Admissions & Inpatient Services

When you arrive at Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital, you will meet our admission clerk at the front desk. In order to assist you during your stay, the admission's clerk will need to obtain personal and financial information for your medical records.

This information is confidential and will be used only by the professional people who care for you. Your admission to the hospital was requested by your physician. Only a physician on the medical staff can admit a patient. The room to which you will be assigned is based on your medical needs, your preference and the availability of rooms.

Helpful Tips from CCMH-MC

Preparing for Your Clinic and/or Hospital Appointment

• It is essential that you arrive at your scheduled check in time.  This allows time to register for your appointment and meet with the nurse prior to your exam.
• If you are scheduled for a physical or annual exam and have an early morning appointment you may wish to avoid eating or drinking prior to your exam so fasting lab work may be done the same day.
• If you are bringing small children along for your exam, please make arrangements for someone to help watch them during your exam.

Items to Bring

• All current medical insurance cards
• Driver’s license or photo ID
• Social Security card
• All medications in their original bottles; this includes herbals and supplements; It is important that we keep your medication record accurate and up to date
• A list of all known allergies
• Any forms, documents or papers you need to have filled out
• A list of your questions and concerns (this will help you and your provider identify and prioritize items to focus on) 
• If appointment is related to a workman compensation injury or an automobile accident, please bring along your workman compensation billing address and claim number or your auto insurance billing address and claim number.

Clergy in the surrounding area visit as many patients as possible. They are available to patients and their families for any reason. A quiet room will be made available.

Your clergy can make arrangements for specific services including but not limited to the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, Anointing of the Sick or Holy Eucharist upon request. If you wish to receive any of these services, notify your pastor or your attending nurse.

Your doctor will authorize your discharge from the hospital. Please do not leave the nursing unit until the nurse gives you permission. You may check out when all necessary treatment has been completed. Before leaving, be sure that you have taken all of your personal belongings.

If your doctor prescribes medication upon discharge, it will be necessary for you to have the prescription filled by your pharmacist. Medications received from a hospital pharmacy for home use are normally not covered by your hospital insurance.

A supervisor will review the discharge planning form that has been ordered by your doctor. We welcome your questions.  It is important that you thoroughly understand the discharge plan.

Please stop at the business office before you leave. It is hospital policy that a nursing staff member must accompany you to your car at the time of discharge.

A. PRECERTIFICATION: Most insurance companies now require pre-certification for hospital admissions. The PATIENT is responsible for seeing that this is done. The hospital will help you do this if you would like our assistance.

B. BILLING: You will receive a bill from the HOSPITAL that covers use of facilities.  This will include charges for services you received, such as diagnostic tests, emergency room and physician charges, plus supplies, hospital personnel (i.e. nurses, techs, medical records services, housekeepers), meals etc. You may also receive bills from one or more of the following for their professional services, as rendered:

• Montevideo Clinic - for inpatient physician services.
• Satellite Computing (Willmar)
  • For reading of X-rays by radiologist.
  • For reading of pathology specimens by the pathologist
• River Valley Anesthesia
  • For anesthetist services
• Other specialty physicians who come from out of town.

Please note: The Hospital does not bill insurance payers for the above businesses. You must contact them directly regarding their billing procedures.

C. INSURANCE: It is important to note that the patient's share of the bill is due at the time of discharge. This includes deductibles, co-insurance, birth certificates, and non-covered items. You will be assessed a finance charge of 8% annually on the unpaid balance. If you provide us with your insurance information, we will file your hospital claim with the following providers:

1. We are a provider for MEDICARE, BLUE CROSS, and MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. They will pay the Hospital directly for any covered charged submitted. After your initial billing, you will not receive another statement until after payment has been received from Medicare, Blue Cross, or Medical Assistance. You will then be billed for finance charges on any remaining balance on your monthly statements.
2. COMMERCIAL INSURANCE. We will need an assignment of benefits signed prior to submitting charges on you behalf to your insurance carrier. If your insurance company has not paid the Hospital within thirty (30) days, we expect that you will take full responsibility for the bill, and you will be billed finance charges.
   
   If your insurance company is causing you unnecessary delays, we would be happy to assist you in resolving these issues, or you could write to the insurance commissioner at the following address:
   
   Minnesota Commerce Department
   Enforcement Division
   133 East 7th Street
   St. Paul, MN 55101
   Phone: 1-800-652-9747
   
   
3. We will allow thirty (30) days for payment from WORKER'S COMPENSATION, after which time the patient will be billed.
4. We will not become involved in disputes arising from personal injury. Financial responsibility for our services always rests with the patient.

D. PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR THE AMOUNTS NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE: We offer various options for payment of the portion of your account not covered by a third party payer. Of course, we would like to see you pay your account in full at the time of discharge, but realize that this is not possible in everyone's case.

Chippewa County Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic provides you with an online bill payment service.

You can make payments on your hospital or clinic accounts directly via this Web site. Payment types accepted include Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and eCheck.

Pay my bill online now.

Be sure to have your statement handy as you will be required to enter your account number(s).

Automated payment plans are also available. For details, call us at (320) 269-8877 or contact your billing specialist located on the back of your hospital and/or clinic statement.

Smoking is always a fire hazard. Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic is a tobacco free campus

If a fire is reported, automatic smoke barriers may close off individual areas when activated. The Montevideo Fire Department is automatically alerted.

A safety committee established by our medical facility meets quarterly to help ensure the safety of all Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic patients.

The Health Information Services Department maintains a complete and permanent record of the care and treatment of all patients. These records are necessary to ensure the safety and quality care of all our patients.

The contents of a medical record are strictly confidential and will not be released to anyone without patient authorization except when required by law.

Click here to review our privacy policy.

Hospice is a program and concept relating to care for a person and family experiencing the last stages of a terminal illness. Well-trained staff members provide this service.  The patient’s physician or others may initiate a referral by calling the Hospice Coordinator at the hospital. They will determine if the patient and family meet admission criteria. Hospice staff members are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you have a medical condition or live alone, you and your family can increase your sense of security by installing a Mainstreet Messenger unit in your home. After the service is installed, you may press a button on a device worn on your belt or around your neck to alert a first responder immediately, even though you are unable to get to a telephone.

Call MN Valley REC at 1-800-247-5051 or 320-269-2163 for more details.

A registered dietitian and food service supervisor will refer to your physician's orders as they plan and supervise your nutritional care. The charge nurse may order Guest trays for relatives if a family member is critically ill, or if your hospitalized child is unable to stay alone. A charge is made for this service. Vending machines for pop, candy and coffee are available within the hospital, and a public coffee shop located off the main lobby is available for lunch.

Meals will be served at the following hours except when tests or other treatment procedures conflict: Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Dinner: 11:30 a.m., Supper: 5:20 p.m.

Coffee, fruit juices, milk and a variety of other nourishing between meal snacks are always available at the nursing station if your diet permits.

Food cannot be brought from home without permission from your nurse or the dietitian.

If you need to maintain a special diet when you go home, you will receive a nutritional plan that follows your physician's guidelines.

Third and fourth-year medical students from the University of Minnesota work with the Montevideo Clinic staff through the University of Minnesota Family Practice Center.

All medical students work under the guidance of qualified doctors.

Registered nurses provide supervised patient care at Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital. Licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants and ward secretaries work under the supervision of the registered nurses. All strive to carry out the health care program prescribed by your physician and to make you feel as comfortable as possible.

One of the important factors in patient identification is the bracelet placed on your wrist when you are admitted. This bracelet is for your protection and should be worn throughout your stay. If problems arise, please contact your nurse.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "PATIENT SELF-DETERMINATION" ACT OF 1990

AT CHIPPEWA COUNTY-MONTEVIDEO HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CLINIC

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to assure each patient's right to decide his or her own treatment. This includes the right to accept or refuse procedures and treatments and the right to make advance directives and organ donations.

Policy:

It is the policy of Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic to respect and to encourage patient self-determination. Implementation of this policy will make it possible for patients to be active participants in decision-making about their care through education and inquiry. We hope that such efforts will encourage patients to communicate their preferences and values regarding their medical care to loved ones. We believe that such communication will guide surrogates in medical decision-making for patients who lose their decision-making capacity.

Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic will not discriminate against; nor require any condition for care based on whether the patient has executed an advanced directive.

For complaints about advanced directives or questions call The Office of Health Facility Complaints at 612-643-2520 or 1-800-369-7994. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Our staff is available to provide you with more information, and assist you to better serve your needs.

A modern pharmacy staffed by a licensed pharmacist is available to dispense any medications or drugs required by patients. Medications are dispensed by the dose system so patients receive the proper amount of medication directly from its own container.

Medications that a patient has brought from home must be prescribed by the physician and approved by the pharmacy.

Call Button:

If you want to get out of bed, please push your call button and ask for assistance. When you have been lying in bed for some time you may naturally lose some strength temporarily. You can prevent the possibility of serious injury by having someone help you.

Television:

All rooms are equipped with color cable television that can be operated from your bed.  Patients may choose from regular cable programming or the hospital's closed circuit educational programming on Channel 5.

Mail:

Mail is delivered to patients around noon daily, except Sunday. Outgoing mail is picked up daily by the postal service. Give outgoing mail to your nurse.

Flowers:

Flowers and other gifts are delivered directly to all rooms.

Telephone Service:

Friends and relatives may call you directly by dialing (320) 321-8XXX, where XXX is the room number that the patient is in.

Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital and Medical Clinic can assist in coordinating resources that enhance communication, hearing and ambulation. If you have a special need, please tell your nurse.

Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital's Swing-Bed Program is designed to provide assistance for recovering patients who need a high level of medical and around-the-clock nursing care service but who no longer require the specialized acute care of the hospital. Swing-bed provides this care at a savings. There are two types of care available, respite care when the patient requires custodial, maintenance types of care, and skilled care for those in need of daily skilled nursing or rehabilitation service. Individuals who are preparing to enter a nursing home facility may also benefit from this transitional program.

A social activities program may be prescribed for the patient. This includes hair care, discussion group and church attendance. Your discharge planner can answer more questions about this program.

Please do not bring valuables or more than $5 in cash with you when you are admitted. Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital cannot be responsible for personal belongings taken into your room. If you arrive in a hurry or have brought a large amount of cash or valuables, please send them home with a relative or friend or have them placed in our vault. Valuables that have been placed in the vault can be picked up at discharge.