We consider you a partner in your hospital care. You can help make your care as effective as possible when you are informed about your condition, participate in treatment decisions and communicate openly with the physician and other healthcare professionals. All hospital personnel, medical staff members and contracted agency personnel performing patient care activities shall observe these patient rights.

Patient Rights

Patients have the right to:

Considerate, respectful care in a safe setting with recognition of their personal dignity and free from all forms of abuse or harassment.

Impartial access to treatment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age or source of payment for care.

Personal and informational privacy and confidentiality as permitted by law. Written permission is obtained before the medical records may be made available to anyone not directly concerned with your care.

Access information contained in the clinical records within a reasonable time frame.

Know which physician is primarily responsible for coordinating your care and to obtain information concerning your diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment, outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes) and any known prognosis in terms you can understand.

Be told of realistic care alternatives when hospital care is no longer appropriate.

Participate in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in the provision of your care.

Designate visitors who shall receive the same visitation privileges as the patient’s immediate family members, regardless of whether the visitors are legally related to the patient.

Visitors are not denied privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

Designate a representative who may be involved in the patient’s care planning, discharge planning, and pain management. This representative shall receive a copy of the Patient’s Rights.

Designate a support person, who may or may not be the same person as the patient’s representative. Have your rights apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions about medical care on your behalf.

Reasonable, informed participation in decisions involving your health care. Receive as much information about proposed treatment or procedures as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse the course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the significant risks involved in the treatment, alternate course of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name and professional status of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.

Know the names and professional relationships of other physicians and healthcare providers who will see you. Prepare Advanced Directives and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on your behalf and have hospital staff and practitioners comply with these directions.

The right to consent to or refuse recommended treatment as permitted by law. If patients or their legally authorized representatives refuse treatment, preventing the provision of appropriate care in accordance with professional standards, the hospital may terminate the relationship with the patient upon reasonable notice. Patients have the right to be informed of the medical consequences of their refusal.

At your own request and expense, consult with a specialist.

Not be transferred to another facility or organization unless you have received an explanation of the need for the transfer, the alternatives to such transfer, and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility.

Be informed by the physician responsible for your care of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.

Request and receive, regardless of the source of payment for your care, an itemized bill for services rendered in the hospital. Patients have the right to a timely notice prior to termination of eligibility for reimbursement of any third-party payer for the cost of care.

Exercise cultural and spiritual beliefs that do not interfere with the well being of others or the planned course of medical therapy for the patient.

Appropriate assessment and management of pain.

Be free from the use of seclusion or restraint, of any form, as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.

Reasonable responses to any reasonable request you may make for service.

Expect the hospital to provide an interpreter when patients do not speak or understand English or need American Sign Language services.

The hospital involves parents and/or legal guardians for the infant, children, or adolescent patients throughout the course of treatment and provides any of the above described privileges and information to the parents and/or guardians.

Information about the hospital rules and regulations applicable to your conduct as a patient.

Patients are entitled to information on the hospital's process for the initiation, review, and resolution of their complaints, including the quality of care that you receive or if you feel the determined discharge date is premature. A patient may file a complaint or grievance without compromising care.

At Sumner Regional Medical Center, the Department Director is responsible for handling patient and family concerns. Complaints should first be filed with the appropriate Director or shift supervisor of the area where the issue occurred. However, complaints and grievances may also be filed by calling 615-328-5537.