The Patient Portal

PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

Patients’ Bill of Rights for Diagnostic & Treatment Centers (Clinics) • Patients’ Bill of Rights for Diagnostic & Treatment Centers (Clinics) is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF) As a patient in a Clinic in New York State, you have the right, consistent with law, to:

1 Receive service(s) without regard to age, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, sex, gender identity, national origin or sponsor; 2 Be treated with consideration, respect and dignity including privacy in treatment; 3 Be informed of the services available at the center; 4 Be informed of the provisions for off-hour emergency coverage; 5 Be informed of and receive an estimate of the charges for services, view a list of the health plans and the hospitals that the center participates with; eligibility for third-party reimbursements and, when applicable, the availability of free or reduced cost care; 6 Receive an itemized copy of his/her account statement, upon request; 7 Obtain from his/her health care practitioner, or the health care practitioner’s delegate, complete and current information concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand; 8 Receive from his/her physician information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any nonemergency procedure or treatment or both. An informed consent shall include, as a minimum, the provision of information concerning the specific procedure or treatment or both, the reasonably foreseeable risks involved, and alternatives for care or treatment, if any, as a reasonable medical practitioner under similar circumstances would disclose in a manner permitting the patient to make a knowledgeable decision; 9 Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be fully informed of the medical consequences of his/her action; 10 Refuse to participate in experimental research; 11 Voice grievances and recommend changes in policies and services to the center’s staff, the operator and the New York State Department of Health without fear of reprisal; 12 Express complaints about the care and services provided and to have the center investigate such complaints. The center is responsible for providing the patient or his/her designee with a written response within 30 days if requested by the patient indicating the findings of the investigation. The center is also responsible for notifying the patient or his/her designee that if the patient is not satisfied by the center response, the patient may complain to the New York State Department of Health; 13 Privacy and confidentiality of all information and records pertaining to the patient’s treatment; 14 Approve or refuse the release or disclosure of the contents of his/her medical record to any health-care practitioner and/or health-care facility except as required by law or third-party payment contract; 15 Access to his/her medical record per Section 18 of the Public Health Law, and Subpart 50-3. For additional information link to: http://www.health. ny.gov/publications/1449/section_1.htm#access;Access to Your Medical Records and Do I Have the Right to See My Medical Records? 16 Authorize those family members and other adults who will be given priority to visit consistent with your ability to receive visitors; 17 When applicable, make known your wishes in regard to anatomical gifts. Persons sixteen years of age or older may document their consent to donate their organs, eyes and/or tissues, upon their death, by enrolling in the NYS Donate Life Registry or by documenting their authorization for organ and/or tissue donation in writing in a number of ways (such as health care proxy, will, donor card, or other signed paper). The health care proxy is available from the center; 18 View a list of the health plans and the hospitals that the center participates with; and 19 Receive an estimate of the amount that you will be billed after services are rendered.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

In order to provide safe and comprehensive services, Sun River Health asks its patients to:

1. Inform the Health Center personnel of any changes in their medical or dental treatment or condition. 2. Supply accurate and complete information whenever possible to their provider regarding all factors and changes affecting their health status. 3. Cooperate with those providing care. 4. Not be verbally or physically abusive to the Health Center personnel. 5. Avoid discrimination in any form against Health Center personnel. 6. Ask questions if care is not fully understood. 7. Inform the Health Center staff of the need to cancel a scheduled visit promptly, preferably 24 hours prior to the visit. 8. Provide the Health Center with the name, address, and telephone number of the person to contact in case of emergency. 9. Inform the Health Center of any changes affecting the financial status and/ or need for service. 10. Provide information necessary to insure the proper process of bills and to plan for the payment of those bills as soon as possible. 11. Comply with the Health Center policies and procedures concerning care. 12. Participate in the development of a care plan and follow through on the prescribed treatment. 13. Arrive at the Health Center ten minutes in advance of the appointment so all necessary papers can be completed with the patient or representative prior to the visit with the provider. 14. Understand that arriving more than 15 minutes late for an appointment means the provider may not be able to see the patient. It will be considered a missed appointment and it may be rescheduled.

Rev. 9/20

A. Planning In Advance For Your

Medical Treatment

Your Right to Decide About Treatment Adults in New York State have the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, including life-sustaining treatment. Our Constitution and state laws protect this right. This means that you have the right to request or consent to treatment, to refuse treatment before it has started, and to have treatment stopped once it has begun.

Planning in Advance Sometimes because of illness or injury people are unable to talk to a doctor and decide about treatment for themselves. You may wish to plan in advance to make sure that your wishes about treatment will be followed if you become unable to decide for yourself for a short or long time period. If you don’t plan ahead, family members or other people close to you may not be allowed to make decisions for you and follow your wishes.

In New York State, appointing someone you can trust to decide about treatment if you become unable to decide for yourself is the best way to protect your treatment wishes and concerns. You have the right to appoint someone by filling out a form called a Health Care Proxy. A copy of the form and information about the Health Care Proxy are available from your health care provider. If you have no one you can appoint to decide for you, or do not want to appoint someone, you can also give specific instructions about treatment in advance. Those instructions can be written, and are often referred to as a Living Will.

You should understand that general instructions about refusing treatment, even if written down, may not be effective. Your instructions must clearly cover the treatment decisions that must be made. For example, if you just write down that you do not want “heroic measures,” the instructions may not be specific enough. You should say the kind of treatment that you do not want, such as a respirator or chemotherapy, and describe the medical condition when you would refuse the treatment, such as when you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious with no hope of recovering. You can also give instructions orally by discussing your treatment wishes with your doctor, family members or others close to you.

Putting things in writing is safer than simply speaking to people, but neither method is as effective as appointing someone to decide for you. It is often hard for people to know in advance what will happen to them or what their medical needs will be in the future. If you choose someone to make decisions for you, that person can talk to your doctor and make decisions that they believe you would have wanted or that are best for you, when needed. If you appoint someone and also leave instructions about treatment in a Living Will, in the space provided on the Health Care Proxy form itself, or in some other manner, the person you select can use these instructions as guidance to make the right decision for you.

Deciding About Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Your right to decide about treatment also includes the right to decide about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR is emergency treatment to restart the heart and lungs when your breathing or circulation stops.

Sometimes doctors and patients decide in advance that CPR should not be provided, and the doctor gives the medical staff an order not to resuscitate (DNR order). If your physical or mental condition prevents you from deciding about CPR, someone you appoint, your family members or others close to you can decide. A brochure on CPR and your rights under New York law is available from your health care provider.