PATIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Rationale: Community Health Center, Inc. with its multidisciplinary health care team serves patients through its sites in Connecticut. The healthcare team provides high quality and individualized healthcare, which is easily accessible and readily available to patients.

Community Health Center believes that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. It is committed to ensuring human rights and respecting human dignity. CHC provides care to many diverse patient groups in its surrounding communities. Healthcare is provided to patients of all ages, races, needs and disabilities with consideration given to their language and cultural values. Many patients require assistance in comprehending and exercising their rights and responsibilities. CHC is dedicated to interpreting patient rights and responsibilities for all patients in a language or format that they can understand. Patients are strongly encouraged to empower themselves and exercise their rights and responsibilities. Patient Rights and Responsibilities are posted and a copy is available from the PSA or Access to Care at the time of the initial visit.

PATIENT RIGHTS

The Community Health Center

Will treat the patient without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, and mental or physical disability.
Will treat the patient in a dignified and respectful manner that supports his or her dignity.
Will respect the patient’s right to and need for effective communication.
Will respect the patient’s cultural and personal values, beliefs, and preferences.
Will respect the patient’s right to privacy.
Will respect the patient’s right to pain management.
Will allow the patient to access, request amendment to and obtain information on disclosures of his or her health information, in accordance with law and regulation.
Will provide information in a manner tailored to the patient’s age, language and ability to understand.
Will involve the patient in making decisions about his or her care, treatment, or services.
Will respect the patient’s right to refuse care, treatment, or services in accordance with law and regulations.
Will involve the patient’s family in care, treatment or services decisions to the extent permitted by the patient or surrogate decision maker, in accordance with law and regulation.
Will allow the patient to be accompanied to their visits by any person of their choosing regardless of legal relationships, including but not limited to spouses, domestic partners, and significant others of any gender identity.
Will honor the patient’s right to give or withhold informed consent.
Will respect the patient right to receive information about the individual (s) responsible for his or her care, treatment, or services.
Will address patient decisions about care, treatment or services received at the end of life.
Will assist them in accessing protective services.
Will respect the patient and or their families’ right to have complaints reviewed.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The safety of patients is enhanced when patients are partners in the health care process. In addition, Community Health Center is entitled to reasonable and responsible behavior on the part of patients and their families.

Patients are responsible:

To provide, to the best of their knowledge accurate information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to their health.
To provide information about their expectations of and satisfaction with the organization.
To ask questions when they do not understand their care, treatment or services or what they are expected to do.
To follow and express concern about their ability to follow their plan of care, treatment or services.
To accept their share of the responsibility for the outcomes or care, treatment or services if they do not follow the care, treatment, or services plan
To follow CHC’s policies and procedures.
To be considerate of CHC’s staff and property, as well as other patients and their property.
To meet any financial obligations agreed to within CHC.
To treat the staff at CHC with courtesy and respect.
For ensuring that a legally authorized adult accompanies the minor/incompetent patient to each visit or that the appropriate written authorization is provided in accord with written CHC policies on consent for treatment of minors.
To speak with their provider or contact CHC if they have any questions or concerns regarding these patient rights and responsibilities.