Patient's Bill of Rights

1. A patient has the right to respectful care given by competent personnel.
   
2. A patient has the right upon request to be given the name of his or her attending practitioner, the names of all other practitioners directly participating in his or her care and the names and functions of other health care persons having direct contact with the patient.
   
3. A patient has the right to every consideration of his or her privacy concerning his or her own medical care program. Case discussion consultation, examination, and treatment are considered confidential and should be conducted discreetly.
   
4. A patient has the right to have all records pertaining to his or her medical care treated as confidential except as otherwise provided by law or third-party contractual arrangements.
   
5. A patient has the right to know what Saint Vincent Surgery Center regulations apply to his or her conduct as a patient.
   
6. A patient has the right to expect emergency procedures to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
   
7. The patient has the right to good quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.
   
8. The patient has the right to full information in layman's terms concerning his or her diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information shall be given on his or her behalf to the patient's next of kin or other appropriate person.
   
9. Except for emergencies, the practitioner must obtain the necessary informed consent prior to the start of any procedure.
   
10. A patient or, in the event the patient is unable to give informed consent, a legally responsible party, has the right to be advised when a practitioner is considering the patient as a part of a medical care research program or donor program, and the patient, or legally responsible party, must give informed consent prior to actual participation in such a program. A patient, or legally responsible party, may, at any time, refuse to continue in any such program to which he or she has previously given informed consent.
    
11. A patient has the right to refuse any drugs, or procedure, to the extent permitted by law and a practitioner shall inform the patient of the medical consequences of the patient's refusal of any drugs or procedures.
    
12. A patient has the right to medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or handicap or disability, or source of payment.
    
13. The patient who does not speak English will have access, where possible, to an interpreter.
    
14. Upon request, the Saint Vincent Surgery Center shall provide the patient, or patient designee, access to all information contained in his or her medical records, unless access is specifically restricted by the attending practitioner for medical reasons.
    
15. The patient has the right to expect good management techniques to be implemented within the Saint Vincent Surgery Center. These techniques shall make effective use of the time of the patient and avoid the personal discomfort of the patient.
    
16. When an emergency occurs, and a patient must be transferred to another facility, his or her next of kin or other legally responsible representative must be notified. The institutions to which the patient is to be transferred must first be notified of the patient's transfer.
    
17. The patient has the right to examine and receive a detailed explanation of his or her bill.
    
18. A patient has the right to expect that the health care facility will provide information for continuing health care requirements following discharge and the means for meeting them.
    
19. A patient has the right to be informed of his or her rights at the time of admission

Adopted by the General Partners, March 11, 1987
December 1994--Reaffirmed