Patient Rights

Your Rights & Responsibilities as a Health Care Patient

As a home care provider, we have an obligation to protect the rights of our patients and explain these rights to you before treatment begins. Your family or your designee may exercise these rights for you in the event that you are not competent or able to exercise them for yourself.

As a client you have the right to:

• 1 Competent, individualized health care without regard to race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, handicap, ethical/political beliefs, ancestry, religion or sexual orientation or whether or not an advance directive has been executed.
• 2 Exercise your rights. In the event you have been judged incompetent, your family or guardian has the right to exercise your rights.
• 3 Be free from verbal, physical and psychological abuse or harassment of any form and to be treated with consideration, respect and full recognition of your dignity and individuality, including privacy in treatment and care for personal needs.
• 4 Participate, either yourself or your designated representative, in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in your care.
• 5 Have your property treated with respect.
• 6 Be free from neglect, financial exploitation, verbal, physical and psychological abuse including humiliation, intimidation or punishment.
• 7 Be admitted for service only if the agency has the ability to provide safe, professional care at the level of intensity needed.
• 8 Expect all personnel caring for you will be current in knowledge, duly licensed or certified as applicable and have completed a training –program or competency evaluation regarding his/her respective areas of employment.
• 9 Be informed that you may participate in the development of your plan of care or treatment, the periodic review and update, discharge plans, appropriate instruction and education in the plan of care and be informed of all treatments the agency is to provide, the disciplines to proved care and the frequency of visits/shifts to be furnished and to be advised of any change in the plan of care before the change is made.
• 10 Know when and how each service will be provided and coordinated, the agency ownership, name and functions of any person and affiliated agency personnel providing care and services.
• 11 Choose care providers, to communicate with those providers and to reasonable continuity of care.
• 12 Be fully informed, orally and in writing, at the time of admission and in advance of care provided, a statement of services available by the agency, care and treatment provided by the agency and related charges. This must include those items and services for which you may be responsible for reimbursement, eligibility for third party reimbursement, coverage available under Medicare, Medicaid and any other federal program of which the home health agency is aware. The agency will advise you of changes orally and in writing as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) calendar days from the date that the agency becomes aware of a change.
• 13 Be informed about the nature and/or purpose of any technical procedure that will be performed including information about both the potential benefits and burdens to him/her, as well as, who will perform the procedure.
• 14 Be taught and have your family members taught the treatment plan, so that you can, to the extent possible, assist yourself and your family or other designated party can also understand and assist you.
• 15 Request information regarding the diagnosis, prognosis and treatments including alternatives to care risk(s) involved. This information will be given in a language or format so that you and your family members can readily interpret and understand so that informed consent may be given.
• 16 Refuse any/all treatment to the extent permitted by law after being fully informed of and understanding the possible consequences of such action, without relinquishing any other portions of the treatment plan, except where medical contraindication of partial treatment exists.
• 17 Review all of your health records during normal business hours with prior approval of management, unless contraindicated in the clinical record by the physician.
• 18 Be referred elsewhere when denied services for any reason and upon request, given a written explanation regarding the denial and availability of community resources and upon transfer, informed of any financial benefits by the home health agency.
• 19 Assistance in the locating appropriate community resources before you run out of funds. However, in keeping with proper fiscal responsibility, uncompensated care may not be provided.
• 20 Privacy including confidentiality of all record communications, personal information and to transfer to a health care facility, as required by law or third party contracts. You shall be informed of the policy and procedure regarding disclosure of your clinical records.
• 21 Receive the care necessary to assist you in attaining optimal levels of health, and if necessary, cope with death. To know that a patient / client does not receive experimental treatment or participate in research unless he / she gives documented voluntary informed consent.
• 22 Be informed in writing of policies and procedures for implementing advance directives, including any limitations if the provider cannot implement an advance directive on the basis of such as living wills or the designation of a surrogate decision-maker, are respected to the extent provided by law.
• 23 Know that Do – Not – Resuscitate orders shall not constitute a directive to withhold or withdraw medical treatment other than CPR. Withdrawal of life sustaining treatment is done only after the physician has ordered it and the family / significant other is notified.
• 24 Be informed of the procedures for submitting client complaints with respect to client care, that is, or fails to be furnished or regarding the lack of respect for property by anyone who is furnishing services on behalf of the agency with suggested changes in services without coercion, discrimination, reprisal or unreasonable interruption of services.
• 25 Choose a health care provider, including choosing an attending physician
• 26 The consumer or authorized representative has the right to be informed of the consumer’s rights through an effective means of communication.
• 27 The client has the right to be informed about the individuals providing his or her care upon request to the agency, has the right to be informed of the full name, licensure status, staff position and employer of all persons with whom the consumer has contact and who is supplying, staffing or supervising care or services. The consumer has the right to be served by agency staff that is properly trained and competent to perform their duties. Be able to identify visiting staff through proper identification.
• 28 Live free from involuntary confinement, and to be free from physical or chemical restraints.
  Be provided with updates and state amendments on individual rights to make decisions concerning medical care within 90 days from the effective date of changes to state law.
• 29 Be informed of the procedure for submitting a written complaint / grievance to the home health agency. All complaints / grievances may be given to any agency member. If not satisfied with the response or any step in chain of command, continue to the next person. Contact, Corpore Sano Home Health Care Inc. and speak to the following:
1. Case Manager
  2. Director of Nurses
  3. Administrator
• 30 Receive prompt and reasonable response regarding complaint / grievance. Administrator or designee documents and investigates the grievance/complaint within 10 calendar days of receipt of the complaint. The Administrator or designee must complete the investigation and documentation within 30 calendar days after the Agency receives the complaint unless the Agency has and documents reasonable cause for delay.

Be informed of your state’s home health agency hotline and the hours of its operation of service in order to obtain information about home health agencies, to lodge complaints concerning the implementation of the advance directives requirements or to report abuse, neglect or exploitation, as applicable