PATIENT’S RIGHTS POLICY

Wise Regional Health System is committed to protecting and promoting each patient’s basic rights. The purpose of this document is to notify each patient of such rights and the recourse available to the patient in the event the patient has concerns regarding these or other rights.

1. The hospital has established policies and procedures to provide a reasonable response to the patient’s requests and needs for treatment or service within the hospital’s capacity, it’s services whenever and wherever the emergency arises.
2. The patient has a right to considerate and respectful care at every health care facility by every health care provider, which shall include effective pain management, consideration of the psycho-social, spiritual and cultural variables that influence the perceptions of illness.
3. The dying patient has a right to considerate and respectful care that optimizes the comfort and dignity of the patient through:
   1. treating primary and secondary symptoms that respond to treatment as desired by the patient or surrogate decision maker
      1.   effectively managing pain; and
      2. Acknowledging the psycho-social and spiritual concerns of the patient and the family regarding dying and the expression of grief by the patent and family.
4. The patient has the right, in collaboration with his/her physician to make decisions involving his/her health care and to participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care and to make informed decisions regarding his or her care including:
1. the right to choose the right doctor for the right type of care;
2. the right to receive written information as the rights under the state law to accept or refuse treatment and formulate advance directives;
3. the right to accept medical care or to refuse treatment to the extend permitted by law and to be informed of medical consequences of such refusal:
4. the right to formulate advance directives and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his/her behalf to the extent permitted by law;
5. The right to know all medical options, no matter how much they cost;
6. the right to have a family member or representative and his or her own physician notified promptly of admission to the hospital;
7. the right to personal privacy, to receive care in a safe setting and be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
5. With regard to advance directives:
   1. the hospital has established a mechanism to ascertain the existence of and assist in the development of advance directives at the time of the patient’s admission;
      1. the hospital shall not condition the provision of care on the existence of an advance directive; and
      2. An advance directive shall be in the patient’s medical record (if there is one) and shall be reviewed periodically with the patient or surrogate decision maker.
6.  The patient has the right to information necessary to enable him/her to make decisions that reflect his/her wishes based on the hospital’s policy on informed decision making consistent with all legal requirements.
7. The patient has the right to receive at the time of admission the information about the hospital’s patient’s rights policies and mechanism by which the patient can express concerns about the quality of care received and how to take action when that care is inadequate. The procedure requires the timely review of every written or oral concern brought to the attention of the hospital as well as report to the person who registers the concern on the results of the review. Should you desire to bring a concern to the attention of the hospital, please contact the Administrator or the Director of Nursing.
8. The patient or the patient’s designated representative has a right to participate in the consideration of ethical issues the arise in the care of the patient. The hospital shall develop and have in place a mechanism for the consideration of ethical issues arising in the care of patients and shall develop and have in place a mechanism to provide education to care givers and patients on ethical issues and health care.
9. The patient has the right to be informed of any human experimentation or other research or educational progress affecting his/her care or treatment and to refuse to participate in any such activity.
10. The patient has the right, within the limits of law, to personal privacy and to know his/her medical records are confidential and only used for legitimate purposes.
11. The patient or patient’s legally designated representative has the right of access to information contained in the patient’s medical records, within the limits of the law and within a reasonable time frame.
12. The patient’s guardian, next-of-kin, or legally authorized responsible person has the right to exercise, to the extent permitted by law, the rights delineated on behalf of the patient if the patient:
    1. has been adjudicated incompetent in accordance with the law; understanding the proposed treatment or procedure;
    2. Is found by his/her physician to be medically incapable of understanding the proposed treatment or procedure;
    3. is unable to communicate his/her wishes regarding treatment;
    4. is a minor.
13. Each patient has rights with respect to the use of restraints for acute medical surgical care, which include:
    1. to 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. The term “restraint” includes either a physical restraint or a drug that is being used as a restraint.
    2. that a restraint can only be used if needed to improve the patient’s well-being and less restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective.
    3. that the use of a restraint be selected only when other less restrictive measures have been found to be ineffective to protect the patient or others from harm and must be in accordance with the order of a physician or other licensed independent practitioner permitted by the State of Texas and the hospital to order a restraint.
    4. that the use of a restraint be in accordance with a written modification to the patient’s plan of care, implemented in the least restrictive manner possible in accordance with safe and appropriate restraining techniques and ended at the earliest possible time.
    5. that the condition of the restrained patient be continually assessed, monitored, and reevaluated according to hospital policies and procedures.
14. Each patient has rights with respect to the use of restraints for behavior management, which include:      
    1. to 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. The termin “restraint” includes either a physical restraint or a drug that is being used as a restraint. The termin “seclusion” means the involuntary confinement of a person in a room or an area where the person is physically prevented from leaving
    2. that seclusion or a restraint can only be used in emergency situations if needed to ensure the patient’s physical safety and less restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective.
       
    3. that a restraint can only be used if needed to improve the patent’s well being and less restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective.
    4. That the use of a restraint be selected only when other less restrictive measures have been found to be ineffective to protect the patient or others from harm and must be in accordance with the order of a physician or other licensed independent practitioner permitted by the State of Texas and the hospital to order a restraint.
    5. that a physician or other licensed independent practitioner see and evaluate the need for restraint or seclusion within one hour after the initiation of this intervention and that each written order for a physical restraint or seclusion be limited to four hours for adults, two hours for children and adolescents ages nine to seventeen, or one hour for patients under nine.
    6. that the use of a restraint be in accordance with a written modification to the patient’s plan of care, implemented in the least restrictive manner possible, in accordance with safe and appropriate restraining techniques, and ended at the earliest possible time
    7. that a restraint and seclusion not be used simultaneously unless the patient is continually monitored face-to-face by an assigned staff member or continually monitored by staff using both video and audio equipment.
    8. that the condition of the restraint patient be continually assessed, monitored and reevaluated.

Should any patient desire to file a complaint against the hospital in addition to or instead of bringing the concern to the attention of the hospital, he or she may do so by contacting: Hospital Licensing Section, Texas Department of Health, Health Facility Licensing Division, 1100 West 49^th Street, Austin, Tx 78756-03199, telephone (512) 834-6648; fax (512) 834-6714.