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 Patient's Rights" was developed by the Department of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is endorsed by the administration and staff of this hospital. As it is our goal to provide medical care that is effective and considerate, we submit these to you as our statement of policy.

1. A patient has the right to respectful care given by competent personnel in a safe setting.



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 about 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 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. The patient has the right to participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care including the right to request or refuse the treatment.



12. 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.



13. A patient has the right to assistance in obtaining consultation with another physician at the patient's request and own expense.



14. 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.



15. The patient who does not speak English should have access, where possible, to an interpreter.



16. The hospital shall provide the patient, upon request and with proof of identification, timely access to all information contained in his medical records, unless access is specifically restricted by the attending physician for medical reasons or is prohibited by law.



17. 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.



18. 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 and alternatives to such a transfer. The institution to which the patient is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for transfer.



19. The patient has the right to examine and receive a detailed explanation of his bill.



20. The patient has the right to full information and counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his health care.



21. 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.



22. A patient cannot be denied the right of access to an individual or agency that is authorized to act on his behalf to assert or protect the rights set out in this section.



23. A patient has the right to be informed of his rights at the earliest possible moment in the hours of his hospitalization.



24. A patient has the right to be informed of any existing professional relationship among individuals and/or other health care institutions involved in the patient's care.



25. The patient or patient representative has the right to information and counseling, or the mechanism of addressing ethical issues related to his/her health care.



26. The patient has the right to formulate and make known their Advance Directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners comply with these directions.



27. The patient has the right to be free from the use of seclusion or restraint as a means of coercion, convenience, or retaliation by the staff.



28. Notification of a family member or representative and a physician (all of the patient's choice) of the patient's admission to the hospital.



29. Visitation privileges are not denied on basis of race, color, national origin, culture, language, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or socioeconomic status. Patients have the right to determine who may and may not visit, regardless of whether or not the visitor is legally related to the patient. All visitors designated by the patient or representative enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those immediate family members would enjoy.



30. Notification of patients of grievance procedure concerning quality of care or premature discharge. Complaints, whether or not the patient chooses to avail himself/herself of the Hospital's internal grievance policy, may be addressed to:
    
    ^{P.A. Department of Health
    Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care
    625 FORSTER STREET
    ROOM 532
    HEALTH & WELFARE BLDG
    HARRISBURG, PA
    1-800-254-5164}



31. The patient has the right to avail himself/herself of the internal Hospital grievance policy by contacting administration at 570-268-2231.



32. If the hospital has not resolved a Laboratory concern or safety concern, the patient has the right to contact the Joint Commission's Office of Quality Monitoring by calling 1-800-994-6610 or by e-mailing complaint@jcaho.org.



33. The patient has the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain. As a patient, you can expect:
    • Information about pain and pain relief measures.
    • A concerned staff committed to pain prevention.
    • Health professionals who respond quickly to reports of pain.
    • State of the art pain management.
    • Pain expressions will be believed.



34. If the patient/resident desires to work, all applicable state and federal rules and regulations will apply. (483.10(h)(1-2).

1. The hospital expects that you or your family will provide information about past illnesses, hospitalization, medication (current herbal and prescriptions with dosage and frequency) and other matters relating to your health history in order to effectively treat your illness.



2. The hospital expects that you will cooperate with all hospital personnel and ask questions if directions and/or procedures are not clearly understood
.


3. You are expected to be considerate of other patients and hospital personnel and to assist in the control of noise, smoking, and the number of visitors in your room at any one time. You are also expected to be respectful of the property of other persons and the property of the health center.



4. In order to facilitate your care and the efforts of the hospital personnel, you are expected to help the physician, nurses, and allied medical personnel in their efforts to care for you by following their instructions and medical orders.



5. Duly authorized members of your family are expected to be available to hospital personnel for review of your treatment in the event you are unable to properly communicate with the physicians or nurses.



6. It is understood that you assume the financial responsibility of paying for all services rendered either through third party payors (your insurance company) or being personally responsible for payment for any services which are not covered by your insurance policies.



7. It is expected that you will not take drugs which have not been prescribed by your attending physician and administered by hospital staff; and that you will not complicate or endanger the healing process by consuming alcoholic beverages or toxic substances during your hospital stay.



8. In regards to pain:
   • Ask your doctor or nurse what to expect.
   • Discuss pain relief options with your doctors or nurses.
   • Work with your doctor and nurse to make a pain relief plan.
   • Ask for pain relief when pain first begins.
   • Help the doctor and nurse measure your pain.
   • Tell the doctor or nurse about any pain that will not go away.
   Not worry about getting "hooked" on pain medication


SUMMARY

Being a good patient does not mean being a silent one. If you have questions, problems, or unmet needs….please let us know. If you would like further clarification of the "Rights and Responsibilities" as they pertain to you, please do not hesitate to contact the Patient Representative:

Nursing Supervisor at 268-2223 or extension 2223

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C:PPP:Manuals:Patient Rights:Statement…1010

SOC 1/2000		SOC 02/04		SOC 01/05
Revised 01/06 DF		SOC 01/06		Revised 02/06 AB
SOC 02/06		Reviewed 01/07 PE/SOC		Revised 11/07
Reviewed 06/08 JH/SOC		Revised 07/08 DM/SOC		Revised 11/08
Reviewed 10/09 M/S staff		Revised 08/10 AB 11/10
Revised 3/13 AB