Vaughan Regional Medical Center | Patient Rights & Responsibilities

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Patient Rights

As a competent adult patient, patients have the right (as extended by the law):

For care, treatment and service within the organization's capability and mission and within the applicable law and regulation.
To the hospital's reasonable response to your requests and needs.
To protection for your physical and emotional health and safety, free from abuse and harassment, and providing respect, dignity and comfort.
To personal privacy during your admission and/or treatment and appropriate confidentiality, within the law, in the management of all records and information regarding your condition and treatment.
To review and/or obtain a copy of the information contained in your medical record.
To know the identity and professional status of those who provide care for you and to know what physician is primarily responsible for your care.
To information about risks and hazards of treatment, and alternatives to the proposed treatment before giving consent, except in emergencies or as otherwise provided by the law.
To seek a second opinion or consult a specialist, at your own request and expense.
To be transferred to another facility at your request or when medically appropriate and legally permissible. You have a right to be given a complete explanation concerning the need for and alternatives to such a transfer. the facility to which you will be transferred must first accept you as a patient.
To be informed of the proposed use of any experimental drug or experimental treatment affecting your care and the right to refuse such drug or treatment.
To supportive care including appropriate management of pain, treatment of uncomfortable symptoms and support of your psychological and spiritual needs even if you are dying or have a terminal illness.
To participate in decisions involving your care, treatment and services in accordance with the applicable law.
To formulate advance directives and have the hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply in accordance with applicable law.
To appoint a health care proxy to make health care decisions on your behalf in the event you lose the capacity to make decisions.
To freely voice complaints or concerns and receive a response without being subject to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of care, treatment, and services.
To be involved in resolving dilemma's about care, treatment and service.
To request a case review by the ethics Consultation Committee regarding ethical issues involved in your care.
To exercise personal, religious or cultural beliefs, as long, as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment or infringe upon the rights of other people in the hospital.
To protective and advocacy services.
If you are unable to exercise these rights, your guardian, next of kin or legally authorized health care proxy has the right to exercise the rights listed above on your behalf.
To be free from restraints used in the provision of medical and surgical unless clinically necessary.
To be free from seclusion and restraints used of any form that is not medically necessary.
To receive respect regardless of the patient's race, creed, color, national origin, religion, cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, personal values, beliefs and preferences.
To request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of the total bill for service provided in the hospital.
To access, request amendment to, and receive an accounting of disclosures regarding his or her own health information as permitted under applicable law.
To be supported in their efforts to obtain pastoral care or other spiritual services.
To be treated with personal dignity and worth.
To refuse care, treatment and services to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of any medical consequences of that decision.
Information will be communicated in terms the patient or his/her legal representative can reasonably be expected to understand.
To have a family member or representative of his/her choice and his/her own physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the hospital.
To choose visitors who he or she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner, another family member or support person; and his or her right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. this may be subject to certain clinical restrictions or limitations.

Patient Responsibilities

In order to provide optimal care for all patients, it is the patient's responsibility to:

Provide, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to their health. Patients and their families must report perceived risks in their care and unexpected changes in their condition.
Ask questions when they do not understand their care, treatment and service or what they are expected to do.
Follow the care, treatment, and service plan instructions developed by the medical practitioner.
Keep appointments and when unable to do so notify the appropriate practitioner or hospital department.
Be responsible for his/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner's instructions.
Assure the financial obligations incurred for his/her healthcare are fulfilled in a timely manner.
Be considerate of the hospital's staff and property as well as other patient's and their property.
Learn the appropriate information, skills or behavior necessary to fully benefit from your health care intervention.
Advise staff of their need for language or speech interpreters, hearing or other assisting devices at the earliest time

To file a grievance within the hospital contact administration: 334-418-4190

To contact a state agency:

Alabama Department of Public Health
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease
RSA Tower Suite 900
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-206-5300

Any individual who has any concerns about patient care and safety in the hospital, that the hospital has not addressed, is encouraged to contact Vaughan Regional Medical Center's management. if the concerns cannot be resolved through the hospital, the individual has the right to contact the Joint Commission's office of Quality Monitoring by calling 1-800-994-6610 or by e-mailing complaint@jointcommission.org.

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