Registration & Admitting

General Outpatient Registration
The registration process for outpatient services begins once your medical appointment has been scheduled. This is applicable whether you are a new patient to the University of Michigan Health System, or a returning patient who has identified changes to your registration information since your last visit. A registrar will attempt to contact you by phone prior to your scheduled appointment time to complete the registration process.

The patient registration process includes the assignment of a registration number that identifies you as a patient to the University of Michigan Health System. This number remains your medical record number for life. During the registration process, you will also be asked for your contact information including address, phone, nearest relative, emergency contact, employer, insurance, and referring and primary care physician information. Having this information available during the registration phone call will help expedite the process. It is very important we have updated information for you prior to your visit.

If any of the registration elements listed above has changed for you, please contact the Registration Department toll-free at 1-866-452-9896 or at 734-936-4990, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Registration Cards
Your registration card is a blue-embossed plastic card that contains your patient medical record number, your name, sex and date of birth. You will need to have this card available for the receptionist when you check in for services anywhere throughout the University of Michigan Health System or satellite offices. Most areas will ask for this card to stamp medical and financial paperwork related to your service. If you lose your patient registration card, you can ask for one to be reprinted at any of the registration desks located in the Taubman Center, Med Inn Building, Cancer Center, Kellogg Eye Center or East Ann Arbor Health Center. You may also contact the Department of Outpatient Registration and Insurance Verification for any additional registration card questions or needs toll-free at 1-866-452-9896 or at 734-936-4990.

General Admissions Information
Arrangements for admission to the University of Michigan Hospitals are made in advance by your physician. Prior to admission, an admitting representative will contact you to obtain complete pre-admission information. This will include information concerning your insurance benefits or other payment arrangements. You will be notified before admission about any portion of your bill which will not be covered by your insurance. A deposit will be required upon admission for the amount not covered by insurance.

Notification by mail or phone of the admission date and pre-admission checkup time will reach you in adequate time to make necessary arrangements.

The Department of Admissions and Business Services office is located on the first floor of University Hospital, Room 1B216, and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Please call the Department of Admission and Business Services if you have any questions at 734-936-6929.

To speak to a representative of the Admissions and Appointments Office, please call toll-free, 1-800-525-5188.

Hospitals and Health Centers within the University of Michigan Health System have admission information specific to that location. That individual information follows:

University Hospital – Admissions Information
Your University of Michigan Health System physician's office is responsible for scheduling your admission at the hospital. If your insurance requires pre-certification before admission, be sure to let your doctor's office know. If you indicate a preference for a private room, we will try to honor your request. If a private room is not available at the time you are admitted, we will put your name on a waiting list and you will be moved to a private room if and when one becomes available.

When packing for your stay, be sure to bring comfortable bed clothes, a robe and slippers with non-skid soles.

Do not take any drugs prior to your admission other than those prescribed by your physician. Your doctor may ask you to bring a list of your medications, including the medication names, dosage amounts and number of times you take them. Unless otherwise directed by your doctor, you should leave your medications at home or, if you bring them with you to the hospital, give them to a family member/friend to take home. If you bring medications with you and don't have anyone to take them home, Security Services will lock them up for the duration of your stay.

Please bring your health insurance cards or information that includes your insurance company name and policy number.

Your physician or the physician's office staff will most likely tell you what time to arrive at the hospital. You may also receive a call from the hospital to verify your specific admission time. When you arrive at the hospital, check in at the Admissions Office, located on the first floor past the hospital lobby. You will need to check in even if you have been pre-admitted. Pre-admitting speeds the admissions process, but does not eliminate it. During check-in, you will be asked to sign admitting forms. After this, you will be sent to your room or a testing area, depending on your doctor's instructions.

You may contact the Hospital Operator at 734-936-4000 and the Information Desk at 734-936-6641.

W.K. Kellogg Eye Center – Admissions Information
Adult eye treatments and surgeries are performed in the inpatient unit of the University of Michigan W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. If you are scheduled to be admitted to the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, you will be called the weekday before your admission and told the time to arrive. If you are to be admitted the same day as your treatment or surgery, you will need to arrive two hours before your scheduled time. The inpatient unit is on the second floor of the patient services building of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. Upon arrival, enter at the main entrance and go directly to the inpatient unit. The elevator is down the hall to the right of the main waiting room. It is around the corner from the optical shop.

When you come for your treatment or surgery, please bring your insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid card and all your insurance information. This information is necessary for admissions to the Inpatient Unit. At the time your surgery appointment is made, you may be asked to have some pre-surgery tests done. If so, you will be given requisition forms indicating which tests are necessary. These tests may be performed by your local physician or at the University of Michigan Hospitals. Your surgeon must have the test results in hand the day prior to surgery, otherwise, your surgery may have to be rescheduled.

The night before your surgery it is important that you do not eat or drink anything after midnight EXCEPT the morning of your surgery you should take your medication with a small sip of water, early, before leaving for the hospital. However, if you are a diabetic, DO NOT take insulin or diabetes pills. Be sure to bring all your medications - including eye drops, insulin, pills and inhalers - with you to the hospital. We may want to change the labels or have you take some of the medications before your treatment or surgery. It is possible that your ophthalmologist may recommend that you DO NOT take any blood-thinning medications, or aspirin-like products for five to seven days prior to your surgery.

Please be sure to arrange ahead of time to have a responsible adult drive you home from the Eye Center the day you leave the hospital. Please do not bring any valuables, jewelry, money or small appliances. If you have any changes in your health prior to surgery, please notify your ophthalmologist.

Adult Psychiatry – Admissions Information
Admission to the Adult Psychiatric Hospital will be arranged by the Department of Psychiatry's Admissions and Appointments Office. When a request for admission is made to this office, unless it is an emergency, a brief psychiatric history will be taken by a social worker. If admission is clinically appropriate, the intake social worker will obtain insurance information. If your insurance company requires pre-certification, you will be instructed to inform them of admission.

Please limit yourself to one suitcase. Pack casual and comfortable clothes sufficient for a three to five day stay. There are washers and dryers on the unit and soap is provided. You may not bring alcoholic beverages, drugs or medicines, safety razors, scissors, knives or other sharp objects. Electric razors are permitted and provided on the unit by request. You cannot bring tape recorders, televisions, computers or cameras for confidentiality reasons. You may bring a small radio or MP3 player. The hospital cannot assume responsibility for valuables that are lost or misplaced, so please do not bring jewelry, credit cards or large sums of money. If you must bring these items, we ask that you place them in the hospital safe for the duration of your stay. Bags will be checked upon admission.

Please bring your health insurance cards or information that includes your insurance company name and policy number. You will be told what time to arrive. Unless otherwise instructed, please park in the visitor parking structure. Enter the hospital on Level 1 and follow signs to the Admission/Patient Accounts Office. Check in there and tell them which unit you are being admitted to. They will direct you from there.