For Patients

woman and drAt Glacial Ridge Health System, we are committed to providing the best health care possible to all of our patients close to home.

This commitment to you begins with knowledgeable, experienced, highly trained staff that is sensitive and responsive to your health concerns and needs. Providing a clean, comfortable environment with state-of-the-art technology continues that commitment.

You’ll find useful information by simply clicking the links below. These links will take you to information on everything from our locations, your hospital stay, your chart, financial services, our privacy policy, and more.

Check-In

Please check-in at the Emergency/Outpatient Services desk using the Emergency entrance located on the north side. The registration desk is staffed 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. To enter the facility after hours, use the same north entrance and press the call button inside the vestibule for assistance. Someone will meet you there.

Requested Information

The information requested during the admissions process is vital to our hospital’s medical and legal records. It will be kept in the strictest confidence. Your record will be kept on file electronically and may be of value to you for future reference. We appreciate your cooperation.

What to Bring

When planning for admission, please bring complete insurance information with you. We will make a copy of your card for your electronic medical record. We will also ask about your current demographics and contact information. Please have that data available.

Additionally, please bring your medications or a complete list of your current medications, including name of the prescription, dosage, and frequency.

Do you feel like you forget something every time you pack for a trip – or are you packing for someone else’s hospital stay? Download our hospital packing checklist to ensure you pack everything you need – and some things you may want.

Valuables

Glacial Ridge Hospital cannot assume responsibility for valuables and personal items kept in the patients’ rooms. It is best to have a visitor take them home for you. If this is not possible, the valuables should be placed in a valuables envelope provided by the hospital and placed in the hospital safe. They will be returned to you upon presentation of your receipt, which will be kept with your hospital chart.

Please keep dentures and eyeglasses in protective containers when not in use. Neither the hospital nor hospital staff is responsible for the loss or breakage of such articles.

Visitor Information

Please see visitation hours and information on our Visitors webpage.

Glacial Ridge Hospital offers a variety of amenities to make your stay with us as easy and comfortable as possible.

Rooms

All rooms are private, each with its own bathroom with shower, temperature control, and window blind controls. Each bed has controls on both sides and a “call button” connected to the nursing station.

Telephones / Cell Phones

Telephones are provided in all patient rooms. To make local calls, dial 9 and the number you are calling. For calls outside our local area, dial 9, then 0 and the 10 digit number you are calling, including the area code. An operator will come on the line and assist you with calling collect or using your calling card. If you have any questions about the telephone system, dial 2200 to speak to a receptionist or ask any of our staff for assistance.

A Telecommunications Device for the Deaf/TeleTypewriter (TDD/TTY) is available upon request.

Cell phones are approved for use while in the hospital and on campus unless indicated otherwise.

Cell phone chargers are also available for use upon request. GRHS has an assortment of cell phone chargers that may be borrowed while you are hospitalized.

Television

Cable television is available in all patient rooms; the channel guides are located in the front of this patient guide. All TVs have remote controls and are connected to or have a built-in DVD player for movies or music. (CDs can be played in the DVD player and heard through the TV.)

In-Room Activities

(Movies, Music, Books, Games)

Patients and their visitors may borrow from an assortment of movies, music, plug-and-play video games, paperback books, playing cards, and crossword puzzles. Please ask any of our staff if you are interested in these activities.

Newspapers

Complimentary newspapers are available from Glacial Ridge Health System. The West Central Tribune (Willmar) is delivered Monday – Saturday. Alexandria’s twice-weekly newspaper, the Echo Press, is printed on Wednesday and Friday. Other local papers are delivered weekly and include the Pope County Tribune (Glenwood), Bonanza Valley Voice (Brooten), and the Herman-Hoffman Tribune.

WIFI HotSpot

Wireless internet access is available in all patient rooms if you have a laptop with a wireless router. Glacial Ridge Health System does not have laptops available for patient or guest use.

Massages

While not complimentary, you may receive a massage in your room from a certified massage therapist who has been approved to give massages at Glacial Ridge Hospital. If you are interested in getting a massage, please ask a nurse for details and pricing information. You are responsible for paying the massage therapist upon service provided. Glacial Ridge Hospice contracts with the same massage therapist. To ensure your well-being, you will need physician approval for this service, dependent upon your current medical condition. Your nurse will make the arrangements on your behalf.

Room Service Meals

Complimentary Room Service is available daily from 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. by calling 2037. The Room Service Menu in your room provides a variety of choices. Your meals are delivered at your convenience within 40 minutes of placing your order.

  • Please note that if your doctor has ordered a special diet, some menu items may be restricted. If that occurs, our Nutrition Services staff will help you make alternate selections.
  • Some medications may need to be coordinated with your meal times.

Standard Meal Times

If you are not ordering room service, your meals will arrive at standard times: 7:20 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 5:20 p.m. Meal times are subject to change.

To help improve your condition or prior to certain tests, surgery, etc., your doctor may order a special diet. We accommodate your nutritional needs with alternative meals that meet the requirement.

Health Care Directive

Short Form (PDF)
Long Form (PDF)

At Glacial Ridge Health System, we strive to provide you heartfelt care from your initial contact with us to the ongoing relationship we have with you. To us, that includes ensuring that each of our patients are able to manage their financial responsibility for their health care services received. This is about much more than collection efforts; it is about being an advocate for you, our patient.

To that end, we have policies and procedures in place to provide our patients with the following benefits: set up payment plans they can afford, get them signed up for the best health benefits available to them, provide convenient methods for payment, and educate our patients on financial healthcare matters so that they can make decisions as informed healthcare consumers.

Financial Policies

Charity Care / Financial Assistance Policy (PDF)

Charity Care / Financial Assistance – Summary (PDF)

Charity Care / Financial Assistance Application (PDF)

Emergency Medical Care Policy / EMTALA (PDF)

Online Bill Pay

Click here to pay your bill online. You will be redirected to a secure website.

Combined Billing Statements

We have all-inclusive, system-wide patient billing statements. This means you will receive balances for your clinic and hospital services on one combined statement.

It is especially important to note that you are receiving a statement from Glacial Ridge Health System consisting of Glacial Ridge Hospital, Glenwood Medical Center, Brooten Medical Center, and Starbuck Medical Center.

Statements are not detailed.

You will not receive a detailed statement for every clinic visit on these statements. If you wish to receive the details for any clinic visit or hospital admission, please call the business office at 320.634.4521. and request a detailed statement of charges.

Questions?

If you have questions or want more information, please call 320.634.4521 and ask for our patient account representative. You may also use our contact form.

Thank you for choosing Glacial Ridge Health System for all of your healthcare needs. We trust that your experience with us has been exceptional, and we look forward to caring for you in the future.

Price Transparency

Beginning January 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services required hospitals and health systems to post their “current, standard charges.” This price transparency is intended to assist patients in comparing costs for medical services.

Hospital charges are the amount Glacial Ridge Health System would bill an insurer for a service. For most patients, hospitals are reimbursed at a level well below charges. Patients covered by commercial insurance products have negotiated rates with hospitals. Patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid programs have hospital reimbursement rates determined by federal and state governments.

It is important when you have the opportunity to shop for medical services that you contact your insurance carrier to understand which costs will be covered and which will be your responsibility. View Glacial Ridge Health System’s current standard charges and price transparency.

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit CMS.gov or call 320.634.2204.

Learn more about Good Faith Estimates.

Learn more about Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills.

Request Estimate

To request a Good Faith Estimate for a specific procedure, clinic visit, or hospital stay, please call Kris Hammer at 320.634.4521 or email [email protected]. You may also use our contact form.

Discrimination is Against the Law

Glacial Ridge Health System complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (consistent with the scope of sex discrimination described at 45 CFR § 92.101(a)(2)). Glacial Ridge Health System does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.

Glacial Ridge Health System:

Provides people with disabilities reasonable modifications and free appropriate auxiliary aids and services to communicate effectively with us, such as:

  • Qualified sign language interpreters
  • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats).

Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, which may include:

  • Qualified interpreters
  • Information written in other languages.

If you need reasonable modifications, appropriate auxiliary aids and services, or language assistance services, notify registration or scheduling staff, or contact us through the Minnesota Relay program, or contact Kirk Stensrud.

Minnesota Relay

This is a free, federally mandated Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) program that allows individuals who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or speech disabled to place and receive telephone calls. The Minnesota Relay also offers Spanish Relay for translation.

You may dial 7-1-1 and be connected to Minnesota Relay. Once connected to the relay service, tell the communications assistant the type of relay call you wish to make (i.e. TTY, HCO, VCO, STS, Spanish, etc.).

While the 7-1-1 access number is easy to remember, dialing the direct toll-free number for a specific type of relay call may result in faster connections because the call does not need to be transferred.

TTY, Voice, ASCII, Hearing Carry Over: 1-800-627-3529

Speech-to-Speech: 1-877-627-3848

Voice Carry Over: 1-877-627-3024

Two-Line Voice Carry Over: 1-866-855-4611

Spanish Relay: 1-877-627-5448

Language Assistance Services

If you need language assistance services, they are available to you, free of charge.

Spanish
ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene servicios de asistencia lingüística gratuitos disponibles. Llame a Spanish Relay al 1-877-627-5448 para asistencia.

 

Filing a Grievance

If you believe that Glacial Ridge Health System has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: Kirk Stensrud, CEO.

Mailing Address:
Glacial Ridge Health System
Attn: Kirk Stensrud, CEO
10 Fourth Ave SE
Glenwood, MN 56334

Phone: 320.634.4521
Fax: 320-634-2269
Email: [email protected]

You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, Kirk Stensrud, CEO, is available to assist you.

 

Filing a Civil Rights Complaint

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-868-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html.

How to Request Medical Records

We have two options for you to request your medical records. The most efficient way is to request online, however you can also download and return a form.

Patient Request Online

Our online records request verifies your identity by asking for a photo of your driver’s license or state ID, which you can take via webcam or smartphone. It takes approximately 5-10 minutes, and you choose either electronic or mail delivery! Click: Request Your Medical Records Online.

OR – Patient Request By Mail or In Person

Please download and complete this form: Authorization to Disclose Health Information. Print clearly and fill out as much information as possible. If you are unsure of specific dates, please give a range of dates or specific information you are looking for to help us find the correct medical information. Sign and date the form in the designated area on the bottom of the form. Based on the type of request you make, there may be a charge for this service. Please allow 7 – 10 days for processing.

You may return the completed form in person, by fax to 320.634.2262 or by mail:

Glacial Ridge Hospital
Attn: Release of Information
10 4th Ave. SE
Glenwood, MN 56334

Questions

If you have questions regarding the release of information, please call 320.634.4521.

How can I get a copy of a birth certificate?

All birth certificates for those born at Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood, MN, may be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) or the Recorder’s Office at the Pope County Courthouse.

Healthcare Provider Request

This link is for healthcare providers only. Must have HIPAA-compliant organization email address. Click: Request a Patient’s Medical Record Online.

Questions

If you have questions regarding the release of information, please call 320.634.4521.

 

For general inquiries, click on the Contact Us button below.

Click on the button below to learn more about our Medical Staff.