Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Patient Rights:

1. Considerate and Respectful Care
   • Patients have a right to quality health care that includes dignity and respect for their cultural, physical, psychosocial, spiritual, educational, personal values, beliefs and preferences.
   • Patients, or when appropriate the patient’s representative, have a right to receive notification of their patient rights in writing.  Information concerning important policies which includes available supportive resources such as: an ethics committee, patient advocate, pastoral and spiritual services are available.
   • Patients have a right to receive services at Mercy on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, mental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, veteran status, disability or any other classification prohibited by law.
   • Patients have a right to receive care in a safe, secure setting and to be free from all forms of abuse, neglect or harassment and exploitation.
   • Patients have a right to assistance in obtaining protective and advocacy services.
   • Patients have a right to be free from seclusion or restraints of any form that are not medically necessary.
2. Privacy and Confidentiality  
   •  Patients have a right to personal privacy and confidentiality of information.
   • Patients and/or their legally designated representative have a right to access and request amendment to their health information within the limits of the law.
3. Information About Your Treatment
   • Patients have a right to information about their diagnosis, condition and treatment in terms that they can understand.  This includes: providing information to communicate with patients who have vision, speech, hearing or cognitive impairments in a manner that meets the patient’s needs and providing language interpreting and translation services as necessary.
   • Patients have a right to be informed about the outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes.
   • Patients have a right to have a family member or representative and their own physician notified promptly of their admission to the hospital.
   • The patient’s legally designated representative has the right to exercise the rights delineated on behalf of the patient if the patient lacks the capacity for participating in the decision-making process.
   • Patients have a right to be informed and protected during any human experimentation or other research/educational projects which may affect their care or treatment.
   • Patients have a right to examine and receive an explanation of their bill regardless of the source of payment.
   • Patients have the right to know the names and professional titles of their physicians and caregivers.
4. Participation in Decisions About Your Care
   • Patients, or designated representative, have a right to be involved in the development and implementation of their plan of care and to receive information from their physician to enable an informed decision and consent prior to the start of any procedure and/or treatment.
   • Patients have a right to be informed of alternative treatments and to choose among the alternatives, including a right to accept or refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of their actions.
   • Patients or a designated representative have a right to participate in the patient’s discharge planning, including being informed of service options that are available to the patient and a choice of agencies that provide the service.
5. Medical Power of Attorney and Other Advance Directives
   • Patients have a right to formulate advance directives and have staff comply with these directives in accordance with the law.
6. Pain Management
   • Patients have the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
7. Ethical Decisions
   • Patients have a right to participate in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in their care.  Patients and their designated representative have access to the Ethics Committee as well as the right to request an ethics consult.
8. Reasonable Response to Requests and Needs
   • Patients have a right to expect a reasonable response to their request for services consistent with Mercy’s obligations, policies and moral religious beliefs, within the capacity, its stated mission and applicable law and regulation.
   • Patients with physical disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodations, subject to their medical needs.
   • Patients have the right to be informed of visitor policies including any clinical restrictions or limitations.
   • Patients have a right to have a family member, friend or other individual present with them for emotional support during the course of their stay.
   • Patients have the right to receive visitors of their choice or to restrict, withdraw or deny their consent to visitors at any time. The hospital shall not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
   • Patients have a right to expect reasonable continuity of care and assistance in locating alternate services when medically indicated.
   • Patients have the right to access available communications, including mail and telephones, and permitted visitors unless either is clinically contraindicated.  Any restrictions, however, will be explained to patients.
   • Patients have a right to have personal possessions reasonably protected.

Patient Responsibilities:

1. Provide Complete Medical Information
   • Patients have a responsibility to provide, to the best of their ability, accurate and complete information about their present condition, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to their health or their child’s, including information about home and/or work that may impact their ability to follow the proposed treatment.
   • Patients have a responsibility to inform the health care team of the existence of an advance directive and the intent contained therein.
   • Patients have a responsibility to take care of their health as best they can.
   • Patients have a responsibility to tell their caregivers about any changes in their health.
   • Patients are expected to inform the health care team when experiencing pain or when the pain relief plan is not working.
2. Ask for Clear Explanations
   • Patients are encouraged to ask questions so that they may understand their health problems and what to reasonably expect during their course of treatment.
3. Make Informed Decisions
   • Patients have a responsibility for making health care decisions that affect their life.
   • Patients have a responsibility to follow the treatment plan developed with their provider. They should express any concerns about their ability to understand and/or comply with a proposed course of treatment. They are responsible for the outcomes if they refuse treatment or do not follow their care provider’s instructions. If a disagreement as to medically appropriate treatment arises and cannot be resolved with the assistance of Leadership/Patient Relations or in consultation with the Ethics Committee, the medical center will assist in the  transfer of the patient to a healthcare facility of the patient’s choice.
   • If a patient is unable to participate in the decision-making  process, then the patient’s legally designated representative has a responsibility to make health care decisions consistent with the patient’s values and life goals.
4. Respect Other’s Privacy
   • Patients have a responsibility to respect the privacy and confidentiality of other patients.
5. Accept Financial Responsibilities
   • Patients have a responsibility to provide information necessary for claims processing and to maintain personal and financial integrity with respect to health care services provided on their behalf.
   • Patients have a responsibility to ask about their admission status. Whether you are an “inpatient” or “outpatient” may affect how much you pay for services. If you are in a hospital for more than a few hours, please ask your doctor or hospital staff if you are an inpatient or an outpatient.
6. Support Hospital Policies That Apply to Patient Care and Conduct
   • Patients are expected to treat all medical staff, other patients and visitors with courtesy and respect; abide by all hospital rules and safety regulations; and be mindful of noise levels, privacy and number of visitors.
   • Patients and their families should express any needs they may have to enable us to provide reasonable accommodations.
   • Patients have a responsibility to inform the health care team when they have issues or concerns related to their safety.
   • Patients have a responsibility to inform their nurse if they want a family member or physician to be notified of their admission.
   • Patients are asked to leave valuables at home.
   • Patients and their families have a responsibility to assist the health care team in maintaining the patient in the least restrictive environment.
   • Patients, families and visitors have a responsibility to refrain from tobacco use in and around hospital facilities, consistent with local ordinances and hospital’s policies.
7. Express Concerns or Grievances
   • Patients have a right to voice any concerns they may have regarding the care they have received and to have those concerns reviewed and resolved.  Voicing a concern whether, by the patient or another individual on their behalf, will not compromise their care or access to healthcare at the hospital. Patients are encouraged to contact any staff present, the manager or director of that department,   or Patient Relations, which may be reached at 314-251-6484, Monday – Friday from 8a.m. – 4:30p.m. After hours, call 314-251-6000.
   • The patient may also lodge a grievance with the following agencies directly, regardless of whether he/she has first used the facility’s grievance process.

complaintjointcommission [dot] org (subject: Quality%20Complaint)