Patient
Rights
- The Patient has a right to express
concerns or ask questions through a Patient
Representative. In most cases, by voicing
concerns directly to hospital staff, issues
can be resolved quickly and effectively
without the need for a formal review. If the
staff is unable to resolve the concern, the
patient is encouraged to contact Guest
Services at 333-5580. If the Patient
Representative in Guest Services cannot
resolve the concern, it will be referred to
a Grievance Committee, which will conduct an
investigation. If the Grievance Committee
cannot reach a satisfactory outcome, the
patient or legal representative can contact
an outside agency such as the State
Department of Health, P.O. Box 90,
Harrisburg, PA 17108. Telephone
1-800-254-5164.
- When the patient is unable to be informed
of his/her rights and responsibilities or to
give informed consent, as in the case of a
neonate, child, adolescent, or legally
incompetent individual, the parent,
guardian, and/or legally authorized
representative will be so informed and will
be responsible to exercise these rights and
responsibilities on the patient's behalf.
- A patient has the right to considerate,
respectful care at all times and under all
circumstances by competent personnel with
recognition of his personal dignity.
- A patient has the right to have the
patient's own physician and family members
notified of the patient's admission to the
hospital and/or a significant change in
condition.
- A patient has the right to be free from
restraints of any form that are not
medically necessary or are used as a means
of coercion, discipline, convenience, or
retaliation by staff.
- A patient has the right to express
his/her pain, have that expression accepted,
have the pain assessed systemically and
thoroughly, have the pain managed according
to the most currently accepted treatment
plan, receive prompt response to unrelieved
pain, and be informed and involved in all
pain management decisions.
- A patient has the right to be given the
name of his/her attending physician, the
names of all other physicians directly
participating in his/her care, and the names
and functions of other health care persons
having direct contact with the patient. This
includes the patient's right to know of the
existence of any professional relationship
among individuals who are treating him/her,
as well as the relationship to any other
health care or educational institutions
involved in his/her care. Participation by
patients in clinical training programs or in
the gathering of data for research purposes
should be voluntary.
- A patient has the right to every
consideration of his/her personal privacy
concerning his/her own medical care program.
Case discussion, consultation examination,
and treatment are considered confidential
and should be conducted discreetly. A
patient has the right to expect that
individuals not directly involved in his
care will not be present without his
permission.
- A patient has the right to have all
records pertaining to his/her medical care,
including source of payment, treated as
confidential except as otherwise provided by
law or third-party contractual arrangements.
- 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 not directly involved
in his/her care.
- 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.
- The patient has the right to be
interviewed and examined in surroundings
designed to assure reasonable visual and
auditory privacy. This includes the right to
have a person of one's own sex present
during certain parts of a physical
examination, treatment, or procedures
performed by a health professional of the
opposite sex. The patient has 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 have
his/her medical record read only by
individuals directly involved in his
treatment or in the monitoring of its
quality. The patient also has the right to
be assured that other individuals can only
read his medical record on his/her written
authorization or that of his legally
authorized representative.
- A patient has the right to request a
transfer to another room if another patient
or a visitor in the room is unreasonably
disturbing him/her and if another room
equally suitable for his/her care needs is
available.
- A patient has the right to be placed in
protective privacy when considered necessary
for personal safety.
- The patient has a right to be free from
all forms of abuse and harassment.
- The patient has the right to know what
hospital rules and regulations apply 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 and can
receive this information by calling Guest
Relations/Patient Representative Services at
814-333-5580.
- The patient has the right to expect that
emergency procedures will be implemented
without unnecessary delay.
- The patient has the right to good
quality care and high professional standards
that are continually maintained and
reviewed.
- The patient has the right to full
information in layman's terms concerning
his/her diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis,
including information about alternative
treatments and possible complications. When
it is not medically advisable to give such
information to the patient, the information
shall be given on his/her behalf to the
patient's next of kin or other appropriate
person.
- The patient has the right to reasonable
informed participation in decisions
involving his/her health care, including in
ethical issues which may arise. To the
degree possible, this should be based on a
clear, concise explanation of his/her
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.
- Except for emergencies, the physician
must obtain the necessary informed consent
of the patient or his/her legally authorized
representative prior to the start of any
procedure or treatment.
- The patient has the right to know who is
responsible for authorizing and performing
the procedures or treatment.
- A patient or, in the event the patient
is unable to give informed consent, a
legally responsible party, has the right to
be advised when a physician is considering
the patient as a part of a medical care
research program or donor program. The
patient, or legally responsible party, must
give informed consent prior to actual
participation in such a program. A patient,
or legally responsible party, may, at any
time, refuse to continue in any such program
to which he/she has previously given
informed consent.
- A patient has the right to refuse any
drugs, treatment, or procedure offered by
the hospital, to the extent permitted by
law, and a physician shall inform the
patient of the medical consequences of the
patient's refusal of any drugs, treatment,
or procedure. When refusal of treatment by
the patient or his/her legally authorized
representative prevents the provision of
appropriate care in accordance with
professional standards, the relationship
with the patient may be terminated upon
reasonable notice.
- A patient has the right to assistance in
obtaining consultation with another
physician at the patient's request and own
expense.
- A patient has the right to medical and
nursing services without discrimination
based upon race, age, color, religion, sex,
gender, sexual preference, handicapped,
national origin, or source of payment.
- The patient who does not speak English
should have access, where possible, to an
interpreter. Deaf persons should have access
to a qualified sign language interpreter.
- The patient has the right of access to
people outside the hospital by means of
visitors and by verbal and written
communication.
- The hospital shall provide the patient,
upon request, access to all information
contained in the medical records -
immediately to read, 3 days for copied
records - unless access is specifically
restricted by the attending physician for
medical reasons or is prohibited by law.
- The patient has the right to expect good
management techniques to be implemented
within the hospital considering effective
use of the time of the patient and to avoid
the personal discomfort of the patient.
- The patient has the right to expect
reasonable safety insofar as the hospital
practices and environment are concerned.
- When medically permissible, a patient
may be transferred to another facility only
after he/she or his/her next of kin or other
legally responsible representative has
received complete information and an
explanation concerning the need for and
alternatives to such a transfer. The
institution to which the patient is to be
transferred must first have accepted the
patient for transfer.
- Regardless of the source of payment for
his/her care the patient has the right to
examine and receive a 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 payor for the cost of his/her
care. The patient has the right to full
information and counseling on the
availability-of known financial resources of
his/her health care.
- A patient has the right to expect that
the health care facility will provide a
mechanism whereby he/she is informed upon
discharge of his/her continuing health care
requirements following discharge and the
means for meeting them.
- A patient cannot be denied the right of
access to an individual or agency who is
authorized to act on his/her behalf to
assert or protect the rights set out in this
section.
- A patient has the right to be informed
of his/her rights during the admissions
process.
- A patient has the right to express
his/her spiritual beliefs and cultural
practices provided that they do not harm
others or interfere with the planned course
of medical therapy for the patient.
- A patient has the right to formulate an
advance directive and to appoint a surrogate
to make health care decisions on his/her
behalf to the extent permitted by law and to
have hospital staff and practitioners comply
with those directives. The patient may
revoke or revise his/her advance directive
at any time.
- A patient or his/her representative has
the right to direct or collaborate with the
attending physician in informed decisions
about his/her health care , including the
right to be informed of his/her health
status, especially as it pertains to
requesting, accepting, withdrawing, or
refusing medical care and/or treatment
including resuscitation efforts. If concerns
regarding ethical issues of treatment arise,
the patient or his/her designated
representative may contact the Patient
Representative (333- 5580) who will assist
him/her in obtaining counsel, including
referral to the Biomedical Ethics Committee
as appropriate.
Patient
Responsibilities
In providing care to patients, Meadville
Medical Center expects behavior on the part
of patients and their relatives and friends,
which, considering the nature of their
illness, is reasonable and responsible. The
following principles represent the patient's
responsibilities:
- The hospital expects the patient or
his/her family will provide information
about past illnesses, hospitalization,
medication and other matters relating to
your health history in order to effectively
treat your illness.
- The hospital expects that you will
cooperate with all hospital personnel and
ask questions if directions and/or
procedures are not clearly understood.
- You are expected to ask your doctor or
nurse what to expect from your diagnosis.
- You are expected to discuss pain relief
options with your doctors or nurses, work
with your doctor and nurses to make a pain
relief plan, ask for pain relief when pain
first begins, help the staff measure your
pain, report any pain that will not go away,
and not worry about becoming dependent on
pain medication.
- You are expected to be considerate of
other patients and hospital personnel and to
assist in the control of noise and the
number of visitors in your room at any one
time. You are also expected to be respectful
of the property of other persons and the
property of the health center. You are
responsible for following hospital rules and
regulations affecting patient care, comfort,
smoking, and weapons.
- In order to facilitate your care and the
efforts of the hospital personnel, you are
expected to help the physician, nurses, and
allied medical personnel in their efforts to
care for you by following their instructions
and medical orders and by reporting
unexpected changes in your condition to the
responsible practitioner.
- It is understood that you are responsible
for your actions if you refuse treatment or
do not follow your health care
practitioners' instructions. You are
responsible for keeping appointments, and if
unable to do so for any reason, for
notifying the responsible practitioner or
the hospital.
- Duly authorized members of your family
are expected to be available to hospital
personnel for review of your treatment in
the event you are unable to properly
communicate with the physicians or nurses.
- It is understood that you assume the
financial responsibility of paying for all
services rendered either through third-party
payers (your insurance company) or being
personally responsible for payment for any
services which are not covered by your
insurance policies.
- It is expected that you will not take
drugs which have not been prescribed by your
attending physician and administered by
hospital staff; and that you will not
complicate or endanger the healing process
by consuming alcoholic beverages or toxic
substances during your hospital stay.
Being a good patient does not mean being a
silent one. If you have questions, problems,
suggestions, or unmet needs, please let us
know immediately. If you would like further
explanation of the Patient's Rights and
Responsibilities as they affect you, please
call the Patient Representative at
814-333-5580.
See also Patient Privacy Notice.
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