PATIENT
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
PATIENT RIGHTS
ACCESS TO CARE:
Individuals 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.
CARE DECISIONS:
The patient or patient representative has the
right to be informed of his or her rights in
advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient
care, whenever possible, and to participate
in the development and implementation of his
or her plan of care for inpatient treatment/care,
outpatient treatment/care, revisions to either
and discharge plan.
The patient or his or her representative (as
allowed under State law) has the right to make
informed decisions regarding his or her care.
The patient has the right to receive a notice
of beneficiary discharge rights and/or notice
of non- coverage rights and has the right to
appeal premature discharge.
The patient has the right to formulate Advance
Directives and to have the hospital staff and
practitioners comply with these directives.
The patient has the right to appropriate pain
assessment and management, to be educated about
pain management, and to be involved in pain
care decisions.
When the patient does not have the mental or
physical capacity to make care decisions, or
when the patient is a child, people other than
(or in addition to) the patient need to be involved
in decisions regarding their care, a surrogate
decision maker is identified.
The patient has the right to exclude any or
all family members from participating in their
care decisions.
The patient has the right 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.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF MEDICAL INFORMATION:
Patients have the right, within the law, to
personal and information privacy, as manifested
by the following rights:
• To expect that any discussion or consultation
involving care will be conducted discreetly.
• To have their medical record reviewed
only by individuals directly involved in treatment
or in monitoring of its quality and by other
individuals only on their written authorization
or that of their legally authorized representative.
• To expect all communications and other
records pertaining to their care, including
the source of payment for treatment, to be treated
as confidential.
• To access information in their medical
record within reasonable time frames (as quickly
as its record keeping system permits).
PRIVACY AND SAFETY:
Patients have the right to personal privacy
and to expect reasonable safety insofar as the
hospital practices and environment are concerned,
as manifested by the following rights:
• To be free from all forms of abuse or
harassment.
• To be free from the use of seclusion
or restraint of any form that are not medically
necessary or are used as a means of coercion,
convenience, retaliation of staff.
• 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 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.
• To request a transfer to another room
if another patient or a visitor in the room
is unreasonably disturbing to persons.
• To be placed in protective privacy when
considered necessary for personal safety.
• To be treated with respect, comfort
and dignity.
IDENTITY:
Patients have the right to know the identity
and professional status of individuals providing
services and to know which physician or other
practitioner is primarily responsible for their
care. This includes patients' right to know
of the existence of any professional relationship
to any other health care or educational institutions
involved in their care.
INFORMATION:
Patients have the right to obtain, from the
practitioner responsible for coordinating their
care, complete and current information concerning
their health status and diagnosis, to the degree
known, treatment, and any known prognosis. This
information shall be communicated in terms that
patients can reasonably be expected to understand.
Patients have the right to access information
contained in his or her clinical records within
a reasonable timeframe.
COMMUNICATION:
Patients have the right of access to people
outside of the hospital by means of visitors,
and by verbal and written communication. Patients
have the right to designate who may visit.
When patients who are deaf or do not speak
or understand the predominant language of the
community present, they shall have access to
an interpreter. Resources will be provided for
patients who use alternative communication techniques
or assistive devices for those who are deaf
or blind.
Patients have the right to have their family,
friends, representative of their choice or physician
notified promptly of their admission to the
hospital.
GRIEVANCE PROCESS:
Patients have the right to prompt resolution
of grievances and to be informed about whom
to contact to file a written or verbal grievance.
CONSENT:
Patients have the right to reasonable informed
participation in decisions involving their health
care. To the degree possible, this should be
based on a clear, concise explanation of their
condition and all proposed technical procedures,
including the possibilities of any risk of mortality
or serious side effect, problems related to
recuperation, and probability of success as
well as alternatives.
Patients have the right to know who is responsible
for authorizing and performing the procedures
or treatment.
Patients or the patient's legal representative
shall be informed if the hospital proposes to
engage in or perform human experimentation or
other research/educational projects affecting
their care or treatment. The patient shall be
informed of the expected benefits; potential
discomforts and risks; alternative services
that might also prove advantageous; and an explanation
of the procedure to be followed, especially
those that are experimental in nature. The patients
have the right to refuse or participate in any
such activity.
CONSULTATION:
Patients, at their own request and expense,
have the right to consult with a specialist.
REFUSAL OF TREATMENT:
Patients may refuse treatment to the extent
permitted by law. Page 3 of 5
TREATMENT AND CONTINUITY OF CARE:
Patients may not be transferred to another
facility unless they 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.
Patients have the right to be informed by the
practitioner responsible for their care, or
their delegate, of any continuing health care
requirements following discharge from the hospital.
HOSPITAL CHARGES:
Regardless of the source of payment for this
care, patients have the right to request and
receive an itemized and detailed explanation
of their total bill for services rendered in
the hospital. Patients have the right to timely
notice prior to termination of eligibility for
reimbursement by any third-party payer for the
cost of their care.
HOSPITAL RULES AND REGULATIONS:
Patient shall be informed of the hospital rules
and regulations applicable to their conduct
as patients. Patients are entitled to information
about the hospital's mechanism for the initiation,
review, and resolution of patient complaints.
(If a patient is not able
to exercise these rights, an appropriate representative
may exercise them on the patient's behalf.)
CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS
RFGH wants to hear your concerns so we can resolve
them promptly. Any staff member will listen to
or receive your concern or complaint. You also
may ask to talk to the department head or supervisor.
The staff, department head or supervisor will
immediately address your grievance privately with
no discrimination.
You may also send a written complaint, comment
or grievance to:
Redington - Fairview General Hospital
Att: Support Services/Public Relations
P.O. Box 468
Skowhegan, Maine 04976
(207) 474 - 5121 ext. 319
Or, you may also contact the Department of Human
Services, State of Maine, Division of Licensing
at:
Division of Licensing and Certification
442 Civic Center Drive
11 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 287-9300 or
1-800-621-8222
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
PROVISION OF INFORMATION:
Patients have the responsibility to provide,
to the best of their knowledge, accurate and
complete information about present complaints,
past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications,
and other matters relating to their health.
Patients are responsible for reporting unexpected
changes in their condition to the responsible
practitioner. Patients are responsible for reporting
whether they clearly comprehend a contemplated
course of action and what is expected of them.
COMPLIANCE WITH INSTRUCTIONS:
Patients are responsible for following the
treatment plan recommended by the practitioner
primarily responsible for their care. Patients
are responsible for keeping appointments and,
when they are unable to do for any reason, for
notifying the responsible practitioner or hospital.
REFUSAL OF TREATMENT:
Patients are responsible for their actions
if they refuse treatment or do not follow the
practitioner's instructions.
HOSPITAL CHARGES:
Patients are responsible for assuring that
the financial obligations of their health care
are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
HOSPITAL RULES AND REGULATIONS:
Patients are responsible for following hospital
rules and regulations affecting patient care
and conduct.
RESPECT AND CONSIDERATION:
Patients are responsible for being considerate
of the rights of other patients and hospital
personnel and for assisting in the control of
noise, and the number of visitors. Patients
are responsible for being respectful of the
property of other persons and of the hospital.
QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions about your rights
or responsibilities as a patient, or if you
have a problem or wish to make a suggestion,
you may talk with your caregiver, contact the
RFGH operator and ask for the nursing supervisor,
or contact the public relations director at
extension 319, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.
until 4:00 p.m.
12/05
03/06
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