Starting Thursday, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is making a significant change by phasing out plastic hospital cards for patients across its facilities, including the Montreal General Hospital, The Neuro, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, and Lachine Hospital.
This decision by MUHC is part of a larger province-wide effort to streamline the registration process, enhance security measures, facilitate information sharing within the healthcare network, and reduce administrative redundancies. Moreover, this move towards digitalization not only improves efficiency but also aligns with environmental sustainability goals by reducing the use of plastic and its disposal.
For patients, here’s what you need to be aware of:
– New patients are required to visit the Admitting Office to set up a medical file that will be linked to their RAMQ (Quebec health insurance) card.
– Returning patients should ensure that their personal details are updated at the Admitting Office, especially if they receive care at multiple MUHC sites.
Annie-Claire Fournier, media relations advisor for the MUHC, emphasizes the importance of updating patient files at the Admitting Office for each site if care is received at different locations. Patients are reminded to always carry a valid Quebec health insurance card (RAMQ card) when visiting the facilities.
In cases where a RAMQ card is unavailable, patients should bring the following:
For newborns without a RAMQ card, the MUHC suggests linking their registration temporarily to the mother’s card. Parents are advised to update this information once their child is assigned a name and a health insurance card.
