You have the right to:

You have the right to access health care regardless of race, religion, creed, sex, national origin, diagnosis, disability, or source of payment.

You have the right to have considerate care provided with respect, dignity, and privacy and with respect to your personal values, cultures, and beliefs.

You have the right to be informed about and participate in decisions regarding your own health care, including an explanation of expected and unexpected outcomes of treatment and procedures. You may appoint a representative to make informed decisions about your care.

You have the right to privacy and confidentiality regarding your medical care, including the following:

  • To refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital or those not directly involved in your care
  • To wear appropriate personal clothing as long as it doesn’t interfere with treatment
  • To be examined in a surrounding designed to assure privacy and to have a person of your own gender present during certain parts of a physical exam
  • To expect that any discussion involving your case will be conducted discreetly
  • To have your medical records read only by individuals directly involved in your treatment or the monitoring of the quality of care received
  • To expect all communications and records to be treated as confidential
  • To request a transfer to another room if another patient or visitor is disturbing you
  • To be placed in protective privacy or to access protective services when necessary for personal safety

You have the right to expect the hospital to take reasonable steps to maintain a safe environment, including the physical environment, as well as any equipment used in connection with your treatment.

Your safety is of the utmost importance to us during your stay here. All of our employees are committed to ensuring that you have a safe and comfortable environment to recuperate. Please be sure to use your call button for assistance, if needed, for getting in or out of bed, walking, showering, bathing, cleaning spills, etc.

You have the right to know the identity and professional status of anyone involved in your care.

You may have access to an interpreter when there is a communication barrier.  You have the right to effective communication

You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution or withdrawing life-supporting procedures.

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

You have the right to consult a specialist at your own request and expense.

You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse, neglect, or harassment as a patient at this facility.

You have the right to access information contained in your medical record within a reasonable time.

You have the right to be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary and are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.

You have the right to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law.

You should be informed of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital, and you should not be transferred to another facility unless you have received a complete examination of the need for the transfer.

You have the right to receive an itemized billing of all hospital charges for services rendered.

You have the right to be informed of the hospital’s rules and regulations.

You have the right to obtain information regarding Advance Directives.

 

Patient Responsibilities:

  • To provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present symptoms, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to your health.
  • To report unexpected changes in your condition to those responsible for your care.
  • To understand your health care. If you are unclear about either your condition or medical treatment, please ask your physician or other staff members to discuss them with you.
  • To follow the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care.
  • To accept full responsibility for your decision and your health care if you refuse treatment.
  • To pay your Hospital bill promptly and to supply us with necessary health insurance information.
  • To follow the Hospital’s rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct, including the “smoking” policy.
  • To be considerate of the rights of other patients and the Hospital personnel by assisting in the control of the noise and the number of your visitors and allowing your roommates and other patients privacy and quiet.
  • To respect the property of others and of the Hospital.
  • To respect the individuality of others including racial, ethnic and cultural differences.
  • To report your pain and to discuss with the doctors/nurses any concerns you may have about pain.
  • To take reasonable care of your own valuables and other possessions.
  • To understand that physicians (includes persons employed by physicians such as mid-level providers) on the staff at this hospital, including my attending physician, may not be an employee or agent of the hospital and that the hospital cannot be held responsible for any actions related to a physician’s medical decision making specific to my care while at the hospital

 

Concerns
You, your family, your significant other or your guardian have the right to tell us when something is wrong. This is called presenting a complaint. If you present a complaint, your care will not be affected in any way. If you have a problem that you cannot solve with your doctor, nurse, or other caregivers, please call the Compliance & Privacy Officer or the Administrator on Call.

If you send a complaint by fax, e-mail or written letter, the Compliance & Privacy Officer will acknowledge your communication within two business days.

The Compliance & Privacy Officer will contact you, review your complaint, and make every effort to resolve your concerns at that time. The Compliance & Privacy Officer will work with other members of the Hospital to review and resolve your complaint in a timely manner. Usually, this is completed within seven days but if it is not resolved, the Compliance & Privacy Officer will contact you directly to discuss the current status of your complaint. A letter will be sent to you that will include the name of the hospital contact, steps taken for the review, the results of the review, and the completion date.

Compliance & Privacy Officer
229-243-6202

[email protected]

 

Administrator on Call
229-246-3500

 

In addition, you have the right to discuss your concerns with any of the following agencies:

Regulatory Services, Healthcare

Section 2

Peachtree St. NE 33rd Floor

Atlanta, GA

 

In addition, each Medicare beneficiary who is an inpatient will be provided a standardized notice, “An Important Message from Medicare” upon admission and within two days of discharge. This document should be reviewed, signed and dated by the Medicare beneficiary. As a Medicare recipient, you have the right to discuss any concerns around the quality of care of services to the patient representative. Additionally, if you are not satisfied, you have the right to contact the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization:

Quality lmprovement Organization
Phone: 813-280-8256
Toll Free: 888-317-0751
TTY: 855-843-4776
Fax: 833-868-4058
Mail: KEPRO
5201 West Kennedy Blvd., Suite 900
Tampa, FL 33609
Email: [email protected]