helping you in and out of bed, to bathe, changing bandages, and similar activities). You can simplify things at the time you are admitted to the hospital (or nursing home) by specifying which family member you want to receive information about you. Back to top...

I'm caring for a parent, how can I get a copies of their health records?

To access another adult’s information:

• Have the person you are caring for submit written authorization to his or her doctors and healthcare facilities.
• In that authorization, the patient should include language that gives permission to release all information regarding treatment and care to you, and/or anyone else the patient wants to have access.
• This document might also include the names of people the information should NOT be shared with. An example might be a domestic abuse case where the wife would request that a husband not have access to any information.
• Then you’ll need to give this authorization to the healthcare facility’s Health Information Management Department.

In cases of lengthy or permanent incapacity, a legal guardian for the patient may be appointed through court proceedings. In that case, the legal guardian can access the patient’s health records and decide who else can see them. Back to top...

Can parents stay overnight with their kids?

Most Mott patient care units permit one parent or guardian to room-in overnight with the patient as the “parent partner in care.” However, this may not be available in all units, so speak with your health care team once you arrive and read our Staying Overnight Guidelines for more information. Back to top...

Are there different kinds of anesthesia?

There are three main categories of anesthesia: local, regional, and general. Each has many forms and uses.

In local anesthesia, the anesthetic drug is usually injected into the tissue to numb just the specific location of your body requiring minor surgery, for example, on the hand or foot.

In regional anesthesia, your anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of your body that requires surgery. You may remain awake, or you may be given a sedative. You do not see or feel the actual surgery take place. There are several kinds of regional anesthesia. Two of the most frequently used are spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia, which are produced by injections made with great exactness in the appropriate areas of the back. They are frequently preferred for childbirth and prostate surgery.

In general anesthesia, you are unconscious and have no awareness or other sensations. There are a number of general anesthetic drugs. Some are gases or vapors inhaled through a breathing mask or tube and others are medications introduced through a vein. During anesthesia, you are carefully monitored, controlled and treated by your anesthesiologist, who uses sophisticated equipment to track all your major bodily functions. A breathing tube may be inserted through your mouth and frequently into the windpipe to maintain proper breathing during this period. The length and level of anesthesia is calculated and constantly adjusted with great precision. At the conclusion of surgery, your anesthesiologist will reverse the process and you will regain awareness in the recovery room.