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Patients' Rights & Responsibilities

The Women’s Hospital will protect and promote each patient’s rights and responsibilities, which also apply to your legally designated representative, patient-designated support person (health care representative) and/or parent/guardian of minors. You and your representative will be included in decisions related to development and implementation of your care plan/treatment, discharge planning and pain management. Information will be provided and explained in a manner everyone understands.

PATIENT RIGHTS INCLUDE (within the law), we will:
  • Ensure you will have access to considerate, high-quality, safe, family-centered care and receive visitors of your choice without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or source of payment for care. 
  • Visitors will have equal visitation privileges and will be provided explanation of clinically necessary restrictions or limitations to visitation in order to provide needed care. You may withdraw or deny visitors at any time.
  • Provide assistance if you wish to formulate an advance directive regarding end-of-life decisions, and hospital staff will honor your wishes.  
  • Honor your wishes concerning designation of a representative. If you are unable to communicate your wishes and have no written advance directive on file, we will accept an individual who claims to be your representative. 
  • Promptly notify a family member or representative of your choice and your own doctor of your admission, if requested.
  • Communicate the physician or other practitioner who is primarily responsible for your care.
  • Provide information to you and your representative on your health care status and involve you in your inpatient or outpatient treatment/care plan as your physician has deemed medically necessary. This may include treatment options with potential benefits, risks, likelihood of achieving desired outcome, alternatives, and costs so you or your representative can make an informed decision.
  • Honor your request or refusal of treatment considered medically necessary with an explanation of the medical consequences of a refusal.
  • Support your right to consent or refuse to participate in unusual, research or experimental projects without compromising your access to services.
  • Ensure you receive care/services by competent staff and know their name and professional status. You will be informed of any circumstantial reason for changes in staff caring for you.
  • Inform you of any need to transfer within or outside the hospital and obtain consent.
  • Manage your pain as effectively as possible with timely assessment and management of reported pain.  
  • Provide personal privacy, including physical privacy to the extent possible during personal hygiene activities, medical and nursing treatment and when requested.
  • Provide care in a safe environment that is free of all forms of abuse or harassment.
  • Provide access to protective and advocacy services if needed or requested.
  • Provide care that is free from restraint of any form that is not medically necessary or used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation.
  • Respect your privacy, protect the confidentiality of your clinical records and provide detailed information in a form called Notice of Privacy Practices.
  • Obtain your consent prior to recording or filming any aspect of your care.
  • Provide access to or a copy of your medical records upon written request in a reasonable timeframe. 
  • Honor your wishes with sensitivity regarding organ donation and/or your family’s right of informed consent for donation of organs/tissues.
  • Provide you with cost of services rendered within a reasonable time and itemized when possible.
  • Provide information regarding source of the hospital’s reimbursement for services and any limitations that may be placed upon your care.  
  • Inform you of the relationship of the hospital to other organizations participating in the provision of your care.
  • Provide access to pastoral care and spiritual services.  
  • Provide a prompt and courteous response to complaints. 
AS A PATIENT, YOU OR YOUR REPRESENTATIVE ARE EXPECTED TO:
  • Participate in making decisions about your health care and to ask questions of your doctor or other provider about your diagnosis or treatment and management of pain. 
  • Provide accurate and complete personal and health information to provide you with appropriate care.
  • Provide a copy of your advance directive if you want it to apply.
  • Follow your doctor’s orders, continue recommended treatment and accept the outcomes, should you choose not to follow the recommended plan of care. Notify your provider of any change in your condition.
  • Tell your physician or caregiver if you want to transfer to another care provider or facility. 
  • Be considerate of others and their property, including hospital personnel and property.   
  • Follow hospital policies regarding no smoking, illegal substances and prohibition of weapons on the premises.
  • Provide complete and accurate information for insurance claims and work with billing offices to pay your bills timely.  
  • You or your representative may contact any of the following verbally or in writing to discuss concerns about your care, safety or an ethical issue. We will review your grievance and respond in a timely manner.
    • The Women’s Hospital Administration at 812-842-4222
    • Indiana State Department of Health, 2 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204-7373, phone 317-233-1325 or TTY, 317-233-5577    
    • Medicare beneficiary - Livanta is a Beneficiary and Family-Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO) for Indiana that supports the patient’s Medicare rights. If you have concerns, you may contact them at 888-524-9900. 
    • Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program – fax 312-202-8298
MEDICARE PATIENTS’ RIGHTS
If you have questions about your condition, treatment, need for more care, or discharge date, talk to your doctor or call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov

It is your right to receive all hospital care necessary for your diagnosis and treatment.

It is your right to be fully informed about decisions affecting your Medicare coverage.
 
It is your right to appeal any written notice that Medicare will no longer pay for your care.
 
  • If you think you’re being asked to leave the hospital too soon, ask for a written notice of explanation immediately.
  • If you wish to appeal, call the Medicare Beneficiary and Family-Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO), at 888-524-9900.
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