Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is MCE and its purpose?
MCE (Medical Care Establishment) is an institution which purpose is to provide stationary, round the clock health care for long-term patient nursing. The purpose of such place is to restore patient’s full physical and mental efficiency in order to allow him/her to get back home and function properly and independently.
Who is qualified to be put in MCE facility?
In order for patient to be qualified, he/she must have his/her hospital treatment process completed and documented, be fully diagnosed and there is no need for him/her to be further hospitalized but the current medical condition prevents him/her to fully function within home conditions.
Are there any situations that do not allow the patient to be put within the MCE facility?
Yes – three of them:
- When the patient has a diagnosed active tumour
- When the patient displays serious mental disorders
- When the patient starting rating (according to the Barthel Scale) is greater than 40 points.
In fact, in the first two cases, a consultation with specialist (oncologist, psychiatrist) is a deciding factor on wheter the patient can or can not be put within in the ward with general profile. If the oncologist finds that patient isn’t qualified to be put in MCE, he will direct the patient to the hospice. Psychiatrist, on the other hand, can direct the patient to the psychiatric ward of MCE. In the third case, health condition of the patient does not require full medical or nursing care, therefore, such person is being send to the nursing house.
When bringing the documents, must I submit them to just one specific institution?
From 1st of January 2015 there are new rules for submission of documents and registration for the waiting lists. Currently, according to the changes in the law system made under the Act of 22 July 2014 amending the Act about health care services financed from the public funds, the patient is required to submit only the original documentation directing him to the Long Term Care Unit and must choose only one, specific facility/ward.
In a situation where while visiting LTCU the documents are available only in copies, the patient is required within 14 days to provide the original documents, under penalty of removal from the waiting list. After this date, the care provider may itself delete such patient from the queue.
How can I deliver the documents?
To be perfectly sure, the best way to deliver them is to bring them in person to the facility. You can, of course, send them via mailbox but this way is often way slower than the previous.
How, when and where exactly can I deliver the documents?
You can deliver them from 8:30 – 15:30 to the secretariat on the 1st floor of the building located at Ujastek Street 3, Kraków or MCE building located at Rzepakowa Street 5a, level -1.
How big are the charges of stay?
Patient himself is responsible for the costs of social care in every MCE. In case where the facility has a contract with National Health Fund the charge is equal to 70% of the patient’s pension or retirement. Our facility also accepts voluntary subsides from patient’s family in order to provide him/her with guaranteed social care and high level of stay.
How long can a patient remain in MCE?
Patient will remain in the facility until he/she is able to function normally in home or at least with the little help of family. Of course, he/she can be written out whenever his/her family wants.
We want to emphasize that MCE is not the same as nursing house. Even though our patients remain here even for months, they are not accommodated here forever. Their stay is always temporary. When a patient gets well (which is indicated by at least 40 point score in Barthel scale) MCE has the obligation to write out the patient..
What kind of patients will I meet/see in MCE?
Great majority of our patients is in critical health condition – after strokes, with broken bones, complications associated with diseases such as diabetes, hypertensive disease, arteriosclerosis, patients with neurological disorders, dementia – basically, people who has a great deficit of self-care and need to be attended to 24/7.
When can I visit a patient? Are there any restrictions?
There are no fixed hours in which you can visit the patient.You can visit him/her whenever you can – within reasonable hours, of course.
What about the rehabilitation in MCE?
MCE facilities are obligated to have an exercise and rehabilitation equipment as well as adequate number of physiotherapists. However, the number of them is still greatly lower than in the rehabilitation profiled facilities. We provide patients with only basic degree of rehabilitation.
Is the doctor available in the ward 24/7?
No. Doctors are available in the ward only during the day shift. Then, patients are under care of nurses but doctors can be contacted via phone and come back to the ward.
Can a doctor refuse to discharge referral to MCE?
He can do that if he finds that patient is unable to be qualified to such facility. However, in case when patient goes to the hospital ward and it is known already that he will need medical attention after treatment, doctor should (taking into consideration long queues and waiting time in nursing houses or rehabilitation centers) inform the patients family and issue a proper referral immediately. But “should” does not necessarily mean “must”. In fact, there are no legal regulations according to such situation. What is important here is that patient’s family can ask doctor to issue the referral even though the patient is in the hospital.It makes the whole process easier and less stressful due to at least few days window.
