Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Notice of Rights
You as a patient will be informed of your rights in advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient care whenever possible.

Access to Care
You will be afforded impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of age, race, handicap, color, creed, sex, national origin, religion, disability, veteran or other protected status or source of payment for care.

Respect and Dignity
You have the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, with recognition of your personal dignity.

Privacy and Confidentiality
You have the right to personal privacy and to confidentiality of your clinical records.

Privacy applies in many ways, therefore you have the right to:

• have a family member (representative) of your choice and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to hospital;
• refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital, including visitors, or persons officially connected with the hospital but who are not directly involved in your care;
• wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures and treatment.
• be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable visual and auditory privacy
• have a person of your 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 than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which you were asked to disrobe
• expect that any discussion or consultation involving your case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in your care will not be present without permission
• have your medical records read only by individuals directly involved in your treatment or monitoring of its quality and by other individuals only on your written authorization or that of your legally- authorized representative
• expect all communications and other records pertaining to your care, including the source of payment for treatment to be treated as confidential, except in cases such as suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is permitted or required by law
• request a transfer to another room if other patients or visitors in the room are unreasonably disturbing
• access information contained in your clinical records within a reasonable time frame.
• privacy as it relates to regulations as specified in HIPPA regulations.

Personal Safety
You as the patient have the right to:

• receive care in a safe setting
• be free from all forms of abuse or harassment

Identity
You as the patient have the right to:

• know the identity and professional status of the individuals providing service to you and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care
• refuse participation in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes that affect your patient care

Patient Information/Decisions
You as the patient have the right to:

• participate in development and implementation of your plan of care, including pain management and are encouraged to obtain from the physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment and prognosis (the degree known). When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information should be made available to an appropriate family member, designee or legally authorized individual.
• review the records pertaining to his/her medical care and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when restricted by law
• consult with a specialist at your own request and expense
• be informed of the hospital policies and procedures that relate to patient care, treatment and responsibility applicable to his/her conduct as a patient
• expect reasonable responses to requests appropriate and medically indicated care and services

You and your family have the right to be informed about the outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes.

Consent
You (or your representative) have the right to make informed decisions regarding your care. Your rights include being informed of your health status, being involved in care planning and treatment and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.

You have the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving your healthcare. To the degree possible, this should be based on clear, concise explanation of your condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including the possibilities of any risk of mortality, serious side effects, problems related to recuperation and probability of success.

You will be informed if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation or other research/educational projects requiring direct patient involvement and the right to refuse to participate in any such activity.

Communication
You have the right of access to people outside the hospital by means of visitors and by verbal and written communication.

If you do not speak or understand the predominant language of the community, you will have access to an interpreter.

Refusal of Treatment
You as the patient may refuse treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy and are to be informed of the medical consequences of this action. In cases of such refusal, you are entitled to other appropriate care and services that the hospital provides or transfer to another hospital. The hospital should notify you of any policy that might affect patient choice within the institution. When the refusal of treatment by you or your legally-authorized representative prevents the provision of appropriate care in accordance with ethical and professional standards, the relationship with you as the patient may be terminated upon reasonable notice.

Transfer and Continuity of Care

• You will not be transferred to another facility unless you have received a complete explanation of the need for, risks, benefits and alternatives to such a transfer. In addition, the transfer has to be accepted by the hospital receiving the patient.
• You have the right to be informed by the physician and caregivers of any available and realistic patient care options following discharge from the hospital.

Advance Directives
You as the patient have the right to provide the hospital staff with your decisions concerning medical care which is discussed in more detail in the Advance Directives Section of this booklet.

Hospital Charges
You as the patient have the right to:

• request and receive itemized and detailed explanation of your total bill for services rendered in the hospital, regardless of source of payment for your care.
• receive timely notice prior to termination of your eligibility of reimbursement by any third party-payer for the cost of your care.

WITHHOLDING OF RESSCITATIVE SERVICES

Withholding/Withdrawing Life Support Procedures

• You as the patient have the right to request the withholding of resuscitative services and the withholding/withdrawing of life-sustaining procedures.
• When you as a patient request that resuscitative or life-sustaining procedures be withheld or withdrawn, hospital policy will be followed. These policies were developed in consultation with the medical staff and approved by the governing body.

The policies describe:

• The mechanism(s) for reaching decisions about withholding of resuscitative services from the individual patient or forgoing or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment.
• The mechanism(s) for resolving conflicts in decision making, should they arise.
• The roles of physicians and, when applicable, of nursing personnel, other appropriate staff and family members in decision to withhold resuscitative services or forgo or withdraw life-sustaining treatment.

Your rights will be respected when the withholding or withdrawing of resuscitative or life-sustaining procedures are requested.

Complaints/Grievances

• You have the right to express any complaint or concern to the individual involved. Unresolved complaints may be directed to a nursing supervisor or administrative personnel for investigation and resolution.
• You may file a grievance by contacting a nursing supervisor, administrative personnel or by calling the compliance hotline at 1-888-884-2499.
• You have the right to contact the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals as well as, or instead of, utilizing the hospital’s process for filing a complaint. The telephone number is 1-866-280 -7737. The address is DHH, Health Standards Section, P.O. Box 3767, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 or DHH, Health Standards Section, 500 Laurel Street, Suite 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70801.
• If a complaint concerns premature discharge or termination of benefits for Medicare patients or for questions about Medicare rights, patient may contact the Louisiana Health Care Review Organization, Medicare Rights Beneficiary Hotline at 1-800-433-4958. The address is Louisiana Health Care Review Inc., 8591 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 270, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.

Conflict of Care Issues – Ethics
You as the patient have the right to fair treatment conducted in an honest, decent and proper manner. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, forgoing or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment and participation in investigational studies or clinical trials. If you have ethical issues that cannot be resolved with a department, please notify the nursing supervisor who will contact the Ethics Committee chairman.

Sources of Information: Code of Federal Regulations 42CFR482.13, 10/01/2002

AHA, A Patient’s Bill of Rights, 10/21/1992