Patient Rights

All patients have the following rights:

The right to safe, considerate and respectful care.
The right to receive complete and current information concerning diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, in terms the patient can understand.
The right to know, by name, the physician responsible for coordinating his/her care, or the person responsible for any procedures or treatments.
The right to receive the information needed to give informed consent before the start of treatments or procedures.
The right to request and/or receive information on medically significant alternatives for care or treatment, if any.
The right to refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the consequences of this refusal.
The right to every consideration of privacy concerning care and treatment.
The right to expect that all communication and records pertaining to his/her care be treated as confidential.
The right to a reasonable response to a request for service.
The right to request an ethics consultation if ethically difficult situations arise. To begin this process, call the Ethics Committee/Medical Affairs at 304-243-5069.
The right to information as to any relationship between the hospital and any other health care or educational institution insofar as the patient's care is concerned.
The right to obtain information as to the existence of any professional relationships among individuals, by name, who are treating the patient.
The right to be advised if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his/her care or treatment and to refuse participation in such research projects.
The right to expect reasonable continuity of care, including knowing what appointment times and physicians are available.
The right to be informed of continuing health care requirements.
In the case of patients under the age of 18, parents or legal guardians shall have the right to the extent permitted by law. Disputes between parents, between parents and children, or between the patient and his/her legal guardian shall be addressed by the attending physician.
The right to formulate advance directives and to have the hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.
The right to have a family member or representative of his/her own choosing and his/her own physician notified promptly of the patient's admission to the hospital.
The right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
The right to access information contained in his/her clinical record within a reasonable time frame.
The right to be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary.
The right to receive information about pain relief measures, to expect a reasonable response to reports of pain and to have pain managed at acceptable levels.

Patient Rights

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