A. ACCESS TO CARE: Individuals shall be accorded impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of race, creed, sex; national origin, or sources of payment for care.
B. RESPECT AND DIGNITY: The patient has the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, with recognition of his/her personal dignity. Patient has a right to participate in decisions regarding ethical issues surrounding his/her care including issues of conflict resolution.
C. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: The patient has the right, within the law, to personal and informational privacy as manifested by the following rights:
1. To refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital including visitors, or persons officially connected with the hospital but not directly involved in his/her care.
2. To wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
3. 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 not to remain disrobed any longer then is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.
4. To expect that any discussion or consultation involving his/her case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in his/her case will not be present without his/her permission.
5. To have his/her medical record read only by individuals directly involved in his/her treatment or in the monitoring of its quality. Other individuals can only read his/her medical record on his/her written authorization or that of his/her legally authorized representative.
6. To expect all communications and other records pertaining to his/her care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
7. To be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for personal safety.
8. The patient has a right to exclude any family member from participating in his/her healthcare decisions.
D. PERSONAL SAFETY: The patient has the right to expect reasonable safety insofar as the hospital practices and environment are concerned. The patient has the right to access protective services, if necessary.
E. IDENTITY: The patient has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to him/her and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for his/her care. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating him/her, as well as the relationship to any other healthcare or educational institution involved in his/her care. Participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes should be voluntary.
F. INFORMATION: The patient has the right to obtain, from the practitioner responsible for coordinating his/her care, complete and current information concerning his/her 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. The patient has the right to be informed by the licensed independent practitioner or his/her designee about the outcomes of any treatment or procedure including those outcomes that differ significantly from the anticipated outcomes. Upon request of the patient to review his/her medical record, the primary physician shall be notified of said request.
G. 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/she should have access to an interpreter. This is particularly true where language barriers are a continuing problem.
H. CONSENT: The patient has the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving his/her healthcare. To the degree possible, this should be based on clear, concise explanation of his/her condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including 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 procedure without his/her voluntary, competent, and understanding consent, or the consent of his/her legally authorized representative.
Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist, the patient shall be so informed. The patient has the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedures or treatment. The patient shall be informed if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting his/her care or treatment; the patient has the right to refuse to participate in any such activity.
I. CONSULTATION: The patient at his/her own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist.
J. REFUSAL OF TREATMENT: The patient has a right to make decisions about his/her care and to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and be informed of the medical consequences of such action. When refusal of treatment by the patient or his/her 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.
K. TRANSFER AND CONTINUITY OF CARE: A patient may not be transferred to another facility or organization unless he/she has received a complete explanation of the need for transfer and of the alternatives to such a transfer and unless the transfer is acceptable to the facility or organization. The patient has the right to be informed by the practitioner responsible for his/her care, or his/her delegate, of any continuing healthcare requirements following discharge from the hospital.
L. HOSPITAL CHARGES: Regardless of the source of payment for his/her care, the patient has the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of his/her total bill for services rendered in the hospital. The patient has the right to timely notice prior to termination of his/her eligibility for reimbursement by any third-party payer for the cost of his/her care.
M. HOSPITAL RULES AND REGULATIONS: The patient should be informed of the hospital rules and regulations applicable to his/her conduct as a patient. Patients are entitled to information about the hospital’s mechanism for the initiation, review, and resolution of patient complaints. Patients have a right to file a complaint with the state authority and upon request, will be given information on how to do so.
N. The patient has the right to be free of restraints and seclusion for use as coercion, discipline, and/or convenience.
O. The patient has the right to have an Advance Directive and can expect the hospital will honor that directive to the extent permitted by law. In certain circumstances, the hospital or physician may be unable or unwilling to honor this Advance Directive and will explain these circumstances as they arise.
P. The patient has the right to effective management of pain as appropriate to the medical diagnosis or surgical procedure.