PATIENTS & VISITORS Patient Rights and Responsibilities Patient Rights You have the right to... Be fully informed with complete and current information about your medical condition, proposed treatments, and prognosis in terms which you can understand. Consent to and refuse treatment (unless legally required through court orders or other appropriate legal authorities), including formulation of Advance Directives and/or appointment of agents to make health care decisions on your behalf. Ask questions when you don't understand the explanations and procedures that have been discussed with you. Have your privacy respected and your confidentiality honored in all interviews, examinations and treatments. Receive timely notice prior to termination of your eligibility for reimbursement by a third party payor for the cost of your care. Receive impartial access to treatment or accommodations which are available or medically indicated, without concerns about financial status, race, creed, sex, national origin, religion or sources of payment for care. Obtain a copy of your medical record; provided hospital release of information protocols are followed (a processing fee may apply). Receive considerate, respectful care with recognition of your personal dignity, psychosocial needs and spiritual and cultural values. If you have a disability which requires special assistance, you may request such assistance. Have your religious and spiritual needs respected. Receive a copy of your hospital charges and receive explanations about those charges. Be treated by compassionate, caring, accepting health care workers. Register complaints or objections when expectations are not fulfilled or when conflicts arise. Complaints/objections should first be voiced directly to your physician(s), when the questions involve physician's care, or to your caregiver or nurse, when the questions involve hospital care. If complaints/objections are not resolved, you should consult the department director. If still not resolved, the Patient Advocacy Department should be contacted. Have access to people outside the hospital by means of visitors and verbal and written communication. If you do not speak English, all reasonable efforts will be made to provide an interpreter. Know the identity and professional status of all individuals involved in your health care. Make your own decisions concerning organ donations. Select your physicians and choose a facility other than Providence Orthopaedic Neuro Spine Institute if you so desire. Be hospitalized in a clean, safe environment. Receive discharge and/or transfer instructions, including full explanations of why the discharge or transfer is medically appropriate. If transferred, you have the right to be provided with options, benefits, and risks associated with this transfer. Patient Responsibilities You have the responsibility to... Comply with your physicians' orders and nursing and other departmental care plans. Provide accurate and complete information about your present/past illnesses, complaints, hospitalizations, medications and other pertinent health matters. Be responsible for your actions if you refuse treatment or if you choose not to follow the physicians' instructions. Respect hospital property and the property of others. Properly identify yourself to all hospital staff. Maintain all personal valuables and store them properly. Comply with hospital safety and infection control policies. Respect the privacy of staff and other patients. Respect the need for a quiet hospital environment. Limit visitation by friends and relatives. Accept financial responsibility for services rendered, including providing information necessary for insurance processing and assuming responsibility for paying all hospital bills. If you would like any additional information, please contact our Pastoral Care Department at 865-4516.