As a patient of Southcoast Hospitals Group, your rights include the right to:
- Receive care and treatment in a safe and secure environment and to have all reasonable requests responded to promptly and adequately within the capacity of the hospital.
- Receive considerate and respectful treatment that supports your values and beliefs. Pastoral counseling is available upon request.
- Know the name and professional specialty of any doctor or other person who participates in your care.
- Receive complete and current information in terms you can understand.
- Have a family member, friend or other individual to be present with you for emotional support during the course of stay unless the individual’s presence infringes upon other’s rights, safety or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated.
- Expect confidentiality of communication and medical record information regarding your diagnosis, treatment and care.
- Review your medical records in the presence of your doctor or nurse, and receive a copy at a reasonable fee.
- Be informed of procedures, treatments, risks, benefits and alternatives in order to make decisions and give consent.
- Refuse treatment and be informed of the risks of your decision.
- Receive information and your rights if you choose to participate in research, investigational studies or clinical trials.
- Personal privacy during medical treatment and care.
- Refuse to be examined, observed or treated by students or any other hospital staff without jeopardizing your access to other medical care.
- Prompt life-saving treatment in an emergency without discrimination on the basis of economic status or source of payment.
- Receive an explanation if you must be transferred to another institution.
- Receive an explanation of your bill regardless of the payor, and receive information concerning financial assistance and free health care.
- Have complete information, at the time of pre-admission, about the hospital’s maternity practices.
- Appoint a Health Care Proxy as a substitute decision maker for your health care should you become unable to make or communicate your own decisions.
- Request assistance from the Bioethics Committee if faced with an ethical concern or conflict.
- Receive accurate written information on emergency contraception and have emergency contraception made available to you if you are a female rape victim of childbearing age.
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
200 Harvard Mill Sq., Suite 330
Wakefield, MA 01880
781-876-8200
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Division of Health Care Quality,
Complaint Unit
99 Chauncy Street
Boston, MA 02111
800-462-5540
The Joint Commission
Division of Accreditation Operations
Office of Quality Monitoring
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
800-994-6610
Fax: 630-792-5636
E-mail: complaint@jointcommission.org