Admission Procedure
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has prepared answers to parents' most frequent questions about admitting a child to the hospital.
What does Cincinnati Children's require for admission?
Several documents are needed for your child's hospitalization:
- Identification card for your health insurance plan and any claim forms your insurance company requires.
- Completed physical exam form you received from your physician.
- Proof of guardianship.
It is important for the legal guardian to be present during admission to sign the necessary forms. If a court-appointed guardian will accompany the child on the day of admission, a court-issued document proving guardianship will be required.
We may not be able to complete the admission without proof of guardianship. If you know, in advance, that a parent or legal guardian cannot be present on the day of admission, please call the Admitting Department, 513-636-4207, to make other arrangements.
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Where is admitting and registration?
The Cincinnati Children's Admitting Department is located on the main concourse of Location A. It is directly across from Teen Health Center and Urology/Nephrology Clinic, just beyond the Chapel and Multifaith Sanctuary.
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What about registration when my child is having surgery on the day of admission?
If your child is having surgery on the day of admission, please report directly to the Same Day Surgery registration area on level 3 of Location B.
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How long will admission take?
We try to make the admitting procedure as quick and easy as possible. However, many factors, such as emergency admissions of other children, may cause delays. You can expect the entire process, including lab tests and exams, to take about one hour.
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How are rooms assigned?
We make every effort to give your child the type of room you and your doctor request. However, we may not be able to fulfill your request because of emergency admissions, an unusually large number of patients, or when medical isolation rooms are needed.
If your child is assigned a single-patient room without medical necessity and another patient requires medical isolation, we may need to move your child to another room.
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What if my child has been recently been exposed to chickenpox or another contagious disease?
If your child has recently been exposed to any contagious disease (such as chickenpox), or has a fever, bad cold, rash or fever blisters, please call your doctor as soon as possible. Admission may have to be postponed until your child has recovered.
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