Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Patient Rights – Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for patient’s rights. A copy of the patient rights is available to all patients or responsible parties upon admission, if requested, and displayed prominently in the waiting area.

Policy

The patient has the right to privacy, respect and dignity provided by competent personnel.

The patient has the right to have access to an interpreter at no cost to them.

The patient has the right to full information, in layman’s terms, concerning diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications.

When it is medically inadvisable to give the information to the patient, the information is given on their behalf to the person designated by the patient or to a legally authorized person.

The patient has the right to participate in decisions involving their health care, except when such participation is contraindicated for medical reasons.

The patient has the right to voice grievances regarding treatment or care.

The patient has the right to provide feedback, including complaints regarding treatment or care.

The patient has the right to change physicians, if another qualified physician is available.

It is the patient’s right to have an advance directive; however, if a patient has a procedure in this center, they must understand that this center’s staff will perform life saving measures in any situation deemed necessary.

The patient has the right to be given the name of their attending practitioners, the names of all other practitioners directly participating in their care, and the names and functions of other health care persons having direct contact with the patient.

The patient has the right to confidential disclosures and records of their medical care, except as otherwise provided by law or third party contractual arrangement.

The patient has the right to give informed consent prior to participation in a medical care research program. If the patient is unable to give consent, a legally authorized person has the right to be advised when a practitioner is considering the patient as a part a program. The patient or responsible person has the right to refuse to continue in a program in which they have previously given informed consent.

The patient has the right to refuse participation in experimental research.

The patient has the right to medical and clinical services without discrimination based upon age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, disability or source of payment.

The patient has the right to expect the center to provide them, or other designee, upon request, access to the information contained in their medical record, unless the attending practitioner, for medical reasons, specifically restricts access. In addition, the patient has the right to expect a reasonable and timely transfer of information from one practitioner to another when required.