Hamilton County Hospital District has adopted the following statement of patient rights.  This list shall include, but not be limited to, the patient’s right to:

1. Become informed of his or her rights as a patient in advance of, or when discontinuing, the provision of care.  The patient may appoint a representative to receive this information should he or she so desire.
2. Exercise these rights without regard to sex or cultural, economic, educational or religious background or the source of payment for care.
3. Considerate and respectful care, provided in a safe environment, free from all forms of abuse, neglect, harassment and/or exploitation.
4. Access protective and advocacy services or have these services accessed on the patient’s behalf.
5. Appropriate assessment and management of pain.
6. Remain free from seclusion or restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
7. Knowledge of the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating his/her care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and healthcare providers who will see him/her.
8. Receive information from his/her physician about his/her illness, course of treatment, outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes), and his/her prospects for recovery in terms that he/she can understand.
9. Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as he/she may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse the course of treatment.  Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in the treatment, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
10. Participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care and actively participate in decisions regarding his/her medical care.  To the extent permitted by law, this includes the right to request and/or refuse treatment.
11. Formulate advance directives regarding his or her healthcare, and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives (to the extent provided by state laws and regulations).
12. Have a family member or representative of his or her choice notified promptly of his or her admission to the hospital.
13. Have his or her personal physician notified promptly of his or her admission to the hospital.
14. Full consideration of privacy concerning his/her medical care program.  Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly.  The patient has the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual involved in his or her healthcare.
15. Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to his/her care and his/her stay in the hospital.  His/her written permission will be obtained before his/her medical records can be made available to anyone not directly concerned with his/her care.
16. Receive information in a manner that he/she understands.  Communications with the patient will be effective and provided in a manner that facilitates understanding by the patient.  Written information provided will be appropriate to the age, understanding and, as appropriate, the language of the patient.  As appropriate, communications specific to the vision, speech, hearing cognitive and language-impaired patient will be appropriate to the impairment.
17. Access information contained in his or her medical record within a reasonable time frame (usually within 48 hours of the request).
18. Reasonable responses to any reasonable request he/she may make for service.
19. Leave the hospital even against the advice of his/her physician.
20. Reasonable continuity of care.
21. Be advised of the hospital grievance process, should he or she wish to communicate a concern regarding the quality of the care he or she receives or if he or she feels the determined discharge date is premature.  Notification of the grievance process includes: whom to contact to file a grievance, and that he or she will be provided with a written notice of the grievance determination that contains the name of the hospital contact person, the steps taken on his or her behalf to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance and the grievance completion date.
22. Be advised if hospital/personal physician proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his/her care or treatment.  The patient has the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.  Refusal to participate or discontinuation of participation will not compromise the patient’s right to access care, treatment or services.
23. Full support and respect of all patient rights should the patient choose to participate in research, investigation and/or clinical trials.  This includes the patient’s right to a full informed consent process as it relates to the research, investigation and/or clinical trial.  All information provided to subjects will be contained in the medical record or research file, along with the consent form(s).
24. Be informed by his/her physician or a delegate of his/her physician of the continuing healthcare requirements following his/her discharge from the hospital.
25. Examine and receive an explanation of his/her bill regardless of source of payment.
26. Know which hospital rules and policies apply to his/her conduct while a patient.
27. Have all patient’s rights apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of the patient. 
28. All hospital personnel, medical staff members and contracted agency personnel performing patient care activities shall observe these patients’ rights.

Patient Responsibilities:

The care a patient receives depends partially on the patient himself.  Therefore, in addition to these rights, a patient has certain responsibilities as well.  These responsibilities should be presented to the patient in the spirit of mutual trust and respect:

1. The patient has the responsibility to provide accurate and complete information concerning his/her present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to his/her health.
2. The patient is responsible for reporting perceived risks in his or her care and unexpected changes in his/her condition to the responsible practitioner.
3. The patient and family are responsible for asking questions when they do not understand what they have been told about the patient’s care or what they are expected to do.
4. The patient is responsible for following the treatment plan established by his/her physician, including the instructions of nurses and other health professionals as they carry out the physician’s orders.
5. The patient is responsible for keeping appointments and for notifying the hospital or physician when he/she is unable to do so.
6. The patient is responsible for his/her actions should he/she refuse treatment or not follow his/her physician’s orders.
7. The patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his/her hospital care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
8. The patient is responsible for following hospital policies and procedures.
9. The patient is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel.
10. The patient is responsible for being respectful of his/her personal property and that of other persons in the hospital.

If you have questions about your rights as a patient or feel your rights have been violated, please contact the Privacy Officer at(254) 386-1600

Download Hamilton Healthcare System’s Privacy Practices