Patient Rights & Responsibilities, Privacy Notice

Patient Rights & Responsibilities Downloadable PDF

No Surprise Billing/Good Faith Estimate

Patient Privacy Notice PDF

 

Patient Rights

The Patient has the right:

1. To impartial access to medically indicated treatment regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation ethnicity, age or handicap.

2. To considerate and respectful care.

3. To receive information in a language he/she can understand including translation services for patients who do not speak English, are deaf, unable to speak or who are blind.

4. To participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care.

5. To request a discharge planning evaluation.

6. Or his/her representative has the right to make informed decisions regarding his/her care including being informed of his/her health status, being involved in care planning and treatment, and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.

7. To formulate advance directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.

8. To have a family member or representative of his/her choice along with his/her own physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the hospital.

9. To personal privacy.

10. To receive care in a safe setting

11. To be free from all forms of abuse and harassment including physical and mental abuse and corporal punishment.

12. To confidentiality of his/her clinical records.

13. To access information contained in his/her clinical records within a reasonable time frame.

14. To be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.

15. To be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental or research project without compromising his/her access to services.

16. To know the professional status of any person providing his/her care or services.

17. To know the reasons for any proposed change in the Professional Staff responsible for his/her care;

18. To know the reasons for his/her transfer either within or outside the hospital.

19. To know of the relationship of the hospital to other persons or organizations participating in the provision of his/her care.

20. To information regarding the process to file a grievance and prompt resolution of grievances.

21. To access the cost itemized, when possible, of services rendered within a reasonable period of time.

22. To be informed of the source of the hospital’s reimbursement for his/her services, and of any limitations which may be placed upon his/her care.

23. To have pain treated as effectively as possible.

24. To be informed of the visitation rights.

25. The patient’s family has the right of informed consent for donation of organs and tissues.

 

Patient Responsibilities

The Patient has the responsibility:

1. To provide those participating in his/her care with accurate and complete information about matters relating to his/her past and present healthcare.

2. To be respectful and considerate of the rights and property of other patients and staff.

3. To be responsible in a timely way regarding his/her financial obligations and information to the hospital.

4. To follow the hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.

5. To inform the nurse or physician of any medication brought from home.

6. To accept responsibility for the consequences following a decision to refuse or alter prescribed treatment or instructions.

7. To refrain from the use of any drugs not prescribed or authorized by his/her physician and administered by hospital staff.

8. To ask questions if he/she does not understand the course of treatment.

9. To refrain from the use of tobacco products on the hospital campus.

10. To provide a copy of any advance directives to the hospital staff.

11. To care for all personal property that is kept in his or her possession during the hospital stay; to send home valuable items such as cash, credit cards or jewelry; or to arrange for such items to be placed in the cashier’s department for safekeeping.

Patient Privacy Notice

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get a copy of your health and claims records
• You can ask to see or get a copy of your health and claims records and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health and claims records, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct health and claims records
• You can ask us to correct your health and claims records if you think they are incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within
60 days.
Request confidential communications
• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
• We will consider all reasonable requests, and must say “yes” if you tell us you would be in danger if we do not.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations.
• We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
• You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
• You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
• You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints 
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in payment for your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation
• Contact you for fundraising efforts
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
In these cases we never share your information unless you give us
written permission:
• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information

Our Uses & Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Help manage the health care treatment you receive
• We can use your health information and share it with professionals who are treating you.
Example: A doctor sends us information about your diagnosis and treatment plan so we can arrange additional services.
Run our organization
• We can use and disclose your information to run our organization and contact you when necessary.
• We are not allowed to use genetic information to decide whether we will give you coverage and the price of that coverage. This does not apply to long term care plans.
Example: We use health information about you to develop better services
for you.
Pay for your health services
• We can use and disclose your health information as we pay for your health services.
Example: We share information about you with your dental plan to coordinate payment for your dental work.
Administer your plan
• We may disclose your health information to your health plan sponsor for plan administration.
Example: Your company contracts with us to provide a health plan, and we provide your company with certain statistics to explain the premiums we charge.

How else can we use or share your health information? We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
• We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
• Preventing disease
• Helping with product recalls
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research
• We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
• We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests and work with a medical examiner or funeral director
• We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
• We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
• We can use or share health information about you:
• For workers’ compensation claims
• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
• With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
• For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and
legal actions
• We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html. 

Changes to the Terms of This Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, on our website, and we will mail a copy to you.

Julie A. Covault, COO & Privacy Officer
Wilson Health 
915 W. Michigan Street, Sidney, OH 45365
jcovault@wilsonhealth.org