Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Statement of Patient Rights & Responsibilities
Derechos y Responsabilidades del Paciente

Our patients have the right to:

1. Expect that, within its capacity, Wenatchee Valley Medical Center (WVMC) will make reasonable response to the request of a patient for services, and not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the ground of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in therein, whether carried out by Wenatchee Valley Hospital (WVH) or Wenatchee Valley Clinic (WVC) directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom WVH or WVC arranges to carry out its programs and activities.

2. Know what guidelines apply to his/her conduct as a patient.

3. Know there is a complaint procedure in place and the patient is made aware of this procedure upon request. The patient has the right to report directly to the Washington State Department of Health according to reporting guidelines.

4. Personal choice regarding private association and communication with other people. The patient may send and receive mail unopened, unless medically contraindicated. The patient has the right to personal choice regarding participation in activities of social, religious, and community nature, unless to do so would infringe upon the rights of others.

5. Considerate and respectful care, free from mental and physical abuse and free from chemical and physical restraints except as authorized (in emergencies) in writing by a physician for a specified and limited period of time, or when necessary to protect the patient from injury to self or others.

6. Obtain from his/her physician, complete, current information concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand.

7. Receive from his/her physician information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedures and/or treatment.

8. Be included in the process for considering ethical issues that arise in the provision of his/her care. This involvement includes education as well as active participation in the decision-making process.

9. Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of his/her action.

10. Pastoral or social service counseling.

11. Consult a specialist.

12. To know that WVMC has a process in place to facilitate organ and/or tissue donation.

13. Know if WVMC has relationships with outside parties that may influence his/her care. Their relationships may be with educational institutions, other health care providers or insurers.

14. Wenatchee Valley Hospital is a part of Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, which is a professional services corporation, owned 100% by its physicians. A list of WVMC physician shareholders is available on request, or at our website (www.wvmedical.com/about_us/index.asp).

15. Every consideration of his/her privacy, concerning his/her medical care, case discussion, consultation, examination, and treatment are confidential and are conducted discreetly. Those not directly involved in his/her care must have the permission of the patient to be present.

16. Access protective services and a process in place to facilitate contact and notification.

17. Know that participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes is voluntary and the patient’s permission may be withdrawn at any time.

18. Expect that all communications and records pertaining to his/her care are treated as confidential in accordance with the accepted laws of the State of Washington, including source of payment for treatment.

19. Designate a representative to make decisions in the event he/she is incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or procedure or is unable to communicate his/her wishes regarding care.

20. Receive information regarding an opportunity to complete an Advance Directive.

21. Expect reasonable safety for him/herself and/or personal property insofar as WVMC practices and environment are concerned.

22. Expect that the medical record contains an accurate profile and accounting of the patient’s medical treatment, procedures and history, and that the patient can access his/her medical record.

23. Request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of the total bill for services.

24. Know that according to COBRA regulations, a hospital patient may not be transferred to another facility unless the patient or his/her representatives has received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and of the alternatives to such a transfer and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility. The patient or his representative has the right to be informed by the practitioner responsible for the patient’s care, or the practitioner’s delegate, of continuing health care requirements following discharge from WVH.

25. Be discharged upon physician’s order from the hospital.

26. Physician staff is on call 24/7 to provide care for Wenatchee Valley Hospital patients. A physician is not on site 24 hours daily.

27. Be informed of an adverse event or unanticipated outcome occurring as a result of or during his/her treatment or procedure.

 
Our patients have the responsibility to:

 
1. Provide, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illness, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to his/her health.

2. Report unexpected changes in his/her condition to the responsible practitioner.

3. Make it known whether he/she clearly comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected.

4. Follow the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for his/her 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 responsible practitioner’s orders, and as they enforce the applicable WVMC guidelines for guest services. The patient is responsible for asking questions when he/she does not understand information or instructions. If at any time the patient feels he/she cannot follow through with instructions, the patient is responsible for telling the physician or caregiver.

5. The patient or legally authorized representative is responsible for his/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner’s instructions.

6. Assure that the financial obligations of his/her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.

7. The patient is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and WVMC personnel and for assisting in the control of noise and the number of visitors. He/she is responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of WVMC.

8. The patient is responsible for providing copies of any written Health Care Directives (or “living will”) or Health Care Power of Attorney to WVMC.

No catalog of rights can guarantee for the patient the kind of treatment he/she has a right to expect. WVMC has many functions to perform, including the prevention and treatment of disease, the education of both health professionals and patients, and clinical research. All these activities are conducted within a philosophical framework that addresses both patient care and patient rights.