Your
Rights and Responsibilities as a Patient
At West Georgia Medical Center, patients have the right
to:
Receive services necessary for your care no matter:
- what
your race or religion is;
- if you are male or female;
- where you were born;
- what you can or cannot do;
- what sources you have for
payment of services;
- what your sexual orientation is.
Talk honestly with and
ask questions of your doctor and other health care workers,
in words you understand,
about:
- your illness and what your doctor has planned
for your treatment;
- why treatments and tests are done
and who does them;
- whether you will recover from your
illness;
- your wish for a meeting or a second opinion from
another doctor;
- the need to transfer you to another hospital
and the choices you have with the transfer;
- your wish
to change doctors and/or hospitals or other providers;
- instructions
for caring for yourself after you leave the Medical
Center.
You have the right to:
- Have
someone explain all papers you are asked to sign.
- Have
a family member, other representative, or your
personal physician be
notified of your hospital admission.
- Change your mind
about any treatment or test for which you have
given
your consent.
- Refuse to sign a consent form you do not
fully understand.
- Refuse certain treatments and to be
told of the medical results of this choice.
- Receive
care in a safe setting.
- Be free from restraints or seclusion
unless clinically necessary.
- Refuse to take part in
health care training programs and research testing.
- An
environment that preserves dignity and contributes
to a positive self
image.
- Be free from mental, physical,
sexual, and verbal abuse,
harassment, neglect
and exploitation.
- Pain management.
- Access protective and advocacy
services.
You have the additional
rights to expect:
- Your
privacy to be respected to the limits which your
care allows.
- Contact
with people from outside the hospital
if you desire
it.
- To receive information
about advance directives.
- Information
about your care, including
the
source of
payment, will be
kept confidential.
- Information
about your care will
be given
only to
you or those
people
for whom
you give
written permission,
or to those who
are permitted
by
law.
- To receive
a copy
of your Medical
Center bills.
Your
have the responsibility
to:
- Give
correct and complete
information
about
your present
illness,
past
illnesses, dates admitted
to
any hospital,
medications
you have taken
or are now taking,
and other details about
your health.
- Ask your
doctor, nurse,
or other staff
to explain any
papers you
are asked
to sign,
which you
do not understand,
or any questions you may have
about your care.
- Participate
in the implementation of a plan of care your
doctors, nurses
and other staff
will
assist
you with.
You are responsible
for your
actions if you
refuse to follow
this plan of care or do
not follow
instructions.
- Follow
the rules of the Medical Center
and patient
care areas.
Keep your appointments
and call to cancel
or change an
appointment as
soon as possible.
- Respect
the rights and privacy of others.
- To follow through
with payment
of your Medical
Center bills.
Revised 2/06 |