Patient Rights and Responsibilities

The members of the Jefferson Health system believe that if patients understand their care, it contributes to their progress and recovery. As healthcare facilities, we are committed to delivering quality medical care in a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. We are teaching institutions and, as such, many services include nursing students and healthcare trainees. Resident physicians, medical students, and other healthcare professionals function under the supervision of an attending physician. All patients receiving care in these institutions are on the teaching services unless precluded from this by the patient's request or the attending physician. Should such a request be made, the request will be honored by the attending physician. We believe you have the right to know the hospital's rules and regulations that apply to your conduct as a patient. In the event that the patient is a neonate, minor or an incompetent adult, these rights and responsibilities are applicable to the parent or legal representative of the minor, or to the spouse or legal representative of the adult. The following statement has been prepared to help you identify your rights and responsibilities.

Patient Rights

• You have the right to be treated with dignity, consideration, respect and recognition of your individual and personal needs by competent personnel.
• You have the right to high-quality care and excellent professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.
• You have the right to medically appropriate treatment without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual preference, age, disability or source of payment for your care.
• You have the right to every consideration of privacy concerning your medical care. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are considered confidential and will be conducted discreetly. This includes the right to have a person of one's own sex present during a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a member of the opposite sex; to wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatments; and to request a room transfer if another patient is unreasonably disturbing to you.
• Your hospital records are private and will be treated as confidential. They will not be released to individuals outside the hospital without your consent, except in the case of transfer to another healthcare facility, or as otherwise provided by law or third party contractual arrangements.
• You are entitled, upon request, to have access to all information contained in your medical records within a reasonable timeframe, unless such access is specifically restricted by the attending physician for medical reasons.
• You have the right to expect good management techniques within the hospital, taking into consideration your comfort, safety and effective use of your time.
• You have the right to know who will perform a procedure or an operation. Upon request, you will be given the names of all physicians directly participating in your care, along with the names and functions of other healthcare personnel having direct contact with you.
• You are entitled to develop and plan your treatment and to have full information necessary for you to understand your medical problems, diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternative treatments, probable length of hospitalization, possibility of complications and the prognosis or medical outlook for your future. When it is not medically advisable to give such information directly to you, the information will be given to your legal representative.
• Except in a medical emergency, your physician must obtain the necessary informed consent from you (or your legal representative) prior to the start of any invasive procedure or treatment, unless this would have a serious adverse effect on you.
• You have the right not to be involved in a medical research or donor program, unless you have (or your legal representative has) given informed consent to participate in such programs and you may, at any time, refuse to continue in such programs.
• You have the right to refuse any procedure, operation, treatment or drug offered by the physician or hospital, to the extent permitted by law, and to have a physician inform you of the medical consequences of such a refusal.
• You have the right to assistance in obtaining consultation with another physician, at your own request and expense.
• When required, you have the right to access a qualified interpreter.
• You may expect emergency procedures to be performed without unnecessary delay.
• You are entitled to know the services available at the hospital and the charges relating to those services, including charges for services not covered by government funding or other third party payment.
• You are entitled not to be transferred to another facility for non-payment of fees. The possibility for transfer to another facility might occur for medical reasons, continuity of treatment, to provide care within your insurance provider's network, or for your welfare or that of other patients. Prior to transfer, either you or your legal representative will receive complete information, an explanation concerning the needs for, and alternatives to, such a transfer. The facility to which you are to be transferred must first have accepted you for transfer.
• You have the right to expect information regarding your continuing healthcare needs and the means for meeting them.
• You have the right to examine, and receive, an explanation of any charges related to your care.
• You have the right to full information and counseling on the availability of financial aid for health care.
• You are encouraged to share any grievances or suggestions about hospital policies and services with a member of the staff or administration, with an agency or regulatory body with jurisdiction over the hospital or through a representative of your choice, without restraint, interference or reprisal.
• You have the right to have your concerns addressed in a timely fashion. You are entitled to access an individual agency authorized to act on your behalf to assert or protect your rights as a patient. Specifically to:
  
  

  Pennsylvania Department of Health Acute and Ambulatory Care Services PO Box 90 Harrisburg, PA 17108-0090 1 (800) 254-5164

  Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations Office of Quality Monitoring One Renaissance Boulevard Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 (630) 792-5636 complaint@jcaho.org

   

• You are entitled to be informed of your rights as a patient at the earliest possible moment in the course of your treatment.
• You have the right to formulate an advance directive or to appoint a surrogate to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. This hospital and its healthcare professionals will honor these decisions within the limits of the law and this organization's mission, values and philosophy.
• You have, or your surrogate has the right, in conjunction with your physician, to withhold or withdraw treatment, within the limits of the law and this organization's mission, values and philosophy, and to be informed of the medical consequences of such actions.
• You have the right to be informed of any relationships (affiliation, ownership, and financial interest) among the hospital's educational institutes, other health care providers or payers that may influence your treatment and care.
• You have the right to have a family member or a representative and your own physician promptly notified of your admission to the hospital or to refuse to have family members participate in your care.
• You have the right to receive care in a safe setting, free from all forms of abuse and harassment.
• You have the right to express your pain and have that expression accepted and respected as the most reliable indicator of pain, to have your pain assessed systematically and thoroughly, to have your pain managed according to the most currently accepted guidelines, to receive a prompt response to unrelieved pain, and to be informed and involved in all decisions regarding all aspects of your pain care.
  

Patient Responsibilities

• You are responsible for being considerate of other patients by:
  a) assuring a roommate's privacy;
  b) limiting your visitors to two at a time during specified visiting hours;
  c) reminding visitors to maintain a quiet atmosphere and observe our no smoking policy;
  d) using television, telephone, radios and lights in a manner that is not disturbing to others; and
  e) respecting the property of others.
• You are responsible for supplying accurate and complete information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, allergies and other matters related to your health.
• You are responsible for notifying your doctor or nurse about any unexpected changes in your health problems.
• You are responsible for following the instructions of your physician and other healthcare personnel. Let us know immediately if you do not understand or cannot follow the instructions.
• You are responsible for your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow the instructions of the physician or other healthcare personnel.
• You are responsible for fulfilling the financial obligations of your health care as soon as possible.
• You are responsible for any of your valuables, including jewelry and money, not deposited in the hospital safe.
• If applicable, you are responsible for providing a copy of your advance directive to the hospital.
• You are responsible to not take drugs which have not been prescribed by your attending physician and to not complicate or endanger the healing process by consuming alcoholic beverages or toxic substances during your hospital stay.
• You are responsible to discuss pain relief choices with your physician or nurse, to ask your physician or nurse what to expect, to ask for pain relief as soon as the pain begins, to work with your physician or nurse to develop a pain relief plan, to assist in measuring your pain, and to tell your physician or nurse about pain that is unrelieved.
  

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