Your Holy Cross Health Partners primary care provider wants to help you maintain good health. If you spend time in the hospital, *please let us know so we can help manage your recovery process. The following information includes tips on what to do during and after your hospital visit.
During Your Hospital Visit
Inform Hospital Registrars of Your Primary Care Provider (PCP)
When you arrive for a planned procedure, surgery, X-ray, or Emergency Department visit, be sure to provide the hospital registrar with the name and phone number of your primary care provider. This will help ensure that we receive notification of your hospital visit and can help coordinate follow-up care.
Ask Questions
All questions are good questions, so don’t hesitate to ask. Your care team wants you to fully understand your procedure and what to expect during and after your stay.
Keep a List of Your Medications
Be sure to keep a list of medications you are currently taking in your wallet or on your phone, so hospital providers can best assist you. If you are able to bring your medication bottles with you, that’s even better.
Take Notes
Document information, such as the names of your care team, and any instructions or information that your doctors or nurses provide.
Keep the After-Visit Summary (also called a Discharge Summary)
- At the time of discharge, you will receive an After-Visit Summary that provides information about who took care of you, what procedures and tests were done, any medication changes, and follow-up recommendations.
- If you go to a Holy Cross Health facility, your After-Visit Summary will automatically be uploaded to your health record so that your primary care provider can review what happened during your hospital visit.
- If you go to a non-Holy Cross facility, that hospital is responsible for notifying our office about your hospital visit and providing us a copy of your After-Visit Summary. That’s why it is important to:
- Provide your correct PCP’s name and phone number to that hospital’s registrar.
- Notify our office about any non-Holy Cross Health hospital visits so we can watch for a copy of the After-Visit Summary or contact that hospital if your information is not provided to us in a timely manner.
After Your Hospital Visit
Keep and Follow All Instructions
Review and follow instructions in your After-Visit Summary. Be sure to also follow up with referrals and call us if you have questions about the instructions provided to you.
Check-In With Your Primary Care Provider
Our care team tracks notifications about hospital visits and works to contact patients within two business days of a hospital stay and five business days of an emergency department visit. If you haven’t heard from us within these time periods or have questions or concerns about follow-up instructions or worsening symptoms, please call our office.
Sign-Up for MyChart
You can access your Holy Cross Health medical records, doctor notes, and test results from any of our hospitals and primary/specialty care centers through the MyChart Patient Portal. With MyChart you can:
- View test results and other information in your health record.
- View bills and set up payment options.
- Review your After-Visit Summary and other instructions from a recent office or hospital visit.
- Schedule and view future appointments – including video visits.
If you need assistance signing up for MyChart, please call our office.