Project Vida Health Center and the medical staff have adopted the following policy of patient rights and responsibilities. Patients are informed of their patient rights and responsibilities and are provided a copy of Patient Rights and Responsibilities upon request.
The patient has the right to:
- Impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, source of payment, sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Exercise his/her rights without regards to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, culture, economic, educational, or religious background.
- Treatment for any medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment.
- Safe care, treatment and services.
- Have access to protective and advocacy services including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.
Respect and Dignity
The patient has the right to:
- Considerate and respectful care at all times with recognition of his/her personal dignity.
- Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
- Be made comfortable, with consideration of his/her psychosocial, spiritual, cultural, and personal values, beliefs and preferences.
- Be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
- An environment that preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
Privacy and Confidentiality
The patient has the right to:
- Full consideration of privacy concerning his/her medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. The patient has the right to be advised why any individual is present during a consultation, examination or treatment.
- Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to care in the Health Center. The patient's or legally authorized representative's written permission shall be obtained before medical records can be made available to anyone not directly concerned with the patient's care.
- Request, access, amend and receive accounting of disclosures regarding his/her medical record/health information, as permitted under applicable law and regulation.
Medical Information and Consent
The patient has the right to:
- Give or withhold informed consent.
- Give or withhold informed consent to produce or use recordings, films, or other images of the patient for purposes other than his or her care.
- Receive information in a manner tailored to the patient's age, language, and ability to understand.
- Know the name of his/her primary physician and the name and professional relationships of other physicians and people involved in his/her care at the time care is rendered.
- Prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests.
- Information about the illness, course of treatment and prospects for recovery in terms that the patient can understand.
- Information about treatment or procedures as needed in order to give informed consent or refusal.
- Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedures or treatment, the medically significant risks, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each.
- Respect and protect his/her rights during research, investigation, and clinical trials.
Provision of Information
The patient has the right to:
- Knowledge of the clinic rules and policies, which apply to patient conduct.
- Information about his/her responsibilities related to his or her care, treatment and services.
Medical Treatment Decisions
The patient has the right to:
- Active participation in discussions/decisions regarding care, treatment and services. To the extent permitted by law, this includes the right to refuse care, treatment and services. This includes foregoing treatment, withdrawing life sustaining treatment, withholding resuscitative services or executing an Advance Directive. If the treating physician is unable to honor the directive, he/she will discuss this with the patient or patient's surrogate. To the extent permitted by law, these rights also apply to a patient's surrogate decision-maker.
- Have the family involved in care, treatment, and services decisions to the extent permitted by the patient or surrogate decision-make, in accordance with law and regulation.
- Have the surrogate decision-maker provided with the information about outcomes of care, treatment and services that the patient needs in order to participate in current and future health care decisions.
- Have the surrogate decision-maker provided with the information about outcomes of care, treatment and services that the patient needs in order to participate in current and future health care decisions.
- Information to the patient or surrogate decision-maker about unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment and services that relate to sentinel events considered. (The licensed independent practitioner responsible for managing the patient's care, treatment and services, or his or her designee informs the patient about unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment and services when the patient is not already aware of the occurrence or when further discussion is needed.)
- Consult with specialists at his/her own request and expense.
- Have decisions addressed about care, treatment and services received at the end of life.
- Be advised of his/her rights in the event of terminal illness. These rights address privacy and confidentiality and treatment for the primary and secondary symptoms of illness, pain management, psychosocial and spiritual concerns.
- Consent to their family/support system's involvement, as appropriate, in making decisions regarding the care, treatment and services the patient receives.
- Have their surrogate decision-maker presented with the option to donate tissues or organs when appropriate.
Refusal of Treatment
The patient has the right to:
- Leave the clinic, even against the advice of physicians.
- Written information about the right to refuse care, treatment or services.
- Respect related to decisions regarding refusal of care, treatment or services in accordance with law and regulations.
- Respect related to the surrogate decision-makers right to refuse care, treatment and services on the patient's behalf, in accordance with law and regulations.
Financial Information
The patient has the right to:
- Examine and receive an explanation of the bill, regardless of the source of payment.
- Be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his or her care.
- Be given, upon request, prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care.
- A copy of a reasonably clear and understandable itemized bill and, upon request, to have the charges explained.
- (if eligible for Medicare) To know upon request and in advance of treatment whether the health care provides or health care facility accepts the Medicare assignment rate.
Personal Safety
The patient has the right to:
- Expect reasonable safety of their person according to Health Center practices and environment, and to be placed in protective privacy when the Health Center determines it necessary for personal safety.
- Receive care in a safe setting free from real or perceived mental, physical, sexual or verbal abuse, neglect, exploitation or harassment from anyone, including staff, students, volunteers, other patients, visitors, or family members.
- Complaints or Concerns: The patient has the right to:
- Have complaints reviewed by the clinic.
- Express grievances regarding any violation of his or her rights, as stated by Texas law.
Patient Responsibilities
Compliance with Instructions: The patient has the responsibility to:
- Provide to the health care provider, to the best of his or her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations,medications, and other matters relating to her or her health.
- Report unexpected changes in his or her condition to the health care provider.
- Report to the health care provider whether he or she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him or her.
- Follow the treatment plan agreed upon with his/her primary health care professional.