Patient Rights
Healthcare settings can be frightening places for patients. Many older adults do not want to "bother" healthcare providers with their questions or concerns. However, hospitals and nursing facilities recognize that patients have certain rights. These rights help make sure that patients are treated with honesty, dignity, and respect.
If you are not able to make decisions or are legally incompetent, your family or guardian may exercise your rights.
As a patient, you have the right to:
- Know who is caring for you.
- Have a say in choosing healthcare providers.
- Get a timely response to requests for service.
- Be informed about your illness, treatment, and likely outcomes before you start treatment or have a procedure.
- Get information about specific procedures or treatments, how long it will take to recover, alternatives, and risks and benefits.
- Have your privacy protected, including medical records and discussions about your health problems.
- Expect information about your health, social, and financial status to be kept confidential. (Sometimes there are exceptions when state law requires reporting of suspected abuse and public health hazards.)
- Know the cost of treatment choices. This includes how much insurance will pay and how much you will have to pay.
- Participate in plans for care. Be told of any change in the plan before the change is made.
- Refuse care and be advised of what may happen then.
- Have an advance directive for treatment or to appoint someone as your decision maker. Examples of such documents are a living will, healthcare proxy, or durable power of attorney for healthcare. Expect that healthcare providers will follow advance directives according to state laws.
- Be told ahead of time of plans for transfer to another facility.
- Be informed of relationships among healthcare providers, educational institutions, and insurance payers that may affect your treatment and care.
- Bring up problems and suggest changes in service or staff without fear of restraint or reprisal.
- Agree or refuse to be part of research studies, and to have the studies fully explained before you decide.
- Be told what to do in the case of an emergency.
You are responsible to:
- Provide information about past illnesses, healthcare concerns, medicines, and lifestyle.
- Ask about your health status or treatment if you do not understand information or instructions.
- Provide a copy of your written advance directive if you have one.
- Tell healthcare providers and other caregivers if you think you will have problems after your treatment.
- Understand that healthcare providers must also take care of other patients.
- Provide information for insurance claims and work with healthcare providers to make payment arrangements.
- Recognize how your lifestyle affects your health.
Most healthcare organizations have their own version of a Patient Rights and Responsibilities document. Ask your healthcare provider or hospital for their copy, or check their Web site.
Developed by RelayHealth.
Published by RelayHealth.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
