Patient Rights & Responsibilities

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT

To be treated with respect, dignity and compassion in a safe setting; and to receive reasonable responses to reasonable requests for service.
To respectful care, without discrimination based on age, race ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Care will be provided in response to your request or need as long as the care is within the hospital’s capacity, stated mission and philosophy and relevant laws and regulations. In the case that your needs cannot be met, you will be notified and alternative care will be presented at that time.
To receive information from your physician on your health status, in order to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure or treatment. This information includes a description of the benefits of the procedure or treatment, the likelihood of achieving your goals and any problems that might occur during recuperation from the proposed care, treatment and services proposed, the significant risks involved, reasonable medical alternatives, the probable length of time for recuperation and need for follow-up care.
To give or withhold informed consent to recordings, filming, or obtaining images of you for any purpose other than your care.
To know the names of all physicians and care providers treating you, as well as the name of the physician coordinating your care.
To participate in decisions about your care, including developing your treatment plan, discharge planning and the selection of the providers of goods. To have your family and personal physician promptly notified of your admission.
To refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to leave the facility against the advice of the physician and to be informed of the medical consequences of such an action.
To expect your personal privacy be respected and your treatment records to be confidential, unless you have given permission to release information or reporting is required or permitted by law, and to receive a notice of the facility’s privacy practices.
To have timely access to your own clinical record and to have legitimate requests for records responded to appropriately and in a timely fashion, and to request an amendment to and obtain information in accordance with law and regulation within a reasonable time frame.
To be informed by your physicians or before you are transferred to another healthcare facility, of the reason for the transfer, alternatives available and the risks and benefits on the transfer.
To be informed about pain and pain relief measures, and to effective pain management.
To be informed of any investigational, clinical research or trials or educational activities related to your care and to refuse to participate in these activities without jeopardizing your access to care and services unrelated to the research.
To examine and receive an explanation of your bill for services, regardless of the source of payment.
To formulate an Advance Directive document that expresses your choices about your future care including care at end of life and/or to designate someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself. To expect the physician and staff to provide care consistent with your wishes. You also have the right to review or revise any advanced directives.
To participate, or through a designated family member or representative of your choice, in all ethical questions, including conflict resolution, withholding resuscitation or forgoing or withdrawing life sustaining treatment and to contact the hospital’s ethics committee.
To have a designated family member or representative of your choice, in collaboration with your physician, who may act on your behalf only if you are: a) incapable of communicating your wishes, b) unable to understand proposed treatment or c) found to be incompetent.
To voice complaints regarding the care you receive or premature discharge from the hospital to the Quality Management Department or the department manager in writing or verbally. To have those complaints reviewed and when possible, resolved by the Chief Quality Officer. If the complaint/grievance is not resolved, then it will be presented to the grievance committee for review and resolution.
Respect for your cultural and personal values, beliefs and preferences, with accommodation for your religious and other spiritual services.
To effective communication that provides information in a manner you understand, in your preferred language with provisions of interpreting or translation services, at no cost, and in a manner that meets your needs in the event of vision, speech, hearing or cognitive impairments. Information should be provided in easy to understand terms that will allow you to formulate informed consent.
To obtain informed consent from your family for organ and tissue donation and to discrete and sensitive treatment regarding their beliefs.
To access protective and advocacy services by calling the hospital operator, who will direct the request to the appropriate hospital personnel that can call a protective services agency or law enforcement agency, and to receive a list of such groups at your request.
To be free from interference, coercion, discrimination or threat of reprisal by the hospital.
To be in a safe environment, free from restraint or seclusion, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, harassment or retaliation by staff, and free from chemical and physical restraints except as authorized in writing by a physician for a specific and limited period of time, and to have the least restrictive method of restraint or seclusion used only when necessary to protect you from injury to yourself or to others.
To be informed or to have your designated party informed, about the outcome of your care, treatment and services, including unanticipated outcomes when applicable.
To have a family member, friend, or other support individual be present with you during the course of your stay who you designate (orally or in writing) without restrictions or denials based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation disability, or family relationship, unless that person’s presence infringes on others’ rights, safety or is medically contraindicated. You have the right to set any preference of order or priority for your visitors to satisfy those limitations or restrictions. You may withdraw or deny your consent for a visitor at any time.
To file a grievance if you believe your visitation rights are violated
To be informed of the reason for any limitations or restrictions to visitors that the hospital imposes.
To be free from neglect; exploitation; and verbal, mental, physical and sexual abuse.
To an environment that is safe, preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
Each patient admitted to the hospital or in the Emergency Room that needs assistance to effectively communicate with hospital staff, make health care decisions or engage in activities of daily living due to a disability, including but not limited to: a physical, intellectual, behavioral or cognitive impairment; deafness, being hard of hearing or other communication barrier; blindness; Autism; or Dementia has a right to:
1. Not be discriminated against based on whether or not they have a POLST, advanced directive or advance care planning instrument. Treatment may not be conditioned on whether the patient has completed end-of-life care instructions.
2. Designate three support persons, and have at least one support person to be present with the patient at all times in the Emergency Department, and during the patients stay at the hospital, if necessary to ensure effective communication and facilitate the patients care.
3. Have one support person designated by the patient to be allowed to present for any discussion in which the patient is asked to elect hospice care, to sign an advanced directive or other instrument allowing the withholding or withdrawing of life sustaining procedure or artificially administered nutrition or hydration, unless the patient requests to have the discussion the absence of the support person.

YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY

To provide accurate and complete information about your present medical condition, past illnesses, hospital stays and any other matters concerning your health, including the use of medications.
To provide a copy of your Advance Directive (if you have one) to the hospital and to your physician.
To notify your physician if the information you receive about your diagnosis, treatment, plan of care or prognosis is not adequate or if you do not understand it.
To cooperate and follow the care prescribed for you by your physicians, nurses or other health professionals. To report unexpected changes in your condition.
To work with your healthcare team to develop a pain management plan.
To be respectful of those around you, including other patients, visitors and staff.
To comply with our visiting policies.
To honor our no smoking policy.
To examine your bill and ask any questions you may have regarding the charges or methods of payment.
To accept your financial obligations associated with your care. To furnish the hospital staff with all information and documents required by the insurance company or federal/state agencies which will or may undertake the payment of your facility charge in accordance with the requirements of federal or state regulations.
To advise your nurse, physician, nurse manager, social worker or an administrator of any dissatisfaction you may have with regard to your care in the hospital.
To assist your physician and the hospital staff in facilitating a safe environment.
To inform the staff if you feel unsafe at any time during your stay.
To report any unexpected changes in the patient’s condition to the patient’s healthcare provider.
To follow all medical center policies and procedures while being considerate of the rights of other patients and Willamette Valley Medical Center personnel and properties, and for assisting in the control of noise and distraction.
To follow the treatment plan developed with the practitioner and understand the consequences of treatment alternatives and non-compliance with the proposed course of treatment.

YOU ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO

Lodge a concern with the state, whether you have used the hospital’s grievance process or not. If you have concerns regarding the quality of your care, coverage decisions, or want to appeal a premature discharge, contact the State Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)

Health Care Regulation and Quality Improvement
Phone: (971)673-0540 or TTY (971)673-0372
Fax: (971)673-0556
Email: mailbox.hclc@state.or.us
Mail: Attention: Health Care Regulation and Quality Improvement
P.O Box 14450
Portland, OR 97293
Mark clearly on the envelope “Confidential”

If you have a Medicare complaint you may contact:
State Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) as noted above.

REGARDING PROBLEM RESOLUTION, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO

Express your concerns about patient care and safety to facility personnel and/or management without being subject to coercion, discrimination, reprisal or unreasonable interruption of care; and to be informed of the resolution process for your concerns. If your concern and questions cannot be resolved at this level contact the accrediting agency indicated below:

The Joint Commission
Phone: (800) 994-6610
Fax: (630) 792-5636
Email: complaint@jointcommission.org
Mail: Office of Quality Monitoring/The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181