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Patient Rights
Access to Care: Patients have the right to impartial access to medically indicated treatments or accommodations, regardless of age, race, creed, sex, national origin, religion, source of payment, or presentation of complaints.
The patient has the right to expect emergency procedures to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
Respect: Patients have the right to considerate and respectful care given by competent personnel.
Dignity: Patients have the right to dignity including consideration of psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural variables that influence perceptions of their illness.
Privacy and Confidentiality: Patients have the right, within the law, to personal and informational privacy, including to:
Personal Safety: Patients have the right to expect reasonable safety in terms of hospital practices and the environment in which care is provided, including the expectation of an environment designed to reduce risks to patient safety and to prevent abuse, neglect or harassment from staff, other patients or visitors. Patients have the right to good quality care and the maintenance of high professional standards. This is best assured by involving patients as active members of the care team. During hospitalization, it is also expected that patients, their families and visitors will have reasonable and responsible behaviors. Smoking is not permitted within the hospital. When a patient smokes inside the building it poses a fire risk to all and appropriate measures to assure the risk of fire is minimized will be taken.
Identity: Patients have the right to know the identity, professional status and professional relationships of individuals providing services, and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for their care. Participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes is voluntary.
Information: Patients have the right to be informed about the outcomes of their care, including unanticipated outcomes. It is the responsibility of the attending physician and/or his or her designee to clearly explain the outcomes of care, including stances when the outcome differs significantly from that anticipated. Upon request, patients, or the patient designee, shall be provided access to all information contained in the patient's medical records. A patient's access to medical records may be restricted by the patient's attending physician. If the physician restricts the patient's access to information in the patient's medical record, the physician shall record the reasons on the patient's medical record. Access shall be restricted only for sound medical reason. A patient's designee may have access to the information in the patient's medical records even if the attending physician restricts the patient's access to those records. This information shall be communicated in terms patients can be expected to understand.
Communications: Patients have the right to verbal and written communications and access to people outside the hospital including visitors. When the patient does not understand the predominant language of the community or is hearing impaired, access to an interpreter will be provided. Other impaired individuals have the right to assistive devices or animals.
Consent: Patients (18 years of age or emancipated minors) have the right to informed participation in decisions involving their health care.
Consultation: Patients have the right to consult with a specialist.
Participation in the Plan of Care: Patients have the right to participate in the development, implementation and revision of his/her plan of care. Patients may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and are informed of the medical consequences of such refusal.
Knowledge of Continuing Care Needs: Patients may not be transferred to other facilities unless they have received complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the transfer is acceptable to the patient and the other facility. Patients have the right to be informed by the responsible practitioner or their delegate of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital and the means for meeting them.
Comfort: Patients have the right to quick response to reports of pain and interventions directed to optimize pain management. Patients have the right not to be awakened by hospital staff unless it is medically necessary. Patients have the right to medical and nursing treatment that avoids unnecessary physical and mental discomfort and to be free from needless duplication of medical and nursing procedures.
Financial Explanation: Patients have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of their total bill for services rendered in the hospital. Patients have the right to full information and counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his health care. Patients have the right, when possible, to timely notice prior to termination of his eligibility for reimbursement by the third party payer for the cost of his care.
Hospital Rules and Regulations: Patients have the right to access to the hospital rules and regulations applicable to their conduct as a patient. Patients are entitled to information about the hospital mechanism for the initiation, review, and resolution of patient complaints.
Grievances: Patients have the right to expect that care and services are provided in a timely, reasonable and consistent manner. When a patient issue cannot be resolved promptly by the staff present, the patient has the right to file a formal, written or verbal grievance.
Children and Teens: Children and teens have the right to make choices and let our staff know how they want to be involved in their care. They are also entitled to treatment by health care professionals who are knowledgeable about caring for children and teenagers. Children's right to grow, play, learn, rest and feel secure will be respected. An adult family member will be allowed to spend the night in the hospital with them.
Parents and guardians are responsible for providing the hospital with information about their child's health including the present complaint, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to the health of the child. They are encouraged to take part in the child's care and ask questions if they do not understand something about their child's treatment.
Catawba Valley Medical Center: All departments at Catawba Valley Medical Center are licensed and regulated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Facility Services. This state agency is responsible for the enforcement of rules applicable to hospitals. If a patient and/or patient's designee wishes, the agency may be contacted as listed below.
For psychiatric services, contact:
For acute care and rehabilitation services, contact:
Also, the Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities has the power to investigate complaints at any 24-hour behavioral health facility in the state.
Services provided by Catawba Valley Medical Center are also accredited by the Joint Commission. Concerns related to patient safety or quality of care that are not addressed by CVMC representatives may be reported directly to the Joint Commission. See also RI-15, Patient/Family Complaint/Grievance Policy. Complaints may be reported to the Joint Commission's Office of Quality Monitoring at 1-800-994-6610 or by e-mailing [email protected].
Along with patient rights come patient responsibilities. These include respecting the rights of other patients by abiding by hospital and office policies. Patients also have the responsibility to actively participate in their care and to provide accurate and complete information. See Catawba Valley Medical Group Policy GO-13 for additional detail. |