Patient Rights and Responsibilities
As a patient, you have the right:
- To receive services without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, handicap, national origin or sponsor.
- To be provided reasonable physical access. To be provided a secure environment for self and property.
- To be treated with respect, consideration and dignity.
- To expect physicians and staff to respect your privacy and keep all information pertaining to your care confidential.
- To expect that all disclosures and records are treated confidentially, except when required by law, and to be given the right to approve or refuse their release.
- To receive information from your physician regarding diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. When it is medically inadvisable to give such information to the patient, the information is provided to a person designated by the patient to be a legally authorized person.
- To be given the opportunity to participate in decisions involving your care, except when participation is inadvisable for medical reasons.
- To know by name and position, the person caring for you. Physicians and staff will introduce themselves and wear identification badges.
- To receive from your physician, information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure and/or treatment, except in emergencies.
- To be believed if you say you have pain.
- To have your pain managed as individually and effectively as possible.
- To have a concerned staff member respond promptly to reports of pain.
As a patient, you have the responsibility:
- To show respect and consideration for other patients, families, visitors, and personnel of the facility.
- To provide the facility with an accurate and complete medical history about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, surgeries, existence of advance directives, medications, and other pertinent data to the best of your knowledge.
- To provide accurate and complete demographic information, to include insurance information and changes of address.
- To assure that the financial obligations for health care rendered are paid.
- To accept consequences of your actions if you refuse a treatment or procedure.
- To ask questions, particularly when you do not understand a direction, procedure, or other information given by your doctor or health care team member.
- To follow the plan of treatment recommended by the doctor primarily responsible for your care and/or other personnel authorized by the facility to instruct patients.
- To keep your appointment, if you anticipate a delay or must cancel the scheduled procedure, it is your responsibility to notify the facility as soon as possible.
- To carry out preoperative instructions as supplied by your physician and facility.
- To help your doctor and nurse assess your pain.
- To discuss pain relief options with your doctor and nurse.
- To ask for pain relief when pain first begins.