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Patient Rights & Responsibilities

As a patient, you have rights

Parkview Health believes you have the right to make decisions about your healthcare. An ethics committee is available to support those making difficult healthcare decisions. The hospital’s policy, provided for under Indiana law, has been established to identify the patients’ rights and responsibilities.

Care decisions – you have a right to:

  • Be involved in the development and implementation of your plan of care, discharge plan and pain management plan.
  • Be told by your physician or representative of any care instructions needed following release from the hospital.
  • Know of any experimental, research or educational activities that may affect your care or treatment and the right to refuse to take part.
  • Consent to care and/or treatment and to informed consent for special procedures.
  • Refuse care, treatment or services, as permitted by state and federal law.
  • Be informed about the outcomes of your care, treatment and services, including unanticipated outcomes.
  • Designate another individual to be involved in the development and implementation of your plan of care, discharge plan and pain management plan.

How we care for you

  • Considerate, safe and respectful care.
  • Appropriate medical treatment and accommodations are available when medically necessary, regardless of race, religion, sex, disability, age, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation or source of payment.
  • Expect a quick response to reports of discomfort and pain.
  • Have a family member or designated support person and your physician notified of your admission to the hospital.
  • Receive visitors whom you designate including spouse, domestic partner, another family member, or friend and the right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. Have a designated support person who is with you while you are in the hospital. In certain circumstances, visitors and designated support persons may be asked to leave if their presence compromises the patient's clinical care or the care of another patient. This visitation is unrestricted on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
  • Receive care that meets or exceeds national hospital standards.
  • Have quality care given by health professionals who are appropriately licensed, certified and/or trained.
  • Refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially or directly connected with the hospital or your care.
  • Wear clothes and religious or symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with tests or treatment.
  • Be interviewed and examined in areas designed to assure reasonable privacy. This includes the right to have a person of one’s own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination or procedure. If this request is made, every effort will be made to honor that request.
  • Not remain unclothed any longer than necessary to do an exam or procedure.
  • Be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for personal safety.
  • Be free from all forms of abuse or harassment. This includes mental, physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
  • Know the name and professional status of those providing your care.
  • Know who is responsible for ordering and performing your procedure and treatment.
  • Receive from physicians and other caregivers up-to-date and understandable information concerning your diagnosis, treatment and future condition.
  • Make informed decisions regarding your care, including pain management. This does not provide the right to demand treatment or services that are not clinically or medically necessary.
  • Communicate with and receive visitors designated by you, including but not limited to, a spouse, domestic partner, family member or friend, as long as it is medically appropriate.
  • Have assistive devices available for your needs.
  • Have interpreter services provided at no cost to you.
  • Request advice from a different physician, which may be at your expense.
  • Not be moved to another organization unless you or a designated representative has received a complete explanation of the need for the move, any alternatives to such a move have been offered and acceptance has been received by the other care facility.
  • Be given or told the hospital rules and regulations that relate to your responsibilities as a patient.
  • Limit the release of information regarding your presence in the facility.
  • Provide consent prior to use of video or other electronic monitoring/recording methods.

Hospital bill

  • Know the treatment costs, as much as they are known.
  • Request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of the total bill for services provided in the hospital.

Advance directives

  • Have advance directives, which allow you or someone you trust to make your healthcare wishes known, that will be followed under appropriate circumstances by hospital staff and physicians. Patient preferences will also be given strong consideration in end-of-life decisions.

Medical records

  • Confidentiality of your records.
  • Have your records reviewed by individuals directly involved in your treatment or in the monitoring of its quality.
  • Get information, request amendment to, and receive an account of disclosures, contained in your records within a reasonable time frame as stated by hospital policy and state law.
  • Have your records reviewed or released when you or your legally authorized representative give written permission as stated by hospital policy and state law.

Complaints/Concerns

Tell us about complaints/concerns and receive prompt answers. If there is a problem, please direct your concern to any staff member or manager. If this is not satisfactory, you may contact: Parkview Patient Advocates

Our patient advocates are very interested in your concerns and will work to resolve the issue to your satisfaction. You may also voice your concern to:

Indiana State Department of Health
2 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(800) 246-8909

The Joint Commission

You can report patient safety concerns to The Joint Commission via the following methods:

  • At www.jointcommission.org, using the "Report a Patient Safety Event" link in the "Action Center" on the home page of the website.
  • By fax to 630-792-5636.
  • By mail to Office of Quality and Patient Safety, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbook Terrace, IL 60181.

If you are a Medicare beneficiary, to express concerns about the quality of your care while in the hospital or feel that you were discharged from the hospital too soon, you may contact the Medicare Office in Indiana at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or for TQY/TTD 1-877-486-2048.

Parkview Regional Medical Center - Comprehensive Stroke Center

If you have a concern regarding the stroke care received at Parkview Regional Medical Center that you are not able to resolve with the patient advocate, you may contact DNV Healthcare at:

As a patient, you have the responsibility to:

Provide information

  • Give to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and anything else relating to your health.
  • Report unexpected changes in your condition to your caregiver.
  • Provide a copy of your advance directive, if you have one.

Ask questions and follow instructions

  • Ask questions and let us know whether you understand what you have been told about your care or what you are expected to do.
  • Follow the plan of care recommended by your physician and healthcare team.
  • Tell your physician or caregiver immediately if you do not understand instructions or believe you cannot follow them. Every effort will be made to change the treatment plan to meet your specific needs and limitations.

Accept the results of not following instructions

  • Accept the results of any refusal of treatment or of not following the recommended plan of care.
  • Accept that leaving the hospital against medical advice may lead to nonpayment by your insurance company.

Hospital bill

  • Give current and accurate insurance/billing information.
  • Get precertification, if required, by your insurance company.
  • Make arrangements with the hospital for payment of your bill.

Follow hospital rules and regulations

  • Follow safety precautions, including not smoking
    on the hospital campus.
  • Protect personal property you have chosen to leave
    in the room.

Act with respect and consideration

  • Respect the property of other persons and that of the hospital.
  • Be considerate of the rights of other patients, physicians and hospital personnel.
  • Tell us of any concerns of dissatisfaction with care.
  • Accept all caregivers without regard to race, religion, age, disability or national origin.