Patients & Visitors
Thank you for choosing Los Alamos Medical Center to meet your health care needs. We consider it a privilege to serve you and your family. The goal of every Los Alamos Medical Center staff member is to make your stay as pleasant and as comfortable as possible while following the medical care plan especially designed for you by your physician. Please do not hesitate to ask questions about your care or any of the hospital's services.
The information presented below covers a wide range of hospital services and policies. If you need additional information, please call us at 505-662-4201.
We will do our best to resolve any difficulties that might arise while you are here or pass along any suggestions or compliments that you may have. Our Patient Advocate can be reached at 505-661-9180.
Admissions
Patients may pre-admit once admission has been scheduled. Admissions are processed via the registration clerks in the front lobby. Registration hours are from 6:30 am until 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and 8:00am to noon on Saturdays. After hours admissions are processed at the registration desk in the Emergency Department. Once you arrive on the nursing unit, the staff will help you get acquainted with your room and your surroundings.
Patients undergoing outpatient surgery should report to the registration desk in the front lobby. Outpatient registration hours are from 6:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Expectant mothers should check in through the Emergency Department before coming to Labor and Delivery. If you are an admission please check in via the registration clerks in the front lobby.
What to Bring
You will need to bring a small number of personal items to the hospital, such as pajamas, robe, slippers, and personal toilet articles including cases for glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and dentures. If you bring with you or any of the prior mentioned items are brought to you after your admission, please make sure your nurse is aware that you have them in your possession. These items are your responsibility to keep up with. Bring your driver’s license, insurance card, claim forms, and your co-pay and deductible amounts.
Do Not Bring
Do not bring watches, jewelry, cash or other valuables to the hospital. Los Alamos Medical Center will only be responsible for these items if they are deposited into our safe. Ask your nurse about safe deposits upon admission. Please do not bring medications to the hospital. Your physician and the hospital pharmacy will provide all of your medication while you are in the hospital. However, it is important to provide your physician with a list of all medications that you are currently taking.
Cafeteria
The cafeteria accepts cash and credit/debit cards.
The cafeteria, located on the ground level of the hospital, is open to the visitors for lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Menus are posted at the cafeteria entrance. Coffee is available free of charge until 9:30 a.m.
Snacks and soft drinks may be purchased 24 hours per day from the vending machines located on the ground floor adjacent to the Dining Room and the Emergency Room/Main lobby.
Hot Rocks Java Café operates a coffee cart in the main lobby of the hospital and is open 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The coffee cart offers gourmet coffee and drinks along with breakfast burritos, pastries, salads, sandwiches and yogurt.
Closed Caption Television
Closed Caption Television is available to all patients. Please contact the nurse’s station for instructions to change the settings on your television to closed captioning.
Interpreter Services
Los Alamos Medical Center subscribes to interpreter services. Should you or your family need such services, please ask a nurse or other staff member for assistance. TTY capability is also available for the hearing impaired.
Discharge
When you are medically ready to leave the hospital, your physician will write a discharge order on your medical chart. Your nurses and your physician will discuss discharge information with you, including special diets, medications and limitations on your activities. The case manager will assist you in making arrangements for home care or other community services, if needed. Your physician will let you know if an office visit is necessary after discharge.
Be sure to check your room for all personal belongings and reclaim any valuables from the hospital safe. When your transportation arrives, please allow your nurse to escort you from the hospital.
Waiting Rooms
For the convenience of your family and friends, Los Alamos Medical Center has various waiting rooms for Med/Surg/ICU, Childbirth Center, and Surgery.
Intensive Care Unit
Due to the nature of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), visitation is determined on an individual basis. Los Alamos Medical Center traditionally practices an open policy however depending on the needs of the patient, visitation may be restricted.
Financial Arrangements
When you are admitted, you should confirm financial arrangements for your care. If you have hospitalization insurance, please bring your policy, identification card, and other pertinent information with you.
Most insurance companies require pre-admission certification and a second opinion before surgery. Please review your pre-admission requirements and coverage and advise your physician of these requirements. This process must be complete before admission, unless it is an emergency. If this has not been done in accordance with the policy's requirements, your insurance benefits may be reduced or denied. Also if the patient leaves the hospital “against medical advice” (“AMA”) your insurance may choose not to pay for the hospitalization.
As a courtesy, Los Alamos Medical Center will file a verifiable third-party claim and help in any way possible to expedite their payment. However, please remember that the patient is ultimately responsible for the hospital bill because an insurance policy is a contract between patients and their insurance company.
Most hospital insurance plans do not fully cover hospital bills. All bills are payable in full at the time of discharge unless financial arrangements have been made with the business office (505-661-2900) before discharge. At the time of discharge, you should be prepared to pay the estimated balance due over the verifiable insurance coverage, or make arrangements with the Business Office.
The Business Office will file your claim for insurance assigned to the hospital. If an insurance payment is less than our estimate, you will be billed for the balance due. Los Alamos Medical Center can provide payment arrangements and financing options.
Assistance with Medicaid eligibility is available by calling the patient financial counselor at (505) 661-9162.
Hospitals and doctors charge separately
Once you are discharged from the hospital, you may receive a separate bill from the physician, anesthesiologist, pathologist, radiologist, or emergency department physician. These physicians are not employees of the hospital.
If you have questions about your coverage of your bill, please call the Business Office at 505-661-2900 and we will be happy to help you.
Gift Shop
The Gift Shop is located off the front lobby of the Los Alamos Medical Center and offers flowers, cards, baby items, toiletries, candy, and more. The gift shop is operated by the Hospital Auxiliary of Los Alamos Medical Center. All proceeds benefit scholarships for hospital employees and high school graduates pursuing a medical career as well as charitable causes in the community.
The Gift Shop is open: Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Housekeeping
Los Alamos Medical Center believes in the perseverance of our natural resources therefore, bed linen is changed every other day or as needed depending on patient needs. If you need additional linens or housekeeping services, please contact your nurse.
Mail and Flowers
Cards and flowers sent by your family and friends to make your stay more pleasant are delivered daily. Flowers are NOT allowed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Mail received after you are discharged will be forwarded to your home. Mail for patients should be addressed as follows:
Patient Name
Los Alamos Medical Center
3917 West Rd
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Medicines
We will need a complete list of medicines you are currently taking, including those not prescribed or ordered by your doctor. While in the hospital, please take only medicines administered by your nurse. If the medicines are not given at the same time as you normally take them, please let us know and we will try to do things as you do at home. Sometimes meals or tests may hinder your normal routine.
Newspapers
The nurses’ stations will have a limited supply daily of newspapers available upon patient request. You can also request a copy be delivered to your room by calling the registration desk 661-9196.
Pediatric Care
For the safety of our pediatric patients, those under the age of 12, we require an adult to stay with them at all times. If your child is under 2 years of age, we require the use of a baby bed for the safety of your child.
Smoking Policy
To protect your health and the health of others, Los Alamos Medical Center is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is not permitted in patient rooms, corridors, lobbies, waiting rooms or any other area of the hospital.
Telephones
Your friends and family can call your hospital room by calling the Nurses Station at 505-661-9260 and asking for your name or room number. If you need to make a phone call, dial 7 + 1 + area code + the phone number you wish to call. To reach your nurse, use your call button.
Valuables
We encourage you to entrust your valuables to a friend or relative while you are in the hospital. If you have valuables at the hospital please ask the nurse for a Special Valuable Envelope. Your valuables can be placed in the hospital safe, by the House Supervisor, once you have sealed them in the Special Valuables Envelope. The envelope must be filled out and signed by you or a responsible relative and your nurse. The content list will remain with your hospital chart and a copy of the list will be sealed inside the Valuables Envelope. Ask your Nurse about this hospital policy if you would like to use it. The hospital cannot be responsible for lost items unless they are placed in a Valuables Envelope. Glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and dentures must be documented in your chart.