MUHC no longer issues plastic registration cards

MONTREAL – As of August 28, 2025, hospital cards will no longer be used at the McGill University Health Centre. Instead, the provincial health insurance card (RAMQ) will be used to identify patients.

This change is part of a province-wide effort to modernize and simplify patient care. “All of our systems are now configured with the health insurance card, and we can link each patient’s MUHC file number to it,” said Dr. Alan Forster (pictured), director of innovation, transformation and clinical performance.

What does this mean for patients?

• New patients: You must go to the Admitting Office before your appointment. A file with a medical record number (MRN) will be created and linked to your health insurance card.
• Returning patients: If your personal information has changed (address, phone number, emergency contact number, etc.), please go to the Admitting Office at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment to update your file.

If you receive care at multiple sites or clinics, the changes to your file must be made at the Admitting Office at each site.

• Babies born at the MUHC, or newborns seen at the Montreal Children’s Hospital for their first appointment, will temporarily be registered under their mother’s health card. Once the baby receives a RAMQ card, parents should go to Admitting to update the file.

Once a baby has a given name, the file must also be updated.

Why is this happening?

• MUHC is modernizing the way it registers patients to make the process simpler, faster, and more secure.
• This change makes it easier to share patient information across the healthcare network.
• It also reduces duplication of information.

“This will be helpful for patients, in that they won’t have an extra piece of paraphernalia to carry around with them to remember it,” Dr. Forster told CTV News. “We’re modernizing the transmission of information within the hospital, so that there is going to be less paper produced, ultimately, and, in the end, there will be a benefit to the environment, not only from the paper, but also from the plastic card itself.”

The hospital will save money by not having to print up additional cards.

Dr. Forster said there have been improvements in recent years within hospitals, thanks to digital integration and tools that support care. He said the next step is to develop a connected care delivery system.

“So, wherever you go to get care, people can have information,” said Forster. “We want to have the patient connected to that information system so they can see their information.”