SUMMARY OF THE PATIENT’S
Rights and Responsibilities
Federal and state law requires that your health care provider or health care facility recognize your rights while you are receiving medical care and that you respect the health care provider’s or health care facility’s right to expect certain behavior on the part of patients. You may request a copy of the Florida Patient Rights law from your health care provider or health care facility. A summary of your rights and responsibilities follows:
PATIENT RIGHTS:
General Rights
- A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of age, sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, handicap, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or source of payment.
- A patient has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect, with appreciation of his or her cultural and personal values, beliefs, preferences, individual dignity, and with protection of his or her right to and need for privacy.
- A patient has a right to religious and spiritual accommodation.
- A patient has the right to be free from neglect, harassment, exploitation, verbal, physical, mental, and sexual abuse to receive care in a safe setting.
- A patient has a right to have his or her allegations, observations and suspected cases of neglect, exploitation, and abuse reported to appropriate authorities based on the hospital’s evaluation of the suspected events as required by law.
- A patient has the right to be free from restraint or seclusion, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff and to be subjected to restraint or seclusion only by trained staff to ensure the immediate physical safety of the patient, a staff member, or others and to have it discontinued at the earliest possible time.
- A patient has the right to bring any person or receive or deny visitors of his or her choosing to the patient-accessible areas of the health care facility or provider’s office to accompany the patient while the patient is receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment or is consulting with his or her health care provider, unless doing so would risk the safety, rights, or health of the patient, other patients, or staff of the facility or office or cannot be reasonably accommodated by the facility or provider.
- A patient has the right to know what rules and regulations apply to his or her conduct.
Quality of Care and Decision Making
- A patient has the right to have a family member or representative of his or her choice and his or her physician notified promptly of his or her admission to the hospital.
- A patient has the right to know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for his or her care.
- A patient has the right to receive information in a manner the patient understands.
- A patient has the right to know what patient support services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if he or she does not speak English.
- A patient has the right to be given by the health care provider information concerning diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternatives, risks and prognosis.
- A patient has the right to the means to make informed decisions.
- A patient has the right to participate in the development and implementation of their plan of care.
- A patient has the right to treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment.
- A patient has the right to pain management.
- A patient has the right to request or refuse any treatment, including life-prolonging procedures, except as otherwise provided by law.
- A patient has the right to participate in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in his or her care.
Privacy and Confidentiality
A patient has the right to confidentiality of his or her clinical records and to access current medical records in such form and format as agreeable to by the facility and individual, and within a reasonable time frame.
Finances
- A patient has the right to be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his or her care.
- A patient has the right to receive, upon request and prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care.
- A patient has the right to receive a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable, itemized bill and, upon request, to have the charges explained.
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
- A patient is responsible for providing to the health care provider, to the best of his or her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to his or her health.
- A patient is responsible for reporting unexpected changes in his or her condition to the health care provider.
- A patient is responsible for asking questions or acknowledging to the health care provider when he or she does not comprehend a treatment course or care decision and what is expected of him or her.
- A patient is responsible for supporting mutual consideration and respect by maintaining civil language and conduct in interactions with staff and licensed independent practitioners.
- A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the health care provider.
- A patient is responsible for keeping appointments and, when he or she is unable to do so for any reason, notifying the health care provider or health care facility.
- A patient is responsible for his or her actions if he or she refuses treatment or does not follow the health care provider’s instructions.
- A patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his or her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
- A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS
Your satisfaction is important to us. If you have a concern or a complaint, please allow the person responsible for your care or their supervisor the opportunity to listen, review, and to assist you with an appropriate resolution. If your complaint is unresolved, please ask to speak to the office manager, or medical director. If your concern cannot be resolved by the ONA Women’s Medical Club process indicated, please allow the facility the opportunity to address your complaint.