UNION GENERAL HOSPITAL

PATIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ACCESS TO TREATMENT

Individual shall be accorded impartial access to treatment or accommodations available or medically indicated, regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, religion, or sources of payment for care. It is the policy of Union General not to condition the provision of medical care to or otherwise discriminate against a patient based on whether or not the patient has executed an advanced directive.

RESPECT

The patient has the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances with recognition of his/her personal dignity. The care of the patient includes consideration of psycho-social, spiritual, and cultural variables that influence the perceptions of illness.

The care of the dying patient optimizes the comfort and dignity of the patient through treating primary and secondary symptoms that respond to treatment as desired by the patient or surrogate decision maker; effectively managing pain, and acknowledging the psycho-social and spiritual concerns of the patient and the family regarding dying and expression of grief by the patient and family.

The patient has the right to wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.

INFORMATION

The patient has the right to and is encouraged to obtain from physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current, and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. The patient has the right to be reasonably informed regarding participation in decisions involving his/ her health care. The patient should not be subjected to any procedure without his/ her voluntary, competent, and understanding consent, or that of his/ her legally authorized representative.

Except in emergencies, when the patient lacks decision-making capacity and the need for treatment is urgent, the patient is entitled to the opportunity to discuss and request information related to the specific procedures and/or treatments, the risks involved, the possible length of recuperation and the medically reasonable alternatives and their accompanying risks and benefits.

Patients and, when appropriate, their families are informed about the outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

Patients have the right to have their pain appropriately assessed and managed

IDENTITY

Patients have the right to know the identity of physicians, nurses, and others involved in the care, as well as when those individuals involved are students, residents, or other trainees. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship to any other health care or educational institution (s) involved in his/her care. Participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes should be voluntary.

SPIRITUAL

Union General acknowledges the psycho-social and spiritual concerns of the patient and the family regarding dying and the expression of grief by the patient and family.

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.

The patient has the right to be reasonably informed regarding participation in decisions involving his/her healthcare to the degree possible, this should be based on a clear, concise, explanation of his/her condition and all proposed technical procedures including the possibilities of any risk of mortality, 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 that of his/her legally authorized representative. Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist the patient will be informed.

The patient has the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedures or treatments.

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, and the patient has the right to refuse to participate in any such activity.

ORGAN DONATION

Union General recognizes the right of the patient to donate any organ to science upon his/her death. Your Patient Care Coordinator can provide you with further information if requested.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his/her medical care will be treated as confidential by the hospital, except in cases such as suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is permitted or required by law.

The patient has the right to 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 his/her care.

The patient has the right to be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable audio-visual privacy. This includes the right to have a person of one’s sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment, or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex. This also includes the right not to remain disrobed any longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.

The patient has the right to expect that any discussion or consultation involving his/her case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in his/her care will not be present without his/her permission.

The patient has the right to have his/her medical record read only by individuals directly or otherwise appropriately involved in his/her treatment or the monitoring of its quality, and by other individuals only on his/her written authorization or that of his/her legally authorized representative.

The patient has the right to expect all communications and other records pertaining to his/her care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.

REVIEW OF RECORDS

The patient has the right to review the records pertaining to his/her medical care and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when restricted by law. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information should be made available to a legally authorized individual.

VISITATION

Each patient (or support person) subject to their consent, has the right to receive visitors whom he or she designates including but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including same sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend, and his or her right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. UGH cannot restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identify, sexual orientation, or disability.

CONSULTATION

The patient, at his/her own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

The patient has the right to formulate advance directives and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his/her behalf to the extent permitted by law. Detailed information regarding advance directives will be provided to each adult patient upon admission.

GRIEVANCES

The patient has the right to be informed of hospital policies and practices, 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. All patient/family complaints should be referred to the appropriate department head or Compliance Officer, depending on the seriousness of the grievance.

The complaint will be investigated and a solution or explanation will be provided. For in-house patient complaints, an explanation of actions taken shall be provided prior to the patient’s discharge if possible. Copies of the hospital policy on patient complaints are maintained in each department and are available upon request. Also, the Risk Manager can be contacted to provide the telephone number and/or address of the state licensure agency.

AUTHORIZATION INFORMATION

For the purpose of this policy, the term “patient” shall refer to anyone legally authorized to act on behalf of the patient in the following cases:

When the patient is comatose, incompetent, or otherwise physically or mentally incapable of communication, the legally authorized representative may be one of the following in order of priority:

1. Court appointed curator
2. Patient’s spouse, not judicially separated
3. Adult child of patient
4. Patient’s sibling
5. Patients other ascendants or descendants

When a patient is a minor (under the age of 18, not emancipated by marriage) one of the following persons must act on the patient’s behalf:

1. Spouse who has reached age of majority
2. Parent or guardian of minor

VISITATION, CONTINUED

All visitors will enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences. Patient will be notified of any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights in advance of furnishing patient care whenever possible.

TRANSFER

The patient has the right to expect that, within its capacity and policies, a hospital will make reasonable response to the request of a patient for appropriate and medically indicated care and services.

The hospital must provide evaluation, service and/or referral as indicated by the urgency of the case.

When medically appropriate and legally permissible, or when a patient has so requested, a patient may be transferred to another facility.

The institution to which the patient is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for transfer.

The patient must also have the benefit of complete information and explanation concerning risks, benefits and alternatives to such a transfer.

CONTINUITY OF CARE

The patient as the right to expect reasonable continuity of care, when appropriate, and to be informed by physicians and other care givers available of realistic patient care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate.

HOSPITAL CHARGES

The patient has the right to know the immediate and long-term financial implications of treatment choices, insofar as they are known.

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.

RESEARCH

The patient has the right to consent to or decline to participate in proposed research studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment or requiring direct patient involvement, and to have those studies fully explained prior to consent. A patient who declines to participate in research or experimentation is entitled to the most effective care the hospital can otherwise provide.

REFUSAL OF TREATMENT

The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan of care prior to and during the course of treatment and to refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action.

In case of such refusal, the patient is entitled to other appropriate care and services that the hospital provides or transfers to another hospital.

SECURITY

The patient has the right to expect reasonable safety and security insofar as the hospital practices and environment are concerned. The patient has the right to request transfer to another room if another patient or visitor in that room is unreasonably disturbing him/her.

The patient has the right to receive care in a safe setting, free from any form of abuse or harassment, and to receive care free from chemical and physical restraint unless clinically necessary to provide acute medical, surgical or behavioral care.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The collaborative nature of health care requires that the patient, or their families/surrogates, participate in their care. The effectiveness of care and patient satisfaction with the course of treatment depends in part on the patient fulfilling certain responsibilities.

Patients are responsible for providing information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to health status. To participate effectively in decision making, patients must be encouraged to take responsibility for requesting additional information or clarification about their health status or treatment when they do not fully understand information and instructions.
Patients are also responsible for ensuring the health care institution has a copy of their written advance directive if they have one.

Patients are responsible for informing their physician and other caregivers if they anticipate problems in following prescribed treatment.

Patients should also be aware of the hospital’s obligation to be reasonably efficient and equitable in providing care to other patients and the community. The hospital’s rules and regulations are designed to help the hospital meet this obligation. Patients and their families are responsible for making reasonable accommodations to the needs of the hospital, the patients, medical staff, and hospital employees.

Patients are responsible for providing necessary information for insurance claims for working with the hospital to make payment arrangements when necessary. A person’s health depends on much more than health care services. Patients are responsible for recognizing the impact of their lifestyle on their personal health.

Patients are responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel and for assisting in the control of noise, smoking and the number of visitors you may have while in the hospital.

Patients are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the hospital.