Patient Rights and Responsibilities

• Considerate, ethical and respectful care with recognition of his/her personal dignity.
• Have his/her cultural, spiritual, psychosocial, personal values, beliefs, lifestyle choices related to sexual orientation and preferences respected.
• Choose and talk with medical, dental, and other licensed independent practitioners/care providers.
• Know Upland Hills Health is a critical access hospital that does not provide the opportunity for a swing bed patient to work or perform services.
• Have his/her rights exercised by the person appointed as legal guardian or power of attorney for health care agent.

• Receive care in a reasonably safe environment.
• Be free from physical, sexual, financial and verbal abuse, harassment, neglect, exploitation or involuntary seclusion.
• Be free from chemical and physical restraints or seclusion in any form that are not medically necessary.
• Medication information (a nurse or pharmacist can talk with the patient about his/her medication).
• Be in a tobacco free hospital (Upland Hills Health is a tobacco free campus).  A nurse can talk with the patient if he/she wants to stop using tobacco.
• Protective and advocacy services for personal safety.
• Place his/her valuables in the hospital locked space.  The patient is responsible if he/she chooses not to lock the valuables.

• Accept or refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital, visitors or Upland Hills Health workers who are not directly involved in patient care.
• Wear his/her clothes and religious/symbolic items, unless it infringes on the rights of others or interferes with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
• Ask that an employee not be assigned to his/her care.
• Be examined and talked to where there is reasonable privacy.
• Have a person of one’s own sex present during a physical exam, treatment or procedure performed by the health professional of the opposite sex.
• Ask that uninvolved hospital workers or visitors not be present when the patient’s care is being discussed.
• See and get copies of his/her medical record and to ask for changes.
• Have patient’s communications, medical information, and payment source be treated as confidential.  Patient may ask how his/her medical information may be disclosed.
• File a complaint with the provider or Secretary of Health and Human Services if he/she thinks “privacy protected” was not followed.

• Know the identity and profession of UHH workers providing care/services to him/her.
• Know which doctor is responsible for his/her care.
• Know who is involved in the care and be told who is responsible for doing the procedure or treatment.
• Be asked if he/she wants to have care by students in training.

• Communication in a way the patient understands.
• An interpreter, translator, and TDD device. Other aids can be used for patients with vision, speech, hearing and cognitive needs.
• Ask that his/her medical record be communicated to another health care facility or provider (a medical release of records is signed by the patient).

• Know all information about his/her diagnosis (to the degree known) treatment, any known prognosis and care outcome, including unanticipated outcomes.
• Have visitors, mail, telephone calls, and other communication (these may be stopped as needed for rest, care, and safety reasons).
• Privacy during communication.
• Specialized services as required by the plan of care.
• Have a family member or someone of the patient’s choice, be told of his/her hospital admission.
• Ask and get a total bill that lists each item.
• Timely notice before termination of his/her eligibility for reimbursement by the insurer or third payor for the cost of his/her care.
• Talk with a Business Office worker about the bill and payment. The patient is to tell the Business Office about the patient’s payment source (insurance, Medicare, etc.) and plans for payment as asked for by the Business Office.
• Get Advance Directive information upon admission.

• Give or not give informed consent.
• Make decisions and resolve dilemmas about his/her health care, treatment, and services. Tell a nurse or social worker when there is a conflict about care.
• Give or not give consent for recording or filming for purposes other than identification, diagnosis or treatment.
• Forego or withdraw life-sustaining treatment or withholding resuscitation to the extent permitted by law.
• Agree to or refuse medical care, treatment and services within the law and regulations. Patient consent is not needed in emergencies. The patient is told when there are reasonable alternatives for care or treatment.
• Know the hospital protects and respects his/her rights during research, investigation, and clinical trials. Patient can agree or refuse to participate.
• If patient decides not to follow or fails to follow the doctor’s instructions, he/she assumes full responsibility for the outcome.

• Be assessed and effectively treated for pain.
• Complete an advance directive and have the doctor and hospital workers follow the directive within laws and regulations. Upland Hills Health may consult with Corporate Counsel as needed (an example may be for out-of-state directives).
• Comfort measures.
• Have family members be part of care decisions.
• Pastoral and spiritual services.
• Speak with a specialist at the patient’s expense.
• Ask for a different room or to share a room with his/her spouse when the spouse is a patient.
• Transportation services.
• Pick a doctor, ask for a different doctor. The doctor needs to accept the patient before care is transferred. The patient may pick and talk with his/her dentist and independent care provider.
• Make his/her wishes known about organ and tissue donation, and for the hospital to honor the wishes within the laws and regulations.
• Meet with Hospice to learn about end of life care.
• Ask for a Bio-ethics consult. Let your nurse or a patient and family service staff know.

• Tell the doctor or staff about his/her health and illness and medical history.
• Tell the doctor or staff about his/her medicines including over-the-counter and herbals.
• Ask questions if he/she does not understand or needs more information.
• Follow the medical treatment plan developed by his/her doctor and care team.
• Tell the doctor or care team about any changes in health.
• Accept outcomes when he/she doesn’t follow the recommended course of treatment.
• Be involved in your care and help in providing safe care.
• Respect patients, staff and Upland Hills Health property.
• Follow hospital rules.
• Not smoke on Upland Hills Health property, including the parking lots.

• Ask an employee for assistance in completing a written concern or complaint form.
• Ask to speak to a department director or house supervisor.
• Leave a verbal message on our confidential Comment Line; call our Comment Line at 608/930-7100.
• Complete a patient questionnaire or survey.