Frequently Asked Questions
Medical Records
Q. How do I go about obtaining a birth certificate for my newborn?
A. If you recently delivered a baby at ACMH, shortly after the birth you completed the information that is submitted to the PA Department Health, Division of Vital Records. This submission is required to be completed within 10 days from the date of birth. Typically it takes 4-6 weeks for the State to process this information and in that timeframe the original birth certificate should arrive at the address you submitted, free of charge. Should you require additional assistance the Division of Vital Statistics in New Castle may be contacted via: Phone 724-656-3100 or Fax: 724- 656-8951.
Q. How do I obtain a copy of a birth certificate (for any other individual).
A. If you were born in PA you
may contact the Division of Vital Records in New Castle via phone
724-656-3100 or Fax 724-656-8951. If you were born in a state other
than PA you will need to contact the appropriate agency in that state or as an
alternative you may access
www.vitalcheck.com. There is a fee for research and reproduction which
varies from state to state. You should also have available the name of the
person for whom the certificate is being requested, the father's name, mother's
name, date of birth, place of birth and a return address.
Sleep Disorders Lab
Q. How long do I have to wait for a sleep study?
A. There is currently little to no waiting time as the staffing and facility have been upgraded to accommodate patient schedules, including weekend scheduling.
Q.
How many testing rooms are in the sleep disorders lab?
A.
There are four comfortable bedroom-like rooms designed for sleep
studies. Each room has a double bed, TV, and a private bath.
Q.
I was told CPAP is the treatment of choice for sleep apnea.
What if I can't tolerate it?
A.
Most of the population can tolerate CPAP, but there are other
options for those who do not, which would be recommended by our sleep
physicians. Your primary care doctor works closely with the physician involved
in your sleep study to determine the treatment which is best suited to your
needs.
Q.
How long does the testing take?
A.
The test is done over night while the patient sleeps. Most people
require two nights of testing and these are scheduled consecutively, if it is
convenient for the patient. The patient leaves the sleep lab in the morning to
perform their usual daily activities and returns that night.
Q.
Is breakfast available in the morning?
A.
There is a continental breakfast provided in the sleep lab area
for those patients who must leave before 6:30 am. If your schedule permits, a
voucher is provided so you may eat breakfast in the cafeteria after 6:30 am.
Q.
Where do I call if I have questions?
A.
There are persons regularly available in the Sleep Lab during the
daylight hours Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, and again after 6 pm or 7pm
in the evening. Patients are given clear instructions regarding whom to contact
if there is a problem.
Q.
What is the difference between a hospital-based lab and a free
standing lab?
A.
Both offer good services but the in-hospital lab has the added
benefit of providing immediate additional medical services as needed; the
hospital has night time security for added safety; the hospital usually has a
larger pool of technicians from which to draw so that testing is not delayed.
Veterans Administration
Q.
How do I become a patient at the Kittanning office?
A.
Please call 800-362-8262 and ask for enrollment.
Women's Healthcare
Q. Where can I get information on menopause?
A. Wyeth hosts a website with useful information. Just follow this link:
Q. What is the status of Dr. John Garrott's office, if I was his previous patient, where can I seek treatment?
A. Dr. Garrott retired
3/1/06, and acquired Dr. Craig Herring to fill the office vacancy. Along with
Dr. Herring, treatment is available with Dr. Garrott's Nurse Practitioner, Ann
Dehgan. Both providers are located in the same building, which is Suite 230,
Medical Arts Building 200, located on ACMH Hospital campus. Dr. Herring treats
all pregnant patients in Suite 300, along with Maureen Russell, MD and Steven
Paterno, MD. Any questions or concerns, always feel free to call 724-543-2229.
Rehab Services
Q. Where are ACMH Hospital's rehab services located?
A. Outpatient Therapy (PT, OT,
SLP) - ACMH hospital, 1st floor adjacent to the Emergency Department.
Outpatient PT services are also offered at the Ford City Health Pavilion (FCHP),
202 Fifth Ave, Ford City, PA 16262 and in the basement of Leechburg PCC, 116
Main St. Leechburg, PA 15656.
Inpatient Therapy (SNU/ARU PT and OT) - ACMH hospital, 2nd floor adjacent
to cafeteria.
Q. What are the hours of operation?
A. ACMH Hospital
Outpatient PT, OT, SLP and FCHP PT services are available Monday through
Friday; Leechburg PT is available Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Inpatient rehab services are offered 6 days a week with physical
therapist on call for Sundays.
Q. How can someone get therapy services?
A. Outpatients should call or stop in to make an appointment (bring physician prescription). Inpatient services will be specifically ordered by your physician.
Q. How soon can someone get therapy services?
A. Outpatients
can typically be scheduled for an appointment within 2-3 days or sooner as
available. Inpatients are seen by the therapists within 24 hours of
receiving a physician referral.
Q. What makes ACMH rehab services different from other area rehab facilities?
A. ACMH rehab houses a warm-water pool that is used for aquatic therapy and arthritis classes. We also offer Lymphedema management, a fitness program available to ACMH employees and the community, and massage therapy services. ACMH Rehab is one of the few local rehab departments where PT, OT and SLP may be provided in the same location. Additionally, as a hospital-based rehab department, emergency and other services are immediately available as needed.
Q. Where can I get more information about ACMH rehab services?
A. Please call:
ACMH Outpatient Rehab 724-543-8145
Ford City Health Pavilion 724-763-2264
Leechburg PCC 724-845-1211 ext 231
Pain Management Center
Q. What is a Pain Management Center?
A. A pain management center evaluates and treats patients who may be suffering from pain not relieved by ordinary pain management methods/medications.
Q. What is acute pain?
A. Acute pain comes on quickly, as from an injury, has very definite symptoms, and usually heals in a short period of time.
Q. What is chronic pain?
A. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 3 months. It is different from acute pain in that it is not always easy to find the cause.
Q. What is cancer pain?
A. Some people with cancer
will experience pain caused by the disease or by the treatments. The good news
is cancer pain can be managed.
Q. What are
pain treatments?
A. Some of the major treatment strategies include injections of corticosteroids; minimally invasive surgical procedures; oral medications.
Q. What surgical procedures do you do?
A. Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that stabilizes back bone fractures and helps to correct boney deformity.
Q. How do I become a Pain Management Center patient?
A. Your physician needs to refer you to the Pain Management Center. They can do so by completing and faxing to our office a "Faxed Request for Consult" sheet. Once we receive the form from your physician and necessary information from your physician, we will call you to schedule an appointment.
Q. Where can I get more information?
A. Please visit us on the
ACMH Hospital website
or call 724-543-8622.
Wound Healing Center
Q. What is a Wound Healing Center (WHC)?
A. The WHC is dedicated to caring for people with difficult wounds by combining common sense medical care with the most advanced wound care technologies.
Q. What are the most commonly treated wounds?
A. The wounds seen most
often in the WHC include, but are not limited to:
Diabetic Ulcers
Venous Ulcers
Ischemic/arterial ulcers
Pressure ulcers
Radiation related tissue damage
Traumatic injuries
Non-healing surgical wounds
Q. What kind of treatments are offered at the WHC?
A. Physical Therapists and
Registered Nurses work closely with a Vascular Surgeon and Nurse Practitioner to
provide treatments including:
Mist Therapy
Compression pumping and wrapping
Circulation stimulation therapies
Bioengineered skin substitutes
Advanced dressing materials
Negative Pressure Therapy
Q. Are there other specialists at the WHC?
A. At the WHC we treat the
whole person, not just the wound. Some of the specialists we involve as needed
are nutritionists, podiatrists, pain experts, infectious disease experts. As
well as certified enterostomal staff for Ostomy care.
Q. How do
I become a WHC patient?
A. You or your physician may call us directly to schedule an appointment at 724-543-8536. However, patients may call to schedule their own visit without a physician referral. Your Physician may also send us an appointment request form (Form # WC-2389-FF). Upon receiving this form, we will call you to schedule an appointment.
MRI
Q. What is an MRI?
A. The MRI machine is a tube (or bore) surrounded by a large circular magnetic field, which a moveable bed moves through.
Q. How does MRI work?
A. The MRI uses radio waves, a magnetic field, and a computer to produce images of body structures. Normal and abnormal tissues produce different images.
Q. How long does an MRI last?
A. On average, an MRI lasts about 30 minutes.
Q. What should I wear to an MRI?
A. Wear comfortable clothing with no metal, such as a sweatshirt and sweat pants.
Q. Does an MRI hurt?
A. No, an MRI does not hurt.
Q. I heard you have to lie still for an MRI? What if I have to sneeze or cough?
A. Sometimes a sneeze or a cough is uncontrollable, so we would just stop the scan and restart it once your sneeze or cough has passed.
Q. What are the noises heard during an MRI?
A. With MRI, the patient stays in one position while the machine captures images from different directions using three small magnets inside the larger magnet. The banging noises are the small magnets altering the magnetic field to focus on a specific body part.
Q. Do I have to drink anything or get an injection before an MRI?
A. Sometimes MRIs require a contrast injection placed through an IV in your arm. MRI systems do not use ionizing radiation, and the contrast material enhances the MRI images and has a very low incidence of side effects.
Q. When is an MRI ordered?
A. MRI is an incredible diagnostic tool. The only better way to see inside your body would be through surgical intervention. Some of the instances in which is MRI is used include:
Diagnosing: multiple sclerosis; tumors of the brain; infections in the brain, spine or joints; tendonitis
Visualizing: torn ligaments in the wrist, knee, ankle; shoulder injuries
Evaluating: masses in the soft tissues of the body; bone tumors, cysts; bulging or herniated disks in the spine.
Q. I had a CT for a possible bowel abscess. Why not an MRI? What is the difference between the two tests?
A. CT scans use radiation and MRI does not. CT is faster than an MRI, so in situations where an immediate diagnosis is necessary, CT is best. Your bowel has uncontrollable movement called Peristalsis, which causes a motion artifact on MRI, but a CT scan is a much faster exam and gives the doctor more information without motion.
Q. What is the difference between MRI and an x-ray?
A. MRIs are multidimensional and x-ray is one-dimensional. X-ray images boney tissue but MRI can image soft tissue.
Q. Why do I have to answer so many questions before an MRI?
A. Very careful screening is done with all patients prior to an MRI exam. The MRI uses a strong magnet so any ferrous (iron) metal is drawn to it. Therefore, thorough screening must be done on anyone entering the MRI scan room in order to determine whether the person has any metal in their body.
Q. What metal is found in a person’s body?
A. Some metal is intentionally placed in a person’s body such as: pacemakers, aneurysm clips in the brain, dental implants. Some metal gets into the body by mistake, i.e., sheet metal workers may have metallic fragments in the eye. Either way, metal may make a person ineligible for an MRI and then alternative testing may be done.
Q. Why do I have to have an x-ray of the head before an MRI?
A. If screening questions determine you may be at risk, an x-ray is done to look for metal fragments.
Q. I have a total hip/knee replacement; can I safely get an MRI?
A. Orthopedic implants are usually not affected by an MRI even if they are ferromagnetic (iron) because they are imbedded in the bone. (Many orthopedic implants are now made of titanium, which is nonmagnetic.)
Q. I have a marker in my breast. Would that interfere with an MRI?
A. Breast markers are okay to scan after 6 weeks.
Q. If screening/testing determines that a person is at risk for injury during an MRI, what is done?
A. Other forms of imaging may be used if it is determined that an MRI may cause injury to the patient.
Q. Is an open MRI as good as a closed MRI?
A. To date, no, an open MRI does not produce the same quality images as a closed MRI. Although imaging with an open MRI has improved over the years, a closed MRI continues to provide superior images.
Q. I can’t stand being in small spaces, and I am afraid to get an MRI.
A. Claustrophobic patients and patients who are overweight have had a very hard time with the MRI procedure in the past due to the small opening and long length of the tube (called a bore). MRI machine manufacturers have been working to improve the machines to make them more patient friendly while still capturing quality images for physician use.
By June 2007, ACMH Hospital will have installed a new MRI machine, with a bore that is larger in diameter and shorter in length. It will allow about 60% of all MRI procedures to be done with the patient’s head and feet outside of the bore.
Currently, there are multiple techniques used by the ACMH physicians and staff to make your MRI test as comfortable and non-threatening as possible.
Q. I’m overweight. Will I be able to get an MRI?
A. The new machine will accommodate weights up to 550 pounds.
Q. How quickly are the results of testing available?
Your MRI results are available as soon as the testing is completed. They are interpreted by a Radiologist and sent to the ordering physician.
Q. Will my insurance pay for an MRI?
A. You will have to check with your insurance carrier to make sure. Coverage varies with each plan, even with the same insurer.
Q. What is the future of MRI?
A. Very small scanners are being developed that would image a specific part of the body such as an arm or a foot. The ability to visualize arterial and venous systems continues to improve; brain mapping (scanning the brain while performing a physical task such as squeezing a ball or looking at a picture) to understand how the brain works is developing; imaging strokes in their earliest stages is also being developed.