Know Your Rights
AnMed Cannon respects your values and dignity during your stay with us. You have the right to:
- Have the hospital promptly notify a family member/representative and your physician of your admission to the hospital.
- Receive care that is considerate and respectful of your values and beliefs.
- Give us feedback about your care.
- Wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
- Participate in the development and implementation of your care plan, and know the identity and professional status of those involved in your care.
- Make informed decisions about your care, and when appropriate, have your family involved. This includes knowing your health status, benefits and risks of any procedure and alternative treatments.
- Request or refuse medically appropriate treatment to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy, and to be informed of the medical consequences of such action. If you refuse a recommended treatment, you will receive other medically needed, indicated and available care.
- Formulate an advance directive (such as a Living Will or durable power of attorney for health care), with the expectation that the hospital staff and practitioners will honor the directive to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy.
- Receive a reasonable response, within the hospital’s capacity and policies, to your request for appropriate and medically indicated care and services, including pain management. Our hospital is committed to providing individuals impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, or sources of payment for care.
- Be transferred to another facility, if requested or if medically appropriate and legally permissible. You’ll be informed about the need for, risks, benefits and alternatives to transfer. You will not be transferred until the other facility agrees to accept you.
- Personal privacy, to receive care in a safe setting, and to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
- Refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital, including visitors, or persons officially connected with the hospital but not directly involved in your care.
- Expect that any discussion or consultation involving your care will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in your care will not be present without your permission.
- Be interviewed and examined in surroundings that assure reasonable visual and auditory privacy. This includes having the right to have a person of one’s own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex and the right not to remain disrobed any longer than medically needed.
- Access people outside of the hospital through visitors and by verbal and written communication.
- Access an interpreter if you do not speak or understand English.
- Be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary. For behavior management, all patients have the right to be free from seclusion and restraints except in the case of an emergency, when there is an imminent risk of an individual physically harming themselves or others, and when less restrictive interventions would be ineffective.
- Expect confidentiality of your clinical records, except in such cases as suspected abuse or public health hazards and/or when reporting is permitted or required by law. You have the right to have your medical record read only by individuals directly involved in your treatment or quality monitoring. Other individuals can only read your medical record on your written authorization or that of your legally authorized representative. In addition, you have the right to expect all communications and other records about your care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
- Access information in your clinical records within a reasonable time frame, and have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when required by law.
- Know if this hospital has relationships with other health care facilities, educational institutions or other outside parties that may influence your care.
- Consent or decline to take part in research affecting your care. If you choose not to take part, you will receive the most effective care the hospital otherwise provides.
- Examine and receive an explanation of your bill, regardless of the source of payment. You have the right to know about payment methods. You have the right to consult with a medical specialist at your request and your expense.
- Expect reasonable continuity of care when appropriate and be informed of realistic care alternatives when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
- Be informed of hospital policies and practices related to your care, treatment and responsibilities. You have the right to know about hospital resources, such as patient complaints and grievance processes or ethics committees that can help you promptly resolve problems and questions about your hospital stay and care.
- Access protective services.
Patient Responsibilities
AnMed Cannon provides care efficiently and fairly to all patients and the community. We ask that if you come to the hospital, you and your visitors be considerate of the needs of patients and staff.
In addition to your rights as a patient, you have certain responsibilities. You are responsible for:
- Providing information about your health, including past illnesses, hospital stays and medication.
- Asking questions when you do not understand information or instructions.
- Telling your doctor if you believe you cannot follow through with your treatment.
- Providing insurance information and working with the hospital to arrange payment, when needed.
- Recognizing the effect of lifestyle on your health since your health depends not just on your hospital care but, in the long term, on the decisions you make in your daily life.
To get more information about your rights and responsibilities or to give us feedback on your care, please dial extension 1133 from a hospital phone between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays or contact the nursing supervisor on duty.
Admissions
At AnMed Cannon, we consider you a partner in your health care. Here’s what you can expect when you’re admitted to the hospital: