Patient rights and responsibilities

Your Rights as a Patient

The right to get quality and professional care

As a patient, you have the right to:

• Get care that is appropriate for your health.
• Get good quality care that follows professional standards. We continually review and maintain our standards to ensure that you receive this.
• Get timely responses for requests that you make about your care.
• Get appropriate continuity of care and referrals.
• Get care regardless of your age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression), veteran status, or any other protected characteristic, regardless of form or intent.
• Get access to (and a copy of) your health records.

The right to receive care in a safe environment

As a patient, you have the right to:

• Be treated with respect, dignity and concern.
• Not be pressured to choose a treatment, test or exam.
• Receive care that is free from all forms of:
  • abuse or neglect
  • mistreatment
  • harassment or discrimination
• Request a person you choose to be in the exam room with you.
• Ask visitors to leave before an exam or when your care is being talked about.
• Be told why people who are not directly involved in your care are in your exam room.
• Get care instructions once you’re discharged from any of our departments.
• Access protective and advocacy agencies.
• Expect communications and records about your health to be kept private. The items below are considered confidential and will be handled discretely:
  • case discussion
  • consultation
  • exams
  • treatment

The right to become informed

As a patient you have the right to:

• Make informed decisions about your plan of care.
• Know if continued care is needed.
• Know the risks, benefits, and alternatives to proposed treatments or procedures and consequences of refusing treatment.
• Refuse treatment if you choose to the extent permitted by law.
• Have a caregiver of your choosing make health decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself. (For example, if you’re in a coma or not conscious.)
• Know the rules and regulations concerning your conduct at the Culinary Health Center.
• Ask providers and staff their names.
• Ask your providers their professional qualifications or associations.
• Know your appointment date and time and who your appointment is with ahead of time.
• Get a copy of the “Notice of Privacy Practices.”

The right to receive information in a way you can understand

As a patient, you have the right to:

• Be connected with an interpreter during visits and exams. (Please ask for an interpreter if you don’t speak English or if you have limited English.)
• Get full information spoken in plain language about:
  • Your diagnosis
  • Treatment and prognosis
  • Any alternative treatment
  • Possible known side effects or complications from treatment
• Have a caregiver of your choosing receive health information if you aren’t able to. (For example, if you are in a coma or aren’t conscious.)

The right to pain management

As a patient, you have the right to:

• Have your pain assessed.
• Get information about your pain.
• Learn options to treat your pain.
• Make decisions about your pain.
• Be referred to a pain management specialist if your provider does not prescribe you pain medicine. (A pain management specialist is trained to treat severe chronic pain.)

The right to learn what happens in an emergency situation

As a patient, you have the right to:

• Expect emergency procedures to be done without unnecessary delay.
• Ask us to honor your Advanced Directive. You will need to present it to the staff during your time of care.
• Expect staff to notify your caregiver as soon as possible if you need to be taken to a hospital.

The right to file a complaint

As a patient, you have the right to:

File a complaint or grievance by writing or calling the:

Your Responsibilities as a Patient

The responsibility to learn about your role

As a patient, you have the responsibility to:

• Give accurate and complete information about your health.
• Follow your provider and care team’s instructions for treatment and medicine safety.
• Ask questions about any directions or procedure you don’t understand.
• Accept responsibility for your health outcome if you refuse treatment or don’t follow your care plan.
• Keep your scheduled appointments or let us know ahead of time if you can’t make it.
• Follow the rules, regulations and policies of the Culinary Health Center.
• Follow all safety guidelines your provider or the staff informs you about.
• Be considerate of other patients and staff.
• Speak to staff and other patients with respect.
• Respect the property of others and the Culinary Health Center.
• Supervise your children or other persons brought with you to the Culinary Health Center.
• Stay calm and composed when interacting with staff and other patients. Abusive behavior will lead to disciplinary action up to and may include termination as a patient from the Culinary Health Center.
• Follow your provider and care team’s instructions about taking photos or other recordings at the Culinary Health Center.