Patients have the right:

• To skilled, respectful care and to the most comfortable stay that the hospital can provide.
• To know the names and titles of all persons caring for them.
• To expect that their medical records and other information about their care will be protected and that they may see their medical records in a reasonable time frame.
• To complete information about doctors' or staff’s findings and treatment, and how their future health may be affected. Patients have the right to be informed in advance by the doctor about what to expect before, during and after treatment or surgery.
• To refuse care, treatment and services according to laws and rules that govern healthcare.
• To be free from being restrained in any way that is not medically necessary or is used as a means of control, convenience, or revenge by staff.
• To be involved in all areas of their care, including managing pain effectively and planning the treatment and/or care that may be needed when they leave the hospital.
• To expect that their social, mental, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs are respected and upheld.
• To be included in decisions about their care including disagreeing about their care or treatment, withholding of life-saving services, and accepting or refusing to be involved in research studies.
• To have a family member and their own doctor notified they are in the hospital.
• To put in writing their choices for care at the end of life and to choose a specific person to speak for them in decisions about their care.
• To request help with written or spoken information if they do not speak English, are blind or deaf, or do not read.
• To be free from all forms of mistreatment including being harassed or taken advantage of, and have the right to ask for and use protective services.
• To study and receive a detailed explanation of their bill.
• To file a formal complaint through the Patient Relations Department and to expect a reply from the hospital.
• To freely discuss complaints and suggest changes without the concern that their care will be stopped or that staff will treat them differently.
• To request to have their concerns about the quality of care they received and/or their concern for being sent home too soon sent to the appropriate Quality Improvement Organization.

• To provide information about their present and past health history and other matters about their health to the doctors and staff, report possible risks in their care as well as unexpected changes in their condition, and provide feedback about services needed and what they expect.
• To be thoughtful of others and careful of their personal property by following hospital policies, including those on smoking, visiting and safety.
• To help the doctors and staff in their efforts to improve their health by following their instructions.
• To ask questions when they do not understand their care, treatment and service or what they are expected to do.
• To discuss with their doctor any concerns about following the plan for care, treatment and services. The hospital will make every effort to adapt the plan of care to meet patient expectations. When patients and families wish to change their plan of care, they shall be told of the effects and the risks of not following the doctor’s proposed plan.
• To promptly give information about their insurance and should pay their bills relating to their care and treatment as agreed to with the hospital.
• Patients and their families are responsible for the affect on their health if they do not follow their care, treatment and service plan.

These responsibilities apply to family members, significant others and/or surrogate decision makers when they are acting for the patient. If you feel that your rights and expectations are not being met, you may call (740) 592-9206 for a patient advocate to assist you.