The Encompass Way: A Patient’s Bill of Rights
Today’s post is part of our new series, The Encompass Way. Here, we’ll go over many of the steps involved in setting up a comprehensive care plan, which helps us to provide seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps them maneuver through the challenges of the system.
A Patient’s Bill of Rights
Effective health care requires collaboration between patients and physicians and other health care professionals. Open and honest communication, respect for personal and professional values, and sensitivity to differences are integral to optimal patient care. As the setting for the provision of health services, Physicians Choice Private Duty in-home services must provide a foundation for understanding and respecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, their families, physicians, and other caregivers. Physicians Choice Private Duty must ensure a health care ethic that respects the role of patients in decision making about treatment choices and other aspects of their care. Physicians Choice Private Duty must be sensitive to cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, age, gender and other differences as well as the needs of persons with disabilities.
Bill of Rights
These rights can be exercised on the patient’s behalf by a designated surrogate or prox decision maker if the patient lacks decision-making capacity, is legally incompetent or is a minor.
1. The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care.
2. The patient has the right to and is encouraged to obtain from physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
3. The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan of care prior to and during the course of treatment and to refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and Physicians Choice Private Duty policy and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action.
4. The patient has the right to have an advance directive (such as a living will, health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care) concerning treatment of designating a surrogate decision maker with the expectation that the hospital will honor the intent of the directive to the extent permitted by law and Physicians Choice Private Duty policy.
5. The patient has the right to every consideration of privacy. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment should be conducted so as to protect each patient’s privacy.
6. The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his/her care will be treated as confidential by Physicians Choice Private Duty, except in cases such as suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is permitted or required by law. The patient has the right to expect that Physicians Choice Private Duty will emphasize the confidentiality of this information when it releases it to any other parties entitled to review information in these records.
7. The patient has the right to review the records pertaining to his/her medical care and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when restricted by law.
8. The patient has the right to ask and be informed of the existence of business relationships among Physicians Choice Private Duty, educational institutions, other health care providers, other payers that may influence the patient’s treatment and care.
9. The patient has the right to consent or decline to participate in proposed research studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment or requiring direct patient involvement, and to have those studies fully explained prior to consent. A patient who declines to participate in research or experimentation is entitled to the most effective care that the hospital can otherwise provide.
10. The patient has the right to expect reasonable continuity of care when appropriate and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when hospital care is longer appropriate.
11. The patient has the right to be informed of Physicians Choice Private Duty policies and practices that relate to patient care, treatment, and responsibilities. The patient has the right to be informed of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances, and conflicts, such as ethics committees, patient representatives, or other mechanisms available in the institution. The patient has the right to be informed of the Physicians Choice Private Duty’ charges for services and available payment methods.
The collaborative nature of health care requires that patients, or their families/surrogates, participate in their care. The effectiveness of care and patient satisfaction with the course of treatment depends, in part, on the patient fulfilling certain responsibilities. Patients are responsible for providing information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to health status. To participate effectively in decision making, patients must be encouraged to take responsibility for requesting additional information or clarification about their health status or treatment when they do not fully understand information and instructions. Patients are also responsible for ensuring that the health care institution has a copy of their written advance directive if they have one. Patients are responsible for informing their physicians and other caregivers if they anticipate problems in following prescribed treatment.
Currently serving Omaha and surrounding areas, all Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts.Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.
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“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”