PATIENT RIGHTS
Access to Care
You 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.
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, within the law, to personal informational privacy, as manifested by the following rights:
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 your care.
To wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
To be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable visual and auditory privacy. This includes the right to 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.
To expect that any discussion or consultation involving your care will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in your care will not be present without your permission.
To have your medical record read only by individuals directly involved in your treatment or in the monitoring of its quality. Other individuals can only read your medical record on your written authorization or that of your legally authorized representative. Also, you or your legally designated representative has access to the information contained in the medical record, within the limits of the law and hospital policies.
To expect all communications and other records pertaining to your care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
To request a transfer to another room if another patient or a visitor in the room is unreasonably disturbing you by any action. Facilitation of a room transfer will depend upon room availability and requirements of your care.
To be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for personal safety.
Personal Safety
You have the right to expect reasonable safety insofar as the hospital practices and environment are concerned.
Identity
You have the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to you and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care. This includes your right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating you, as well as the relationship to any other health care or educational institutions, and when your care or treatment involves the gathering of data for research or experimental purposes.
Information
You have the right to obtain, from the practitioner responsible for coordinating your care, complete and current information concerning your diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment, and any known prognosis. This information should be communicated in terms that you can reasonably understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to you, the information should be made available to a legally authorized individual.
Communication
You have the right of access to people outside the hospital by means of visitor and by verbal and written communication.
When you do not speak or understand the predominant language of the community, you shall have access to an interpreter. This is particularly true where language barriers may affect your understanding of your care and treatment.
Consent
You have the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving your health care, as permitted and governed by law. To the degree possible, this should be based on a clear, concise explanation of your condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including the possibilities of any risk of mortality or serious side effects, problems related to recuperation, and probability of success. You should not be subjected to any procedure without your voluntary, competent, and understanding consent or the consent of your legally authorized representative. Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist, you shall be so informed.
You have the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedures or treatment.
You shall be informed if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting your care or treatment; you have the right to refuse to participate in such activity.
Consultation
You, at your own request and expense, have the right to consult with a specialist.
Hospital Charges
You have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of your total bill for services rendered in the hospital, regardless of the source of payment for your care. You have the right to timely notice prior to termination of your eligibility for reimbursement by any third-party payer for the cost of your care.
Refusal of Treatment
You may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. When refusal of treatment by you or your legally authorized representative prevents the provision of appropriate care in accordance with professional standards, the relationship with you may be terminated upon reasonable notice.
Resolving Conflicts
You have the right, without recrimination, to voice complaints regarding the care received, and to have those complaints reviewed and, when possible, resolved.
If you and your physician on the staff of the hospital disagree on your course of treatment, you (or in the case of a minor, his or her parents or guardian), have a right to discharge the physician from your care and engage the professional services of another physician. It is your responsibility to engage the services of an alternative physician (or alternate physicians) assuming such physician is approved to practice at this institution.
Transfer and Continuity of Care
You may not be transferred to another facility or organization unless you have received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and of the alternatives to such a transfer and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility or organization. You have the right to be informed by the practitioner responsible for your care, or your delegate, of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
Hospital Rules and Regulations
You have the right to know about hospital rules if and when they become applicable to your conduct as a patient. You have the right to know about hospital resources such as patient representatives, chaplains or ethics committees that can help you resolve problems and questions about your hospital stay and care.
Advance Directives
You have the right to have an Advance Directive, such as a living will, health care proxy or surrogate decision maker. These documents express your choices about your future care or name someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself. If you have a written Advance Directive, you should provide a copy to the hospital, your doctor, and your family. The hospital will honor the intent of that directive to the extent provided by law and hospital policy.
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Provision of Information
You have the responsibility to provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations medications and other matters relating to your health. You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in your condition to the responsible practitioner. You are responsible for reporting whether you clearly comprehend a contemplated course of action and what is expected of you.
Compliance with Instructions
You are responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care. This may include following the instructions of nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan of care, implement the responsible practitioner’s orders, and enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations. You are responsible for keeping appointments and, when you are unable to do so for any reason, for notifying the responsible practitioner or the hospital.
Refusal of Treatment
You are responsible for your actions if your refuse treatment or do not follow the practitioners instructions.
Hospital Charges
You are responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of your health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
Hospital Rules and Regulations
You are responsible for following hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
Respect and Consideration
You are responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel and for assisting in the control of noise, unauthorized smoking, and the number of visitors. You are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the hospital.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically. You may obtain a copy of this Notice at our website, www.crispregional.org.
Grievance Policy
If you feel you have a grievance that has not been addressed, you may contact the Grievance Coordinator at 229-276-3100, ext. 300. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome at CRH, you may contact:
Office of Regulatory Services
Healthcare Section 2
Peachtree Street NE
33rd Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-657-5726, ext. 5728
Office of Quality Monitoring
JCAHO
1 Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
630-792-5636
www.jointcommission.org