Patient Rights
Every patient deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and concern. We will do our best to serve you. We consider you a partner in your hospital care. When you are well informed, participate in treatment decisions, and communicate openly with your doctor and other health professionals, you help make your care as effective as possible. This hospital encourages respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual. It is our goal to assure that your rights as a patient are observed.
While you are a patient at California Pacific Medical Center, you have the right to:
1. Exercise these rights without regard to race, color, creed, gender, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or the source of payment.
2. Considerate and respectful care.
3. Knowledge of the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care and the names and professional relationship of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
4. Receive information about the illness, the course of treatment, and prospects for recovery in terms that you can understand.
5. Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure needed in order to give informed consent or to refuse this course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in this treatment, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment, the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
6. Participate actively in decisions regarding medical care. To the extent permitted by law this includes the right to request or to refuse treatment. NOTE: this does not mean that you have the right to access “services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.”
7. Full consideration of privacy concerning the medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination, and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
8. Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and the stay in the hospital. Written permission shall be obtained before medical records can be made available to anyone not directly concerned with your care.
9. Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
10. Leave the hospital even against the advice of physicians.
11. Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments as well as the identity of persons providing the care.
12. Be advised if the hospital/personal physician proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.
13. Be informed of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
14. Examine and receive an explanation of the bill regardless of the source of payment.
15. Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient.
16. Have all patients’ rights apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
17. Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage, unless: A. No visitors are allowed. B. The facility reasonably determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger your health or safety, a member of the health facility staff, or other visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility. C. You indicate to the health facility that you no longer want this person to visit.
18. Have your wishes considered for purposes of determining who may visit if you lack decision-making capacity and to have the method of the consideration disclosed in the hospital on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any persons living in the household.
19. This section may not be construed to prohibit a health facility from otherwise establishing reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors.
20. Consult the Ethics Committee and participate in any ethical issues that arise in the provision of your care by asking your nurse or physician, or a patient representative.
21. File a grievance with the Patient Relations Coordinator.
22. Participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care.
23. Make informed decisions regarding your plan of care.
24. Be informed of your health status and remain involved in your care planning and treatment, including pain management.
25. Formulate advance directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners comply with these directives.
26. Personal privacy.
27. Receive care in a safe setting, free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
28. Confidentiality of your clinical records and the ability to access information from your own records within a reasonable time frame.
29. Be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
30. Have a family member or representative of your choice, and your own physician, notified promptly at the time of admission to the hospital.
31. File a complaint with the Department of Health Services at: 350 90th Street, 2nd Floor, Daly City, California 94015, (800) 554-0353.