Your Rights and Responsibilities

Crozer-Keystone Health System is dedicated to the prevention of illness and committed to delivering quality medical care and services to you and your family. All CKHS employees work to fulfill this mission. Your rights as a patient as well as your responsibilities as a patient are listed here. At any time, should you have questions concerning these rights, you may contact the Administrator On-Call by dialing the Operator (dial “0”on your telephone) or by asking the nurse caring for you to help you contact this individual. Please take a moment to review these rights as you acquaint yourself with the information contained in the patient handbook.

A Statement of our Policy Patient Rights

1.      Considerate and Respectful Care. You have the right to respectful care provided by competent personnel, with consideration for your personal, psychosocial, spiritual and cultural values, as long as those values do not interfere with your care, present any harm or danger to yourself or present a harm or danger to others.

You have the right to expect good management techniques are implemented within the hospital, considering effective use of your time and avoiding personal discomfort to you.

You have the right to pain assessment and management upon admission and throughout your hospital stay.

2.      Notification.  You have the right to have a family member or representative of your choice and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.

3. Hospital Rules. You have the right to know what hospital rules and regulations apply to your conduct as a patient.
    
4. Continuity of Care. You have the right to know the name of your attending physician, the names of all other physicians directly participating in your care, and the names and functions of other health care staff having direct contact with you. You have the right to be informed of the reasons for any proposed change in the professional staff responsible for your care.
   
   You have the right to expect that the health care facility will provide a mechanism whereby you are informed upon discharge of your continuing health care requirements and the means for meeting them. 
    
5. Consultation. You have the right to assistance in obtaining consultation with another physician at your request and your expense.
    
6. Responsiveness. You have the right to be communicated with in a manner that is clear, concise and understandable. If you do not speak English, you will have access, where possible, to an interpreter. If you are hearing impaired, you may request to be provided with access to a sign language interpreter or a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD).
    
7. Information.  You, or in the case of a child, adolescent, or incompetent patient, the family and/or guardian, have the right to full information in layman’s terms (plain English). Except for emergencies, the physician must obtain the necessary informed consent prior to the start of any procedure. You have the right to the information needed to give consent. This includes information about alternative treatments and possible complications. You have the right to information about participation in your care planning and treatment as well as information about transfer.
   
   
8. Transfer. When medically permissible, you may be transferred to another facility only after you, your next of kin or other legally responsible representative receives complete information (risks and benefits) and an explanation concerning the need for and alternatives to such a transfer. The institution to which you are to be transferred must first have accepted you for transfer.
    
9. Privacy and Confidentiality. You, or your designated/legal representative, have the right to every consideration of privacy concerning your care. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are considered confidential and should be conducted discretely. You have the right, if requested, to have someone present while physical examination, treatment or procedures are performed, as long as their presence does not interfere with your care. You have the right to request a room transfer if another patient or visitor in the room is unreasonably disturbing you and another room equally suitable for your care is available.
    
10. Safety. You have the right to good quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed, to receive care in a safe setting, and be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
     
11. Research. You, or in the event you are unable to give informed consent, a legally responsible party, have the right to be advised when a physician is considering you as a part of a medical care research program or a donor program. You, or legally responsible party, must give informed consent prior to actual participation in such a program.  Even if you have previously given informed consent, you or a legally responsible party may, at any time, refuse to continue in any such program.
     
12. Refusal of Treatment.  You have the right to refuse any drugs, treatment or procedure offered by the hospital, to the extent permitted by law. A physician will inform you of the medical consequences of your refusal of any drugs, treatment or procedure.
     
13. Advance Directives. You have the right to have your wishes honored as they are stated in an advance directive (living will and durable power of attorney for health care decision-making) as such rights exist under Pennsylvania law. At your request, information about advance directives and writing advance directives will be provided.
     
14. Restraints. You have the right, when receiving acute care services, to be free from any form of restraints (physical restraint or drug being used as a restraint) that are not medically necessary, are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or are used as a means of retaliation by staff.
    
    You have the right, when receiving behavioral health services, to be free from seclusion and restraint, in any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. Seclusion or a restraint can only be used in emergency situations if needed to ensure the patient’s physical safety and less-restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective.
     
15. Access to Care. You have the right to receive impartial access to services based on professionally determined health need and without discrimination based upon race, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, disability, national origin or source of payment. You have the right to expect emergency procedures and services to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
     
16. Medical Records. The hospital shall provide you, upon request, access to all information contained in your medical records, unless the attending physician specifically restricts access for medical reasons or law prohibits access.
    
    You have the right to have all records pertaining to your medical care treated as confidential except as provided by law, third-party contractual arrangement, or if you request that the information be disclosed. 
     
17. Hospital Charges. You have the right to examine and receive a detailed explanation of your bill, and the right to full information and counseling on the availability of known financial resources for payment of your health care services.
     
18. Relationships. You have the right to information regarding the relationship of the hospital to other organizations that may participate in providing your care, including any information about separate billing practices.
     
19. Exercise of Rights. You cannot be denied the right of access to an individual or agency that is authorized to act on your behalf to assert or protect the rights set out in this section.
     
20. Resolution of Complaints.  You, or your designated/legal representative, have the right to voice concerns, questions and complaints regarding your care, without fear of reprisal or discrimination, and to have those concerns reviewed, and, when possible, resolved in a timely manner. Concerns should first be directed to your care providers. If the concern is unresolved, you may contact the Administrator On-Call by dialing the Operator and asking for the Administrator On-Call.
    
    A grievance may be filed verbally or in writing. The hospital will review, investigate and resolve each patient’s grievance within a reasonable time frame. The patient or the patient’s representative will receive a written notice of the hospital’s determination regarding the grievance. The hospital may use any additional tools available to resolve a grievance.
    
    A formal grievance process may include a review by a committee composed of members of the Board of Directors. To request a formal grievance process, contact the Administrator On-Call. In such an event, the filing of a complaint or grievance will in no manner affect the quality of care and/or treatment of the patient.
    
    Should you have a quality or safety concern, you may contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health Acute and Ambulatory Care Services either in writing at P.O. Box 90, Harrisburg, PA 17108-0090, or by calling 1-800-254-5164. Additionally, you may contact the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations at 1-800-994-6610. 

Patient’s Responsibilities

As a patient, you are responsible for the following:

1. For Treatment. You need to give complete, accurate and truthful information about your health. The hospital expects that you or your family will provide information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, advance directives, and other matters relating to your health history in order to effectively treat your illness.
   
   If you have an advance directive please provide a copy as soon as possible.
   
   You must provide complete and accurate information about your health insurance coverage. Any approvals from your HMO or Managed Care Plan are to be provided as soon as possible.
    
2. Participation in Treatment. The hospital expects that you will cooperate with all the hospital staff and ask questions if directions and/or procedures are not clearly understood.
   
   If you do not understand what the hospital staff is telling you, you have additional questions, or you need more information, you need to tell the doctor or the nurse.
   
   If you are unable to properly communicate with the physicians and nurses, duly authorized members of your family are expected to be available to the hospital staff for review of your treatment.
   
   In order to help your care and help the efforts of the hospital staff, you are expected to help the physicians, the nurses and the allied medical personnel by following instructions and medical orders. You and the hospital staff will work together on a treatment plan. If you are unable to follow the plan, tell your doctor or nurse.
   
   Ask your doctor or nurse what to expect regarding pain and pain control; work with them to develop a plan to make you as comfortable as possible.
   
   You will not take drugs that have not been prescribed by your attending physician and administered by the hospital staff. You will not complicate or endanger the healing process by consuming alcoholic beverages or toxic substances during your hospital stay.
    
3. Respect for Others. You are to be considerate of other patients and the hospital staff. You are to assist in the control of noise, smoking and the number of visitors in your room at any one time. You are to be respectful of the property of other persons and the property of the hospital. You are to follow the hospital rules.
    
4. Patience.  We recognize that your time is very valuable. We strive to provide you with prompt service, to keep you informed of delays and to make you comfortable while you wait.
    
5. Payment.  Provide complete and accurate information about your health insurance coverage. It is understood that you assume the financial responsibility (must pay) for all services rendered either through third-party payors (your insurance company) or being personally responsible for payment for any services that are not covered by your insurance policies.
   
   Please make arrangements for timely payment of your bill.
   
   If there is something about your bill you do not understand please ask questions.
    
6. Valuables.  You are encouraged to leave your valuables at home; the hospital is not responsible for lost or stolen items. If it is impossible to send these items home with family members your nurse can help you arrange to have them secured in the hospital safe.
    
7. Cellular Phones.  Cellular phones are not allowed in any patient rooms or treatment areas. 
    
8. Smoking.  Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the hospital. 
    
9. Lifestyle. Health depends on more than health care services. You are responsible for recognizing the impact of your lifestyle on your personal health.