Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Your Rights

As a patient, you have a right to: 

Access Healthcare

• Impartial access for medical care or accommodations, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, culture, language, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, physical or emotional disability, socioeconomic status or source of payment.

• Treatment.

• Know what patient support services are available, including interpreter services if you do not speak English and to have information provided in a manner that meets your needs if you have vision, speech, hearing, or cognitive impairments.

Advance Directives

• Receive information about advance directives during pre-admission and admission to the hospital.

• Complete an Advance Medical Directive to describe your desires for medical care.

• Modify or change Advance Medical Directives.

Clear Explanation of Care

• An explanation of care in order to give informed consent or refuse treatment. This includes informed consent to produce or use recordings, films, or other images of the patient for purposes other than his or her care.

Communication

• Prompt and reasonable responses to questions and requests regarding all healthcare matters.

• Request notification of  family member or representative and your own physician promptly upon admission to the hospital.

• Receive healthcare information:

  • In your preferred language, and

  • That meets your needs if you have  vision, speech, hearing, or cognitive impairments, and

  • That you understand and is tailored to the your age, language and ability to understand, and

  • At no cost to you.

•  Access, request amendment to, and obtain information on disclosures of your health information.

• Respect of your cultural and personal values, beliefs and preferences as well as the right to religious and other spiritual services.

• When you are unable to make decisions about your care, Munson Healthcare will involve a surrogate decision-maker in making these decisions. 

• Know that Munson Healthcare provides the patient or surrogate decision-maker with written information about the right to refuse care, treatment, and services.

• Know that Munson Healthcare respects the patient’s or surrogate decision-maker’s right to refuse care.

• Know that Munson Healthcare involves the patient’s family in care, treatment, and services decisions to the extent permitted by the patient or surrogate decision maker.

• Know that Munson Healthcare provides the patient or surrogate decision-maker with information about outcomes of care in order to participate in current and future healthcare decisions and any unanticipated outcomes.

Complaint Resolution

• Express concerns and complaints regarding any violation of your rights through the grievance procedure and to be made aware of the grievance process through the State of Michigan, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Confidentiality

• Expect all communications and records pertaining to your healthcare will be treated as confidential.

• Request a hard copy of your medical record from Health Information Management.

Ethics Consult Services

• Request to meet with an ethics consultant if you or your family needs help making a difficult decision. Please speak with a member of your care team or contact us to request an ethics consult.  

Grayling Hospital | 989-344-5857

Manistee Hospital | 231-398-1867 or 231-398-1143

Munson Medical Center | 231-935-2579

Financial Information

• Financial information about your care.

• Full information and necessary counselling about availability to known resources for your care, which includes a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care, a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable itemized bill, and, upon request, have charges explained.

• Know that Munson Healthcare hospitals accept the Medicare assignment rate.

Know Names

• Know  the names of your caregivers.

Pain Management

• Appropriate pain management.

Pain and Symptom Control Services

• Request Palliative Care services to live as well and comfortably as possible with a chronic, life-limiting condition.

• Emotional support and help with difficult decision making, as well as plans for care at home. To request this services, call 800-252-2065.

Protecting Your Privacy

• Know that Munson Healthcare implements all HIPAA privacy standards and safeguards your medical records and information. A Notice of Privacy Practices can be requested when you register for services. The Notice of Privacy Practices also is posted on the Munson Healthcare website, munsonhealthcare.org.
  
  For more information, or to voice a privacy concern or complaint for an incident, please contact the Privacy Officer at the location where you were treated.

Quality Care

• Quality care and treatment.
• Participate in decisions regarding your healthcare and treatment plan.
• Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the consequences of these actions.
• Be free from neglect; exploitation; and verbal, mental, physical and sexual abuse.  

Research Projects

• Know that if Munson Healthcare or your physician(s) propose to engage in medical research affecting your care.
• Informed consent to decline or to participate in research or clinical trials respecting all rights to privacy, confidentiality and safety.
• Refuse to participate in such research projects.

Respectful Treatment

• Be treated with dignity and respect.
• Be treated in a safe environment.
• Access protective and advocacy services.
• Be treated with respect regarding patient’s decisions about care, treatment, and services received at the end of life. 

Rules and Regulations

• Know what facility rules apply to patient and visitor conduct.

Visitors

• Receive visitors as you choose to be present for emotional support during the course of your stay, including a spouse, domestic partner including same sex partner, other family members, or friends. You have the right to withdraw this consent at any time. Please note: Visitation may be restricted based on clinical necessity; your healthcare team will tell you if visitation is restricted.

Your Responsibilities

As a patient, you have a responsibility to:

• Provide accurate and complete medical history about your current condition, including implant devices and past medical conditions and treatment.
• Ask questions when you do not understand what you have been told about your care, or what you are expected to do regarding your care.
• Provide current advance directive, if any, and advise the hospital if a legally authorized surrogate has been appointed.
• Follow instructions given by your physician, nurses, and other health professionals as they carry out your physician’s orders.
• Report your pain and, if you are uncomfortable, tell your nurse.
• Report any unexpected changes in your condition to your physician(s) and other healthcare providers.
• Report any safety issues related to your care or the physical environment to your healthcare team.
• Actively participate in planning and making decisions about your medical care.
• Accept responsibility for your actions should you refuse treatment or not follow your physician’s orders.
• Ensure that the financial obligations of your care are fulfilled as promptly as possible. Talk with a Financial Counselor or staff member if you have any concern about your bill.
• Be respectful of the rights and property of other patients and our staff.
• Send valuables and sentimental belongings home if you are admitted to the hospital. Label and closely watch items such as glasses, hearing aids, and dentures.
• Keep appointments or contact your provider if you are unable.

Patient Experience

Would you like to share a positive experience or express a concern? Our Patients Relations Team wants to hear from you!

NOTICE: There are times when a physician is not on site at the Emergency Department. During such times, a physician is always available “on-call” via telephone or pager to assist the Advance Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant), nurses, and other clinical staff in the Emergency Department. The Advance Practice Provider will contact the on-call physician as necessary given the nature of the emergency medical condition.