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Primary Contact Person

Holy Cross Health has established a new guideline about communicating the status of a patient's condition to family and friends. All patients admitted to Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital – except maternity patients – will be required to designate a primary contact person who will receive updates about their condition. 

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How it Works

  

Frequently Asked Questions

  

Tips for Staying Connected

How it Works

During admission, patients will designate a primary contact person that will receive updates about their condition. Patients will provide the primary contact person with a privacy code to use along with the patient's name when calling to speak with our care team. We ask that privacy codes are not shared with other family and friends to limit interruptions and to allow our care team to focus on patient care. 

If someone other than the primary contact person calls and asks to speak with our care team, the primary contact person's name will be provided to the caller if the primary contact person has given us permission to do so. Otherwise, we will encourage callers to contact the person they think may be the primary contact person. We will continue to accept information relevant to patient care even if the caller is not the designated primary contact person.

If you are the primary contact person and leave a message for our care team, your call will be returned within 2 to 3 hours or the following day, depending on the time of day. Primary contact persons can expect a call from various members of our care team including the discharge planning team and social workers. 

Patients Who are Able to Communicate

We encourage family and friends to stay in touch with hospitalized loved ones using devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers and by calling the patient's room directly. If you are the primary contact person and prefer to speak with our care team, you will be asked to provide the privacy code, the patient's name, and to leave a message. Your call will be returned within 2 to 3 hours or the next day, depending on the time of day.

Patients Who Are Unable to Communicate

The primary contact person will receive a daily call from our care team — or more if the patient's condition changes — to report on the status of your loved one's condition. Primary can expect a daily call regardless if they contact our care team. 

Primary contacts calling to check on the condition of their loved ones will need to leave a message. Calls received before 4 p.m. will be returned between 1 and 4 p.m. Calls received after 5 p.m. will be returned within 2 to 3 hours or the following day, depending on the time of day.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary contact person's name will be provided to the caller if the primary contact person has given us permission to do so. Otherwise, we will encourage callers to contact the person they think may be the designated primary contact.

All patients admitted to Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital will be required to designate a primary contact person — except maternity patients. Maternity patients will not be required to designate a primary contact person. Callers seeking updates about their loved ones in the maternity suites will not be required to provide a privacy code.

If you have the legal right to know details about a patient's condition, we will provide you with that information. To avoid any confusion, it's helpful to channel communication about the patient's condition through the primary contact person to the extent possible. Should decisions need to be made about the patient's care, we will consult with whoever is deemed the patient's medical decision-maker according to Maryland Law.

We ask that privacy codes are not shared with other family and friends to limit interruptions and to allow our care team to focus on patient care.

We will continue to accept information relevant to patient care even if the caller is not the designated primary contact person.

  • If your loved one is alert and able to communicate, your call will be returned within 2 to 3 hours. Depending on the time of day, calls may be returned the following day.
  • If your loved one is unable to communicate, the primary contact person will receive a call from our care team once a day, or more if the patient's condition changes, to report on the status of your loved one's condition. Primary contacts will receive a daily call regardless if they contact our care team. Calls received before 4 p.m. will be returned between 1 and 4 p.m. Calls received after 5 p.m. will be returned within 2 to 3 hours. Depending on the time of day, calls may be returned the following day.

No. Family and friends are encouraged to stay in contact with hospitalized loved ones and do not need to be primary contacts or required to provide a privacy code.

Staying Connected With Loved Ones

Seeing friends and family while in the hospital is vital to a patient’s recovery and wellbeing. While you may not be able to visit your loved one right now, you can still stay connected. Holy Cross Health encourages you to use devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers to keep in touch with your loved one to provide emotional support and promote safety and healing. You also can call your loved one’s room or cell phone, send a text or use one of the video chat applications below.

If your loved one does not have a device that supports video chat, ask their nurse to help schedule a video chat on a hospital-owned device.

Using a Patient's Phone or Tablet

Below are some options to stay connected through video chat using a personal device. Select one both you and the patient have access to or can download.

Facetime comes installed on all Apple devices and is only available for Apple devices.

  • Launch the app, then tap + to enter the name of your loved one (from your contacts) and select them from the search results.
  • Tap Video.

Click here to visit Apple's support page for detailed instructions.

Google Duo is available for Apple devices, Android devices, and video-enabled computers. Both users must have Google Duo installed in order to use it.

  • Download Google Duo from the App Store or Google Play if you don't already have it.
  • Launch the app, then enter your mobile number.
  • Enter the access code you receive in a text message and follow the steps.
  • Once installed, enter the name of your loved one (from your contacts) and tap Video Call.

Click here to visit Google Duo's support page for detailed instructions.

Facebook Messenger is available for Apple devices, Android devices, and video-enabled computers. Both users must have Facebook Messenger installed in order to use it.

  • Download Facebook Messenger from the App Store or Google Play if you don't already have it.
  • Launch the app and log in to your Facebook account after installing Facebook Messenger.
  • Select your loved one from the list or by searching.
  • Tap the video camera in the upper right. Note: You can also use this app to send texts.

Click here to visit Facebook Messenger's support page for detailed instructions.

Zoom is available for Apple devices, Android devices, and video-enabled computers. Both users must have Zoom installed in order to use it.

  • Download Zoom from the App Store or Google Play if you don't already have it.
  • Launch the app and sign up at the bottom left of the screen by following the steps.
  • You'll receive an email to activate your account.
  • Enter the name of your loved one (from your contacts) and tap Video Call.

Click here to visit Zoom's support page for detailed instructions.

Calling the Patient's Room

Call the hospital where your loved one is located to be transferred to the patient's room.