Telephone, TV and Web Access

Telephone Services

A telephone is available for your personal use at your bedside (excluding Intensive Care) for a daily fee, which will be billed to your home after you are discharged. The daily fee includes all local calls. Collect calls cannot be accepted. If you do not wish to have telephone service, please call ext. 2200 and leave your name and room number on the voice mail. The telephone will be disconnected and you will not be billed.

Patients may receive incoming calls from 7:00 a.m.  to 10:00 p.m. You may make outgoing calls at any time.

The use of cell or digital phones is not permitted in some areas of the hospital because of the danger of interference with hospital equipment.

Dialing Instructions

To call Philadelphia and nearby suburbs:
Dial 9 + area code and number.

To call distant suburbs and toll points:
Dial 66 and listen to the voice prompts. For direct dialing, select "1" and enter the phone number you are calling. For third-party billing calls, select "2" and enter the phone number you are calling. The direct dial rate is less expensive and will be billed on your home telephone bill. For rate inquiries, call 1-866-213-2012.

Please direct complaints or questions about long-distance access to:

FCC Common Carrier Bureau
Enforcement Division, Room 6202
2025 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20554

AT&T Language Line

If you need an interpreter, call the hospital operator by dialing "0" to be connected to AT&T's Language Line, which has access to interpreters for more than 200 languages.

Directory Assistance

Directory Assistance for the 215, 610 and 484 area codes may be reached by dialing 9 + area code + 555-1212. You will not be charged for the call. Long-distance directory assistance may be reached by dialing 66 + 0 + area code + 555-1212. You will be billed for long-distance directory assistance by the long-distance provider that you use.

Internal Calls

You may call within the hospital by dialing a four-digit extension. Numbers you may need to call are available on the Telephone Directory page. For more information, dial "0" and our operator will assist you.

Amplified Handsets and TDDs

Amplified handsets and telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs) are available at no additional charge. If you would like to use one of these devices, please inform your nurse or call the hospital operator by dialing "0."

Television

Personal televisions are not permitted anywhere in the hospital. Television service is available for a daily fee, upon request, in all patient rooms and at some Intensive Care beds. Please be considerate of other patients by playing your television set softly, by using earphones in semiprivate rooms and by turning off your set at bedtime. Closed captioning is available upon request at no additional charge.

To arrange for television service, please call ext. 2200 and leave your name and room number on the voice mail. The television host will supply you with programming information. The daily fee for television service will be billed to your home after you are discharged from the hospital.

Wireless Internet Access

Lankenau Medical Center is pleased to offer you and your family wireless Internet access, so that you may keep in touch with work, family, friends and current events using your personal laptop computer.

Getting Started

Most laptops will pick up the wireless connection as soon as you turn them on.  If yours does not, please follow the instructions below.

To search for and connect to the wireless network:

Windows XP (with Service Pack 2)

1. Verify that wireless communication is enabled on your laptop.
2. Right-click the wireless network connection icon in your taskbar, then click View Available Wireless Networks.
3. The Wireless Network Connection dialog box appears. If no networks appear, click Refresh Network List in the upper left corner.
4. Choose the wireless network named Public by clicking on its name, and then click Connect.
5. Windows XP will briefly change the network's connection status to Acquiring Network Address, and then to Connected. You can now close the Wireless Network Connection dialog box.
6. Open your browser, and you will be directed to the Main Line Health (MLH) home page. Review the MLH disclaimer page and click on Register if you agree to the terms.
7. You will be redirected to the MLH Web site, at which point you can type in the name of any Web site you wish to visit. You may need to refresh your original URL name by hitting the Refresh button on your browser tool bar.

Windows XP (pre-Service Pack 2)

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 for Windows XP (with Service Pack 2).
2. Highlight Public and check the box next to Allow to connect to the selected wireless network, even though it is not secure.
3. Click on the Connect button.
4. Follow steps 6 and 7 for Windows XP (with Service Pack 2).

Windows 2000

1. Click on the icon of the software you loaded that came with your Wi-Fi card. NIC card software may vary. The software will list all available Wi-Fi hot spots in your vicinity.
2. Click on Public (or type Public) and select Product.
3. Follow steps 6 and 7 for Windows XP (with Service Pack 2).

Macintosh (OS X Only)

1. Select System Preferences.
2. Select Network.
3. Select Airport in the Show menu.
4. Click the TCP/IP tab, and make sure DHCP is selected.
5. Click the Airport tab and select Public.
6. Click Apply Now.
7. Follow steps 6 and 7 for Windows XP (with Service Pack 2).

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my laptop is not wireless compatible?
Many new laptops already come with built-in Wi-Fi capability to allow for a wireless experience on your laptop. If your computer is not Wi-Fi compatible, you may purchase a wireless adapter. Unfortunately, Main Line Health does not provide wireless adapters.

Can I use a hospital computer to access the Internet?
Due to the sensitivity of patient information, we are unable to offer computers to our patients.

Can I print?
No, printing is not supported from your laptop to a Main Line Health printing device.

What can I do if I can't get connected to the network?
Verify that your laptop has wireless capabilities and that it is enabled, and try following the "Getting Started" instructions again. If the wireless networking device does not automatically detect the available wireless networks, manually type Public into the appropriate field within the utility and try connecting to it this way. If you are still unable to connect to the network, please contact our patient Internet support line by dialing ext. 59-1771 from the phone in your room. The direct number is 484-596-1771.

What can I access through the wireless network?
You will have access to all public sites available through the Internet. Please be aware that Internet access at Main Line Health may be monitored.

Do I need to be wireless to connect to CarePages?
No, you can access CarePages from any computer, including your home computer. Many patients set up their CarePage prior to their hospital stay. To begin using CarePages, click here.