As a patient at Newton Medical Center, you have rights and responsibilities. Our physicians and employees have responsibilities to you, as well. We hope you choose to become informed on these issues.
Patient Rights
As a patient, you have the right to:
- Impartial access to treatment, regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age or handicap.
- Exercise these rights while receiving care or treatment in the hospital without coercion, discrimination or retaliation.
- Have a surrogate (parent, legal guardian, person with medical durable power of attorney) exercise your rights if you are incapable of doing so, without coercion, discrimination or retaliation.
- Participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care, or
have your representative (as allowed by state law) make informed decisions regarding your care. This includes being informed of your health status, being involved in your care planning & treatment & being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services that are deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate. - Formulate advance directives and to have the hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.
- Have a family member or representative of your choice and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to NMC.
- Personal privacy.
- Receive care in a safe setting.
- Be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
- The confidentiality of your clinical records.
- Access information contained in your clinical records within a reasonable time frame. NMC will not frustrate any legitimate efforts by you or your representative to gain access to your medical records. NMC will actively seek to meet these requests as quickly as the record keeping system permits.
- Be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
- Be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental or research project without compromising your access to services.
- Know the professional status of any person providing your care.
- Know the reasons for any proposed changes in the professional staff responsible for your care.
- Know the reason for your transfer either within or outside of NMC.
- Know the relationship of NMC to other persons or organizations participating in the provision of your care.
- Access the cost, itemized when possible, of services rendered within a reasonable period of time.
- Be informed of the source of NMCs reimbursement for your services, and of any limitations which may be placed upon your care.
- Informed of the right to have pain treated as effectively as possible.
- Visitation rights, including those setting forth any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that the hospital may need to place on such rights and the reasons for the clinical restriction or limitation. NMC must meet the following requirements:
- Inform you (or your support person, where appropriate) of his or her visitation rights, including any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights, when he or she is informed of his or her other rights under this section.
- Inform you (or your support person, where appropriate) of the right, subject to your consent, to receive the visitors whom you designate, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend, and your right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time.
- Not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
- Ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences.
- Additionally, your family has the right of informed consent of donation of organs and tissues in the event of your death.
We welcome your comments about your care.
Patient Responsibilities
As a patient you are responsible for:
- Following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner with primary responsibility for your care. This may include following the instructions of nurses and other health care personnel who carry out doctors’ orders and/or plans of care.
- Notifying the medical center if you are unable to keep appointments for outpatient services.
- Providing, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalization, medications and other matters concerning your health and reporting unexpected changes in your condition to the person in charge of your care.
- Notifying us if you do not understand your course of treatment and what is expected of you.
- Meeting financial obligations regarding your health care as promptly as possible.
- Treating other patients and personnel with respect.
- Providing complete and up-to-date information to NMC so we can meet legal and financial requirements concerning your treatment.
If you or your legally authorized representative refuse treatment and will not allow us to care for you according to professional standards, we have the option of ending our relationship with you after reasonable notice.