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Patient Rights
Patient rights apply to adults, newborns, children, adolescents and parents and/or guardians of minors.
Every Patient has the right to:
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Access to Care - Individuals shall be accorded impartial access to acute care treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, or sources of payment for care.
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Respect and Dignity - The patient, as an individual with personal value and belief systems, has the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, with recognition of his personal dignity, including the exercise of cultural and spiritual beliefs that do not interfere with the well-being of others or the planned course of medical therapy. If the patient has a terminal condition, the patient has the right to the identification and appropriate treatment of primary and secondary symptoms that can respond to treatment if desired; establishment of a pain assessment process that results in aggressive management of pain and appropriate support in the grief process.
The patient, family member or significant other may access the Ethics Consultation Group by initiating a request to the attending physician or nursing staff.
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Privacy and Confidentiality - The patient has the right, within the law, to personal and informational privacy as manifested by the following rights. A. To refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected to the hospital, including visitors, or persons officially connected with the hospital but not directly involved in his/her care. B. To wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatments. C. To be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable visual and auditory privacy. This includes the right to have a person of one’s own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment, or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex and the right to remain disrobed no longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe. D. To expect that any discussion or consulting involving his case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in his care will not be present without his permission. E. To have his medical record read only by individuals directly involved in his treatment or in the monitoring of its quality and by other individuals only on his written authorization or that of his legally authorized representative. F. To expect all communications and other records pertaining to his care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential. G. To request a transfer to another room if another patient or a visitor in the room is unreasonably disturbing him by smoking or other actions. H. To be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for personal safety.
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Personal Safety - The patient has the right to expect reasonable safety insofar as the hospital practices and environment are concerned.
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Complaints - The patient has the right to voice complaints regarding care received and to have those complaints reviewed and, when possible, resolved.
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Identity - The patient has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to him and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for his care. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating him, as well as the relationship to any other health care or educational institutions involved in his care. Participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes should be voluntary.
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Information - The patient has the right to obtain from the practitioner responsible for coordinating his care, complete and current information concerning his diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment, and any known prognosis. This information should be communicated in terms the patient can reasonably be expected to understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information should be made available to a legally authorized individual.
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Communication - The patient has the right of access to people outside the hospital by means of visitors, and by verbal and written communication. When the patient does not speak or understand the predominant language of the community, he should have access to an interpreter. This is particularly true where language barriers are a continuing problem.
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Consent - The patient has the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving his health care. To the degree possible, this should be based on a clear, concise explanation of his condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including the possibilities of any risk or mortality or serious side effects, problems related to recuperation, and probability of success. The patient should not be subjected to any procedures without his voluntary, competent and understanding consent or that of his legally authorized representative.
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Consultation - The patient at his own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist.
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Refusal of Treatment - The patient may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. The patient has the right to formulate advance directives and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his behalf to the extent permitted by law, although provision of care is not conditioned on the existence of an advanced directive. When refusal of treatment by the patient or his legally authorized representative prevents the provision of appropriate care in accordance with professional standards, the relationship with the patient may be terminated upon reasonable notice.
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Transfer and Continuity of Care - A patient may not be transferred to another facility unless he has received complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the alternative to such a transfer and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility. The patient has the right to be informed by the practitioner responsible for his care, or his delegate, of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
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Hospital Rules and Regulations - The patient should be informed of the hospital rules and regulations applicable to his conduct as a patient. Patients are entitled to information about the hospital’s mechanism for initiation, review, and resolution of patient complaints.
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