Patient Rights and Responsibilities

• You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse (physical or mental), neglect, or harassment.
• You have the right to expect a safe environment for your care and treatment while a patient in the hospital.
• You have the right to quality health care, regardless of race, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disabilities, national origin, or ability to pay.
• You have the right to clear communication that provides information in a manner you can understand. The hospital will provide foreign language and sign language interpreters at no charge. To ensure your care needs are met, additional communication techniques or aids may be used if you have vision, speech, hearing, and/or other impairments.
• You and/or your family, with your permission, have the right to participate in decisions regarding your inpatient or outpatient plan of care and treatment, discharge planning, pain management; to request and/or refuse treatment(s), and information about your health status. This right, however, is not to be construed as a demand for the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate by the doctor.
• You have the right to have a family member or person of your choice, and your physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
• You have the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain during your hospitalization.
• You have the right to make decisions regarding your medical care and formulate an advance directive (such as a living will or durable power of attorney for healthcare). You can expect hospital staff to implement and comply with your advance directive in accordance with federal and state laws, rules, and regulations.
• You can expect that all communication and records about your care are confidential, unless disclosure is permitted by law.
• If you are a Medicare inpatient you have the right to appeal a discharge you feel is too soon.
• You can expect to be provided with privacy during personal hygiene or clinical care/treatments, visits from your physician or staff wishing to discuss clinical care issues or perform an examination, and upon your request, as appropriate.
• You have the right to access your medical records, request amendments to the record, and to obtain information about disclosures of your health information in accordance with laws and regulations.
• You or your representative, where appropriate, have the right to choose who your family members are, including, but not limited to, a spouse, domestic partner, same-sex partner, other family members, or friends who that patient considers to be family. Visitation from family or other guests will not be denied on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability. Patient and family have a responsibility to comply with any visitation restrictions communicated by the healthcare team.
• You have the right to be free from restraints or seclusion, of any form, that is not medically necessary. You can expect to be treated with respect and dignity.
• You or your representative, where appropriate, have the right to be given (in a way you can understand) who will perform and assist with planned surgical interventions, the information, risks, benefits, and alternatives, needed in order to make an informed consent for a procedure or treatment.
• By S.C. law the hospital is required to notify the authorized representative of the right to have and autopsy performed, at the expense of the requester.
• You have the right to know the identity and professional status of those involved in your care, including if a caregiver is a student or trainee, or is professionally associated with other individuals or healthcare institutions involved in your care.
• You have the right to request your nurse to call your attending physician or designee or assist you in calling your attending physician or designee with any urgent personal medical care concern.
• You have the right to be involved in your discharge planning and to be told of your discharge, transfer to another facility, or transfer to another level of care, in a timely manner.
• You have the right to exercise and express your cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal beliefs and to expect that the care you receive will include consideration of your beliefs. Chaplains are available to you – speak with any staff member to make a request.
• You have the right to know if this hospital has relationships with outside parties, other healthcare providers, or educational institutions that may influence your care.
• You have the right to examine and receive an explanation of your bill, regardless of your source of payment.
• You have the right to consent or decline participation in research, investigation, or clinical trials without jeopardizing your access to care and services.
• You have the right to give or withhold consent to recordings, filming, or obtaining images of you for any purpose other than your care.
• You and/or your family may access the Ethics Committee to discuss an ethical issue related to your care. Please ask the physician, nurse, or nurse leader for assistance.
• You have the right to be informed about your rights as a patient, how to receive help for a problem or file a complaint, as well as information about hospital rules. If you have a problem or complaint, please speak with your doctor, nurse, or nurse leader.
• Lodging a complaint with any entity will in no way compromise your medical care or result in any other retaliation.

As our patient, you are expected to comply with hospital rules and regulations and be an active participant in your care. You also are expected to:

• Cooperate with the hospital staff and provide necessary personal and medical history required for your treatment.
• Ask for simpler explanations if you do not understand your illness or treatment.
• Tell your physician whether or not you are willing and able to follow the treatment plan recommended for you.
• Be courteous and respectful to all hospital staff, other patients, and visitors; follow all hospital rules and safety regulations; and be mindful of noise levels, privacy, and number of visitors.
• Ask questions and actively participate in your continued care after you leave the hospital, knowing when and where to get further treatment.
• Be responsible for keeping follow-up appointments.
• Be timely about paying your hospital bill, to provide information necessary to process insurance, and to ask questions if you do not understand the bill.