Each Patient has the Right to:

1. Be informed of your rights. When possible, this information is given to you in advance by the Admissions or Registration representative.
2. Be treated in a dignified and respectful manner, express your beliefs and cultural practices, beliefs, and preferences as long as they do not harm others or violate any laws. You may wear personal clothing and other religious articles or symbols as long as they do not interfere with procedures or treatment.
3. Receive care in a safe setting to be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
4. Effective communication and, if needed, have alternative means of communication available such as written materials, signs, or interpreters.
5. Have a family member or representative and your own physician notified promptly upon admission to the hospital, if requested.
6. Participate in all aspects of the development and implementation of your plan of care, and treatment, and to refuse care, treatment, or services in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
7. Know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service and know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care. You may request, at your expense, consultation with specialists if those services are available.
8. Be informed of your health status, possible treatments, likely outcome, and practical alternatives and to discuss this information with your doctor in order to give informed consent prior to treatment and the start of procedures. To be informed about the outcome of care, treatment, and services that have been included, including unanticipated outcomes.
9. Receive reasonable continuity of care, when appropriate, and be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
10. You have the right to receive information that will assist in the recovery after discharge from the hospital
11. Be transferred to another facility, if medically necessary and permissible, or when a patient so requests, after complete explanation to you of the need for such transfer, including the risks, benefits, and alternatives. The institution and physician to which you are to be transferred must first have accepted you for transfer. You have the right to expect that services needed and ordered by the physician will be available.
12. Formulate Advance Directives and to have practitioners and staff provide care that is consistent with these Advance Directives in accordance with applicable laws and the Hospital's Advance Directives policy.
13. Express concerns/grievances about your care, treatment, or services and to recommend improvements without being subjected to coercion, discrimination, reprisals, or unreasonable interruptions to your care, treatment or services.
14. If you have a concern, problem or complaint related to any aspect of care during your hospital stay you may contact the Director of Quality Improvement at 478-994-2521. If your grievance is not satisfied, you may contact:
The Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division; Two Peachtree Street, N.W.; Atlanta, GA 30303-3142 or by telephone at 404-657-5728.
15. Receive information on how to obtain protective and advocacy services, if requested. Phone numbers may be obtained through Social Services
16. Be free from restraint, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. Restraints may only be imposed to ensure the immediate physical safety of the patient, a staff member, or others and must be discontinued at the earliest possible time.
17. Privacy, the hospital, doctor, and others caring for you will protect your privacy as much as possible.
18. Have your care, treatment, and services handled confidentially and be assured that your medical record accessed only by authorized individuals. Any discussion or consultation involving your care will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in his/her care will not be present without their permission
19. Have access to the information contained within your medical record, request an amendment of your medical record, and be informed of any disclosure of your health information in accordance with law and regulation. Except when restricted by law, if requested, information will be provided within a reasonable time frame.
20. Refuse or consent to recording, filming or images made for purposes other than the identification, diagnosis, or treatment of a medical condition
21. Refuse or accept participation in any experimental, educational, or research activities involved in your treatment.
22. Request and receive an itemized explanation of your total bill for services rendered. Be informed of charges and receives counseling on insurance reimbursement, hospital charges, payment methods, and the availability of known financial resources for health care.
23. In advance of furnishing patient care whenever possible, the Hospital shall inform each patient (or his or her Support Person, where appropriate) at the time he or she is informed of his or her other rights in writing of:
a. patient's visitation rights including justified clinical restrictions (see Visitor Information Brochure) which may be imposed on a patient's visitation rights;
b. patient's right to, subject his or her consent, receive the visitors whom he or she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend, and his or her right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time;
c. visitation privileges shall not be restricted, limited, or otherwise denied on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability; and
d. all visitors designated by the patient (or Support Person where appropriate) shall enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences.

Patient Responsibilities

All patients and parents of pediatric patients have the responsibility to:
1. Provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about the present complaints, past illnesses and hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to your health. You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in his condition to the responsible practitioner
2. Ask for pain relief when pain first begins, to report when pain is not relieved, and discuss your pain management plan and pain relief options with your doctor and nurses.
3. Follow the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care.
4. Understand medical treatments you are to receive. You are responsible for making it known whether you clearly comprehend a contemplated course of action.
5. Be responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care. This may include following the instructions of nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan of care and implement the physician's orders. You are responsible for keeping appointments and for notifying the responsible practitioner or the hospital when you are unable to do so.
6. Abide by Monroe County Hospital policies, including Monroe County Hospital's smoke-free policy.
7. Respect the rights and professional integrity of those providing care.
8. Be considerate of the rights and property of other patients and assist in the control of noise and the number of visitors.
9. Providing insurance information and to pay for services not covered by a third party payor at the time the services are rendered
10. Take precautions for personal valuables and belongings by either leaving them at home or asking Monroe County Hospital's staff to provide a safe depository during your hospital stay.
11. Parents/Guardians shall have the responsibility for continuing their parenting/guardianship role to the extent of their ability being available to participate in decision-making and providing staff with knowledge of parents/guardian whereabouts.