Patient’s Bill of Rights

Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

Florida law requires that your healthcare provider or health care facility recognize your rights while you are receiving medical care and that you respect the health care provider’s or facility’s right to expect certain behavior from you. You may request a copy of the full text of the law from your health care provider or facility.

Martin Health System has formally adopted the patient’s rights and responsibilities in accordance with Florida law and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization’s standards:

No listing of patient rights can assure the respect of those rights. A health care provider has many functions to perform, including the prevention and treatment of disease and the education of both health professionals and patients. All these activities must be conducted with an overriding concern for the patient and, above all, the recognition of his/her dignity as a human being.

• A patient has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect, with appreciation of his/her individual dignity, in a safe setting, and with protection of his/her need for privacy, including consideration of the psychosocial, spiritual and cultural variables that influence the perceptions of illness.
• A patient has the right to retain and use personal clothing or possessions as space permits, unless it would infringe upon the right of another patient or is medically contraindicated or a patient safety concern
• A patient has the right to be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• A patient has the right to confidentiality, including his/her clinical records and the right to access information in his/her Medical Record in a reasonable time frame.
• A patient has the right to a prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests.
• A patient has the right to know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for his/her care.
• A patient has the right to know what patient support services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if he/she does not speak English.A patient has the right to bring any person of his or her choosing to the patient-accessible areas of the health care facility or provider’s office to accompany the patient while the patient is receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment or is consulting with his or her health care provider, unless doing so would risk the safety or health of the patient, other patients, or staff of the facility or office or cannot be reasonable accommodated by the facility or provider
• A patient has the right to facilities that routinely provide services to patients and must    make these services available to the deaf (TTY).
• A patient has the right to know what rules and regulations apply to his/her conduct.
• A patient has the right to have family members or representative and his/her own physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the hospital.
• A patient has the right to be given by his/her health care provider information concerning diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternatives, risks, and prognosis and to participate in his/her plan of care.
• A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, except as otherwise provided by law.
• A patient has the right to be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his/her care.
• A patient who is eligible for Medicare has the right to know, upon request and in advance of treatment; whether the health care provider or health care facility accepts the Medicare assignment rate.
• A patient has the right to receive, upon request, prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care.
• A patient has the right to receive a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable, itemized bill and, upon request, to have charges explained.
• A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap or source of payment.
• A patient has the right to treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment.
• A patient has the right to know if medical treatment is for purposes of experimental research and to give his/her consent or refusal to participate in such experimental research.
• A patient has a right to expect effective pain management and health care providers who respond in a timely manner to his/her complaints of pain.
• A patient has the right to be free from the use of seclusion or restraint unless clinically required and free of seclusion or restraint of any form as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation.
• A patient who is dying has the right to receive care which optimizes his/her comfort and dignity through treating symptoms that respond to treatment, as desired, in managing pain and acknowledging the psychosocial and spiritual concerns of patient and family.
• A patient has the right to sign a living will-advance directive and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his/her behalf; however, the provision of care is not conditioned on the existence of an advance directive.
• A patient has the right to designate and receive visitors of his/her choosing.  Visitors will be allowed equal access regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability, subject to hospital visitation policies.  
• A patient has the right to participate in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in his/her care.
• A patient has the right to express grievances regarding any violation of his/her rights, as stated in Florida law, through the grievance procedure of the health care provider or health care facility which serves him/her and to the appropriate state licensing agency.  A patient may file a complaint by contacting the Agency for Healthcare Administration Consumer Assistance Unit at (888) 419-3456.
• A patient is responsible for providing to his/her health care provider, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to his/her health.
• A patient is responsible for reporting unexpected changes in his/her condition to his/her health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for reporting to his/her health care provider whether he/she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him/her.
• A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by his/her health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for keeping appointments and, when he/she is unable to do so for any reason, for notifying the health care provider or health care facility.
• A patient is responsible for his/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the health care provider’s instructions.
• A patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his/her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
• A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.