PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

*You have the right to considerate and respectful care.

*You have the right to and are encouraged to obtain from your doctor and other individuals
involved in your care relevant, current, and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

*You have the right to know the identity of physicians, nurses, and others involved in your care, as well as when those involved are students, residents, or other trainees.

*You have the right to now the immediate and long-term financial implications of treatment choices, insofar as they are known.

*You have the right to make decisions about your plan of care prior to and during the course of treatment and to refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action.  In case d such refusal, you are entitled to other appropriate care and services that the hospital provides or transfer to another hospital.  

*You have the right to have an advance directive (such as a living will, health care agent, or durable power of attorney for health care) concerning treatment or designating an alternate decision maker, with the exception that the hospital will honor the intent of that directive to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy.

*You have the right to every consideration of privacy.

*You have the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care will be treated as confidential by the hospital, except in cases such as suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is permitted or required by law.  You have the right to expect that the hospital will emphasize the confidentiality of this information when it releases it to any other parties entitled to review information in these records.

*You have the right to review the records pertaining to your medical care and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when restricted by law.

*You have the right to expect that, within its capacity and policies, the hospital will provide appropriate and medically indicated care and services.

*You have the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.

*You (and when appropriate, your family) have the right to be informed about outcomes of your care, including unanticipated outcomes.

*You have the right to ask and be informed of the existence of business relationships among the hospital, educational instructions, other health care providers, or payers that may influence the patient's treatment and care.

*You have the right to consent to or decline to participate in proposed research studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment or requiring direct patient involvement and to have those studies fully explained prior to consent.  A patient who declines to participate in research or experimentation is entitled to the most effective caret that the hospital can otherwise provide.

*You have the right to expect reasonable continuity of care when appropriate and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate.

*You have the right to be informed of hospital policies and practices that relate to patient care, treatment, and responsibilities.  You have the right t be informed of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances and conflicts, such as ethics committees, patient representatives, or other mechanisms available in the hospital.

*You have a right to be informed of the hospital's charges for services and payment methods.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

*You are responsible for providing information about your health, including past illnesses, hospital stays, and use of medicine.

*You are responsible for asking questions when you do not understand information or instructions.  If you believe you can't follow trough with your treatment, you are responsible for telling your doctor.

*You are responsible to help your doctor and nurses by reporting your pain early and telling them about your pain, such as how bad it hurts, where it hurts, and the type of pain you are having.

*You are responsible to tell your doctor or nurse if your pain is relieved from the treatments or medications the doctor prescribes and if you have any worries about taking pain medicine.

*You and your visitors are responsible for being considerate of the needs of other patients, staff, and the hospital.

*You are responsible for providing information for insurance and for working g with the hospital to arrange payment, when needed.

*Your health depends not just on your hospital care, but also on the decisions you make in your daily life.  You are responsible for recognizing the effect of life-style on your personal health.

*You are responsible for providing the hospital with your advance directive.