Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient or parent of a minor patient, it is important to know the rights that have been given to you, under federal and Arizona state law.

Access

You have the right to:

  • Have a family member (or other representative of your choosing) and your own community doctor notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
  • Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage. At a minimum, the hospital and/or clinic shall allow any persons living in your household and any support person defined in federal law to visit with you. The hospital and/or clinic will ensure that visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with your preferences unless:
    • No visitors are allowed.
    • The facility reasonably determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient, a member of the health facility staff or other visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
    • You have told the health facility staff that you no longer want a particular person to visit.
    • However, a health facility may establish reasonable restrictions upon visitation,including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors.
  • Appropriate assessment and management of your pain, information about pain, relief measures and to participate in pain management decisions. You may request or reject the use of any or all modalities to relieve pain, including opiate medication. The doctor may refuse to prescribe the opiate medication, but if so, must inform you that there are doctors who specialize in the treatment of severe chronic intractable pain.
  • Access to a telephone
  • Exercise these rights without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, educational background, economic status or the source of payment for care.

Respect and Dignity

You have the right to:

  • Receive kind and respectful care, be made comfortable and have caregivers respect your individuality, choices, strengths and abilities.
  • Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service

Privacy and Confidentiality

You have the right to:

  • Have personal privacy respected. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be told the reason for the presence of any individual or to ask that a given individual, including visitors, leave prior to an examination and when treatment issues are being discussed.
  • Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and stay in the hospital and/or clinic. You will receive a separate “Notice of Privacy Practices” that explains your privacy rights in detail and how we may use and disclose your protected health information.

Medical Information and Consent

You have the right to:

  • Know the name of the doctor who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care, and the names and professional relationships of other doctors and caregivers who will see you.
  • Receive information about your health status, diagnosis, prognosis, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unexpected outcomes) in terms you can understand. You have the right to effective communication and to take part in developing and implementing your plan of care. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
  • Make decisions regarding medical care, and receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you or your representative may need in order to give informed consent, refuse an examination or course of treatment, or withdraw consent for a treatment before the treatment is initiated. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved, other courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
  • Be informed of alternatives to a proposed psychotropic medication or surgical procedure and associated risks and possible complications of a proposed psychotropic medication or surgical procedure.
  • Be advised if your doctor or health care team propose your involvement in research, experimentation or education affecting your care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such activities or to ask as many questions as you like about the activity and your potential participation.
  • Consent to photographs being taken of you before you are photographed, except in instances where you may be photographed when admitted to the hospital/clinic for identification and administrative purposes.

Provision of Information

You have the right to:

  •  Know which hospital and/or clinic rules and policies apply to your conduct during your inpatient or
    outpatient visit.

Medical Treatment Decisions

You have the right to:

  • Formulate and tell us about your advance directives. This means designating a decision maker if you become incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or become unable to communicate your wishes regarding your care. Hospital staff, clinic staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital and/or clinic shall comply with your directives. In case you are unable to make medical decisions on your own, your designated decision maker will have the rights that you have, as a patient.

Continuity of Care

You have the right to:

  • Receive a referral to another health care institution if the hospital/clinic is not authorized or not able to provide physical health services or behavioral health services that you need.
  • Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments as well as the identity of the persons providing the care
  • Be informed by the doctor, or a delegate of the doctor, of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital and/or clinic. You have the right to be involved in the development and implementation of your discharge plan. Upon your request, a friend or family member may be provided this information also.

Refusal of Treatment

You have the right to:

  • Request or refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law. However, you do not have the right to demand inappropriate or medically unnecessary treatment or services. You have the right to leave the hospital and/or clinic, even against the advice of physicians, to the extent permitted by law.

Financial Information

You have the right to:

  • Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital and/or clinic’s bill, regardless of the source of payment.
  • Know how to obtain a schedule of hospital rates and charges.

Personal Safety

You have the right to:

  • Be free from restraints and seclusion used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
  • Receive care in a safe setting, free from mental, physical, sexual or verbal abuse and neglect, manipulation, exploitation or harassment. You have the right to access protective and advocacy services, including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.
  • Not be subjected to misappropriation of personal and private property by the hospital’s/clinic’s medical staff, personnel members, employees, volunteers or students

Complaints or Concerns

You have the right to:

  • File a grievance. If you want to file a grievance with this hospital or clinic, you may do so by writing to City of Hope, Phoenix, Patient Advocate,  14200 W. Celebrate Life Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338 or calling 623 207-3520.
  • The grievance committee will review each grievance and provide you with a written response within 30 days. The written response will contain the name of a person to contact at the hospital or clinic, the steps taken to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance process and the date of completion of the grievance process. Concerns regarding quality of care or premature discharge will also be referred to the appropriate Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organization.
  • File a complaint with the state Department of Health and Human Services, regardless of whether you use the hospital’s grievance process. The state Department of Heath and Human Services address, phone number and website is:
    Arizona Department of Health Services
    150 N. 18th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007
    602-364-3030
    https://app3.azdhs.gov/PROD-AZHSComplaint-UI/
  • You may also contact The Joint Commission if you have any patient safety or quality concerns through jointcommission.org or by calling 800-994-6610.

Patient Responsibilities

  • You are responsible for providing complete and correct information about your medical history and current health condition. You are responsible for reporting changes in your condition. You are also responsible for reporting any concerns that you may have about the safety of your care.
  • It is important to follow the instructions of your doctor and care team. If you cannot follow your care instructions, you should discuss that with a member of your care team.
  • You are responsible for keeping your appointments and letting your doctor know when you are not able to keep them.
  • You are responsible for financial costs relating to your care. These costs must be paid in a timely manner.
  • You are expected to follow hospital and/or clinic rules about care and conduct. Please respect the rights and property of hospital and/or clinic staff and other patients. You are also expected to follow hospital rules, such as those regarding noise, smoking and visitation.
  • You or your representative should tell the hospital and/or clinic if you have an advance health care directive. If you have one completed, please bring a copy to the Registration Office. At the time of admission, we will need to know the identity of the person who will make health decisions for you if you cannot (your “agent”), and the general nature of your preferences for your care. A member of your care team can help you prepare an advance health care directive if you have not done so. This is an important document for all patients, and we encourage you to speak to your care team for more information and help in this regard.
  • You are responsible for asking questions when you do not understand what you have been told about your medical care or what is expected of you. Asking questions will help your care team provide the safest possible care.