Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient of Community Alliance Health Partners (CAHP), you have the following rights and responsibilities.

Access to Care

To access medical care regardless of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, familial status, source of payment, or disability.
To receive a medical screening examination and stabilizing care, regardless of ability to pay.

Respect and Dignity

The patient can expect to receive considerate care that safeguards their personal dignity and respects their cultural, psychosocial, and spiritual beliefs.
The patient has the right to have access to pastoral care upon request.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Refuse to talk with or visit with anyone not officially connected with CAHP, including visitors, or persons officially connected with the health center but not directly involved in their care or related procedures.
Wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as such items do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
Be interviewed and examined in appropriate surroundings and to have a person of one’s own gender present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment, or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite gender.
Not remain disrobed any longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.
Expect that any discussion or consultation involving their case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in their care or who do not have a “need to know” will not be present without their permission.
Have their medical record read only by individuals directly involved in their treatment or who have a “need to know”, and by other individuals only on their authorization or that of their authorized representative.
Expect all communications and other records pertaining to their care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
The rights as outlined in CAHP Notice of Privacy Practices.

Personal Safety

The patient should expect reasonable safety with regard to CAHP’s practices and environment.

Identity of Care Providers

The patient should expect to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing services to them, and to know which physician (or other practitioner) is primarily responsible for their care. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating them, as well as the relationship to any other healthcare or educational institutions involved in their care.

Information

The patient should be able to obtain, from the practitioner responsible for coordinating their care, complete, to the degree known, and current information concerning their diagnosis, treatment, and any known prognosis. This information should be communicated in terms the patient can understand.
When staff are concerned that disclosing treatment information will cause the patient or someone else harm, staff should seek assistance of a supervisor. When possible, the patient and/or their family should be provided with appropriate education and training to expand their knowledge of the patient’s illness and treatment needs and to attempt to learn skills and behaviors that promote recovery and improve function.

Communication

The patient has the right to expect that CAHP will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that reasonable accommodations are made. A person who is disabled has a right to reasonable access to the facility and the ability to maneuver in public and patient care areas of the office.
The patient has the right to communicate either verbally or in writing with staff. When the patient does not speak or understand the community’s predominant language, they have a right to reasonable access to an interpreter.
The person who is visually or hearing impaired has the right to access auxiliary aids and services.

Involvement in Care/Informed Consent/Research

The patient and their family, as appropriate, can expect to participate in decisions involving their health care, including the resolution of dilemmas about care decisions. Such decisions should be based on clear, concise explanations of their physical condition and all proposed technical procedures, including any risks such as death, disability or side effects, problems related to recuperation, and the probability of success and benefits. The patient should not be subjected to any procedure without their voluntary, competent, and informed consent, or that of their legally authorized representative. Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist, the physician should so inform the patient.
Any patient asked to participate in a research project or receive an experimental procedure can expect to receive a full explanation of the procedures to be followed, and a description of the expected benefits, potential discomforts and risks, and alternative services that might also prove advantageous to them. The patient shall be informed of their right to refuse to participate in such activities without compromising their access to services.
The patient has the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
The patient has the right to be protected from all forms of abuse or harassment including neglect, harassment, financial and other forms of exploitation, humiliation, retaliation, and any type of abuse including physical, psychological, sexual and fiduciary. The patient has the right to access protective services, including counseling or guardianship, and to reach the maximum level of independence.

Reporting Complaints or Grievances

The right to file a complaint or grievance and to be free from interference, coercion, discrimination, discharge, or reprisal as result of such filing; and the right to a fair hearing in the handling of a complaint or grievance as outlined in CAHP’s grievance policy.

Consultation

The patient, at their own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist.

Refusal of Treatment

The patient may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. When refusal of treatment by the patient or their legally authorized representative prevents providing care in accordance with professional standards, the CAHP relationship with the patient may be terminated upon reasonable notice.
Regardless of any decision made by the patient regarding extent of treatment, the patient can expect to receive all appropriate care necessary to prevent suffering.

Charges

If CAHP provides supplies or equipment that are related to, but not included in, the service itself as part of prevailing standards of care (for example, eyeglasses, prescription drugs, dentures) and charges patients for these items, CAHP will inform patients of such charges (“out-of-pocket costs”) prior to the time of service. As a matter of practice, CAHP will connect patients to other providers and would not charge for services provided by another entity.
The patient may request and receive a reasonable explanation of the total bill for services provided by CAHP regardless of the source of payment for care. The patient should expect timely notice prior to termination of their eligibility for reimbursement by any third payer for the cost of their care.

Third- Party Involvement/Medicare/Insurance/Utilization Review

Third- party entities, usually the payer of the patient’s bill, may request access to patient medical record information and billing information. CAHP will only release such information after it has reasonably assured itself that the patient has consented to the release of such information through either a signed release or the agreement the patient has with such third party.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Provision of Information

A patient should provide, to the best of their knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to their health. They should report unexpected changes in their condition to the responsible practitioner. A patient should make it known whether they clearly comprehend the recommended course of care and treatment and what is expected of them. The patient should provide any advance directive and contribute to their treatment plan.

Compliance with Instructions

A patient should be responsible for following their treatment plan. Compliance includes following the instructions of nurses and other health personnel as they carry out the plan of care and implement the responsible practitioner’s orders and as they enforce the applicable rules and regulations. The patient should keep appointments and notify the responsible practitioner when they are unable to do so for any reason.

Refusal of Treatment

The patient is responsible for their actions if they refuse treatment or do not follow their practitioner’s instructions.

Charges

The patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of their health care be fulfilled as promptly as possible.

Rules and Regulations and Patient Responsibilities

The patient should follow rules and regulations affecting patient care, conduct conduct, and safety and comply with patient responsibilities.

Respect and Consideration

The patient should be considerate of the rights of other patients and Community Alliance Health Partners personnel. The patient should respect the property of others and that of CAHP.