Martin General Hospital Closed - Martin General Hospital

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Martin General Hospital Closed

It is no secret Martin General Hospital has experienced financial challenges related to declining population and utilization trends that were outlined in the county’s Feasibility Study.

The goal has long been to determine the right path to preserve local access to health care for the community. We provided Martin County Commission with a proposal to revert the hospital back to Martin County, incorporated their requested clarifications and any requested changes and gave them an extension of time to consider our proposal at a called meeting on August 1. The County chose not to respond to our proposal and the hospital is now forced to suspend operations today and to file for bankruptcy.

Though this is a very emotional decision, Martin General Hospital is no longer accepting patients, including emergency patients, and the hospital has filed for bankruptcy. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1. The nearest emergency room is ECU Health Beaufort Hospital in Washington, NC is 22 miles south.

To be certain, these difficult decisions do not do justice to the hard work and dedication of the Martin General Hospital employees, nurses, physicians, volunteers, and board members. Their legacy of commitment to the community will endure in the countless lives they have touched over the years.

For assistance in obtaining medical records: If you are a patient seeking your medical records for yourself, for another healthcare provider, or for a third party that is not a healthcare provider, please complete this form, print and send the signed form via email or fax to: [email protected] or 858-244-3523. A scan or screenshot picture of the signed form is acceptable.

Hard copies of the authorization form can be picked up at the County Manager’s office, 305 E. Main Street, Williamston, NC 27892.

If you have an outstanding balance on a hospital bill, you can pay the balance online here or by calling 833-262-8644.

Martin General Hospital Patient Medical Records FAQs

I’m a former Hospital patient and I need my medical records (or my new healthcare provider needs my medical records). What should I do? Download and print the form on the Hospital’s website at www.martingeneral.com. Send the completed form via e-mail to [email protected] or via fax to 858-244-3523. A scan or screenshot picture of the signed form is acceptable. Currently, electronic medical records can be provided promptly. Requests for records that are stored in hard copy form at the Hospital (i.e. paper records) and requests for radiology and mammography images and obstetric records will take longer to process because of the nature and size of the records.

Is there a fee associated with getting my records? Depending on the format in which your records are maintained and provided, you may be charged a reasonable fee to obtain a copy of your records, such as costs associated with copying and mailing.

I heard that records are being removed from the Hospital. Is that true? Yes. For various reasons, it is not secure or feasible to continue to keep hard copy (paper) records at the Hospital facility. Hard copy records previously stored in Hospital facilities are being relocated to a secure facility. The vendor who is relocating the records specializes in record and information management and is experienced in the legal requirements associated with handling medical records. The record retrieval and removal process will take place beginning December 7, 2023 and will take several days. Community residents may notice activity on the Hospital premises during this time.

What will happen to medical records after they are removed from the Hospital premises? After relocating the records, the record management company will index the records for retrieval. Then, when a specific record is requested, the record management company will be able to locate the record and provide it to the person or entity requesting the record.

If records are being moved to another location, will it take a long time to get my medical record information when I need it? No. In fact, relocating the records will make them more accessible. After relocating hard copy records, records will be indexed for retrieval. Then, when a specific record is requested, the record management company will be able to locate the record and provide it to the person or entity requesting the record.

I heard that medical records are being destroyed. Is that true?
No. The relocation process does not involve the destruction of any medical records. The records are simply being relocated to a secure storage facility.