STATEMENT OF THE PATIENT’S RIGHTS
As a health care facility, we are committed to delivering quality medical care to you, our patient, and to making your stay as pleasant as possible. The following “Statement of The Patient’s Rights” is endorsed by the administration and staff of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center in accordance with our commitment to provide you with medical care that is effective and considerate.
1. A patient has the right to respectful care given by competent personnel.
2. A patient has the right, upon request, to be given the name of his attending physician, the names of all other physicians directly participating in his care, and the names and functions of other health care persons having direct contact with the patient.
3. A patient has the right to every consideration of his privacy concerning his own medical care program. Case discussion, consultation examination, and treatment are considered confidential and should be conducted discreetly.
4. A patient has the right to have all records pertaining to his medical care treated as confidential except as otherwise provided by law or third-party contractual arrangements.
5. The patient has the right to know what hospital rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient.
6. The patient has the right to expect emergency procedures to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
7. The patient has the right to good quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.
8. The patient has the right to full information in layman’s terms, concerning his diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information shall be given on his behalf to the patient’s next of kin or other appropriate person.
9. Except for emergencies, the physician must obtain the necessary informed consent prior to the start of any procedure or treatment, or both.
10. A patient or, in the event the patient is unable to give informed consent, a legally responsible party, has the right to be advised when a physician is considering the patient as a part of a medical care research program or donor program, and the patient, or legally responsible party, must give informed consent prior to actual participation in such a program. A patient, or legally responsible party, may, at any time, refuse to continue in any such program to which he has previously given informed consent.
11. A patient has the right to refuse any drugs, treatment, or procedure offered by the hospital, to the extent permitted by law, and a physician shall inform the patient of the medical consequences of the patient’s refusal of any drugs, treatment or procedure.
12. A patient has the right to assistance in obtaining consultation with another physician at the patient’s request and own expense.
13. A patient has the right to medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual preference, national origin, or source of payment.
14. The patient who does not speak English should have access, where possible, to an interpreter.
15. The patient has the right to have medical records read only by individuals directly involved in the patient’s care, by individuals monitoring the quality of care, or by individual’s authorized by law or regulation. The hospital shall provide the patient, or his/her designated/legal representative, upon request, access to all information contained in the medical records unless access is specifically restricted by the attending physician for medical reasons.
16. The patient has the right to expect good management techniques to be implemented within the hospital considering effective use of the time of the patient and to avoid the personal discomfort of the patient.
17. The patient has the right to freedom from restraints used in the provision of acute medical and surgical care unless clinically required.
18. The patient has the right to freedom from seclusion and restraint for the provision of behavioral health unless clinically justified.
19. When medically permissible, a patient may be transferred to another facility only after he or his next of kin or other legally responsible representative has received complete information and an explanation concerning the need for an alternative to such a transfer. The institution to which the patient is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for transfer.
20. The patient has the right to examine and receive a detailed explanation of his bill.
21. The patient has a right to full information and counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his health care.
22. A patient has the right to expect that the health care facility will provide a mechanism whereby he is informed upon discharge of his continuing health care requirements following discharge and the means for meeting them.
23. A patient cannot be denied the right of access to an individual or agency who is authorized to act on his behalf to assert or protect the right set out in this section.
24. A patient has the right to be informed of his rights at the earliest possible moment in the course of his hospitalization.
25. The patient has the right to make decisions regarding the withholding of resuscitative services or the forgoing or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment within the limits of the law and the policies of this institution.
26. The patient has the right to formulate an advanced directive, or to appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his/her behalf. These decisions will be honored by this hospital and its health care professionals, within the limits of the law and this organization’s mission, values, and philosophy.
27. The patient has the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
28. The patient has the right, without recrimination, to voice complaints regarding care and to have those complaints reviewed, and, when possible, resolved.