Maine Medical Center

Patients & Visitors

Whether you are coming to Maine Medical Center as a patient or visitor, we want your experience to be as pleasant and stress free as possible. Our website should answer many of your questions and once you arrive, our customer service representatives are here to help. We look forward to providing you with a supportive and healing environment.

Please note: Weapons of any kind are prohibited from all MaineHealth facilities and locations.

Visiting hours and policies vary throughout the hospital and can change based on federal and state guidelines. When visitors are allowed, children are usually welcome too. Please ask your nurse to confirm the visiting hours and policy in your unit. Masking is no longer required throughout our facilities except in certain cases (see below); anyone can mask at their discretion and MMC will make masks available.

If visitors have a new or worsening sore throat, cough, shortness of breath or fever, or if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or Flu in the last 10 days, they are asked to wear a mask at all times in the facility, including patient rooms, or to consider not visiting the hospital at this time. Masks will still be required in areas and circumstances where appropriate; standard and transmission-based precautions must be followed, including interactions with COVID-positive patients.

Patient Registration

To pre-register, please call 207-662-2433 or toll-free at 1-800-619-9715, Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 6:30 pm.

Patients & Staff Working Together

  • Speak up: We urge you to take an active role in your care. Please speak up if something doesn’t seem right. If you don’t understand any part of your care; a medicine, test, or treatment please let us know so we can ensure your questions or concerns are answered.
  • Identification: Please wear your ID band at all times. You can expect all care team members to check for your name, date of birth and medical record number before any treatment or test. All MMC team members should wear name badges and introduce themselves and their role in your care.
  • Medications: Please carry a list of all the medicines you take, including vitamins, herbs and supplements. The care team should explain all medicines to you including the benefits, potential side effects and the reason for the medicine.
  • Prevent the spread of germs: Please clean your hands after using the bathroom, before eating and whenever you enter or exit your room. All members of the care team should clean their hands before touching you.
  • Help prevent unsafe situations:To prevent falls, keep your call bell and personal items within easy reach and ask for assistance to get out of bed. Report any situation that makes you worry or feel unsafe, such as equipment that’s not working or a slip hazard.

MyChart is the MaineHealth online patient portal. With MyChart, you can complete your registration for an upcoming visit or update your registration information online. You can also schedule future appointments, review your health information, send a message to your provider and more.

Learn more about MyChart.

Tobacco is not allowed in the hospital or on hospital grounds, this includes e-cigarettes. Visitors can get free emergency nicotine gum from The Pharmacy on the ground floor of the Coulombe Family Tower. The Pharmacy is open 24 hours a day, every day. Tobacco treatment services are available for patients during their hospital stay. This includes counseling, support, and help with nicotine replacement to manage cravings or help with quitting. Ask your nurse or doctor to place an order if you would like this support. For the health and safety of our patients, visitors, and staff with severe allergies, we ask that you remain fragrance-free. This includes not using perfume, cologne, lotions, or oils with fragrance, and being free of smoke odor.

Part of the pre-registration and admission process for some procedures includes the opportunity to learn about your financial responsibility and provide a payment prior to receiving services and at time of service.

This allows you to be an informed consumer by providing you with a better understanding of your benefits and individual payment responsibilities. Identifying if financial counseling is needed and connecting you with the appropriate resources is a critical part of this process.

It is one less thing for you to worry about while recovering and we are committed to providing the best health care to everyone in the communities we serve – regardless of their ability to pay. Visit our Billing and Financial Services page for more information.

Before you come to the hospital:

  • Talk to your insurance company to make sure your insurance covers the procedure. Prior authorization may be required.
  • If you do not have insurance, please contact our financial services team through MyChart, the MaineHealth patient portal, or call 1-866-804-2499 (toll-free) Monday through Friday: 8 am – 4:30 pm.
  • Arrange transportation home from the hospital.
  • Chose a family member or friend to speak on your behalf, take calls or relay information about how you're doing.
  • Complete an advance directive.
  • Pre-register for your stay.
  • Be sure to know what time to come to the hospital. If you have not been told, please check with your doctor.
  • Take a shower or bath. If provided, use special soap as directed by your provider.

Things you will need with you:

  • Your insurance card and photo ID
  • A list of current medicines - including how much you take and how often
  • Completed advance directive form.
  • Personal health devices.

You may also want these items to make your stay more pleasant:

  • Something to read.
  • Comfortable pajamas and slippers
  • Personal hygiene items (no scented products please)

Things to leave at home:

  • Valuables, cash and jewelry
  • Medicines you take at home, including medical marijuana
  • Electric fan
  • Electric heating pad
  • Electric radio
  • Electric razor
  • Hair dryer
  • Pets
  • Television
  • Weapons

Upon Arrival

Our staff will do what they can to make the admitting process easy and efficient for you. We will ask you to sign forms saying you agree to your treatment. Please read the forms carefully. While your room is being prepared, we will make you as comfortable as we can in our waiting room. Sometimes there may be a shortage of rooms because of unexpected emergencies. If this is the case, we will do our best to work with your care team to tell you before you come to the hospital. Unfortunately, we may not know we’ll be short of rooms until the day you arrive. We appreciate your patience.

Before surgery: Pre-Operative Readiness and Education (PREP) 

  • If you are having surgery at MMC, your surgeon will give you information about your surgery, such as how to prepare and what time to arrive.
  • There are two parts to PREP: a PREP phone call and a PREP visit.
  • Every surgical patient will receive a PREP phone call. It is very important to call us back quickly if we leave you a message.
  • Some patients will also be asked to come to the PREP clinic for an in-person visit. This depends on the type of surgery and any health conditions you have.

Questions: Main Line 207-662-8217
PREP nurse line at 800-838-8217
mmc.org/prep

Location: MMC Brighton Campus
335 Brighton Avenue, Portland, ME

The term “advance directive” means any spoken or written instructions you give about the health care you want if a time comes when you are too ill to decide. Should you become too ill to make choices about your care, an advance directive can help others know what to do and give them peace of mind. Documenting your health care wishes spares loved ones the burden of making tough end of life decisions. By completing an advance directive, you can identify treatments you want/don’t want, state your wishes about donating your body, organs and/or tissues at death, outline your wishes about burial and funeral arrangements, and even state your wishes about resuscitation.

Anyone's health status can change suddenly. So even if you’re in good health, it’s still important to make sure your health care team knows your wishes. Don’t wait until there’s a crisis. And don’t wait for your doctor to bring it up. Get started now!

At MaineHealth, the privacy of your health information is a top priority. All MaineHealth locations follow strict guidelines that secure your medical records in accordance with your rights, and with federal and state regulations. You, or your legal representative, have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical records. We do not offer walk-in services but can provide records electronically, on paper, on a USB flash drive, or on a compact disc (CD). Upon request, we will also send a copy of your medical records to another health care provider.

Request a copy of your medical records.