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Patients > Patient Safety > Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Patient Rights & Responsibilities

The staff at Jefferson Healthcare wants you to be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a patient. We believe your patient rights are important, and therefore we list them below for you and your family or loved ones to review. We will do everything possible to make sure that your rights are respected.

The patient has the right to:

To be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect by all hospital staff.
To ask for and receive services that is within the hospital's ability and mission.
To have their personal, cultural and spiritual values and beliefs supported when making a decision about treatment.
To have someone of their choice and physician notified promptly of admission to the hospital.
To talk about any complaints they may have about their care without fear of getting poor treatment. To have their concerns reviewed in a timely manner and, when possible, resolved in a timely manner. In addition, they have the right to be informed in writing of the response to the concerns.
To know the physician who is mainly in charge of their care, as well as any physicians who might be consulting on their case.
To know the name and title of their caregivers.
To know if their care involves the training of health-care providers and the right to agree or refuse to participate.
To receive complete and current information about their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in understandable terms. All explanations should include:

1. A description of the procedure or treatment and why it would be done

2. The possible benefits

3. The known serious side effects, risks or drawbacks

4. Problems during recovery

5. The chances of success

6. Other procedures or treatments that could be done

To an interpreter or communication aid if they do not speak English, English is their second language, or they are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities.
To help their physicians and other health-care givers in the planning of their plan of care.
To be informed of the results of treatment, positive and negative, expected or unexpected.
To be able to receive and read their medical records in a reasonable period of time and to a description of everything in their records.
To refuse any procedure, drug or treatment and to be informed of the possible results of their decision.
To be free from restraints of any form that is not medically necessary.
To make advance treatment directives, such as Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Living Wills, or POLST, and to have caregivers follow those wishes.
To personal privacy. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment will be conducted to protect each patient's privacy.
To have all communications and records related to their care kept confidential.
Not to be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or source of payment.
To supportive care, including appropriate assessment and management of pain, treatment of uncomfortable symptoms and support of their emotional and spiritual needs, regardless of medical status or treatment decisions.
To be free of all forms of abuse and harassment.
To a second opinion, at patient’s own expense.
To be moved to another facility at patient’s request or when medically appropriate and legally permissible. The patient has a right to be given a complete explanation about why there is a need to be moved and if there are other options. The facility to which the patient will be moved must first accept the patient.
To know if their care involves research or experimental methods of treatment and the right to agree or refuse to participate.
To be informed during their hospital stay of patient-care options when hospital care is no longer needed and the right to participate in planning for discharge from the hospital.
To examine their bill and receive an explanation of the charges regardless of how the patient pays for care.
To know about hospital policies, procedures, rules or regulations applicable to their care.
To have patient or representative make informed decisions regarding patient’s care.
To include family members or significant others in patient’s care decisions.
To have access to, request to make amendments to, and obtain information on disclosures of health information, in accordance with applicable law.
To be informed about unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment and services.
A safe and secure environment supported by Infection Control and the Environment of Care Committee.
To assign someone, legally, to exercise the rights listed above on patient’s behalf, if patient is unable to exercise them.

Patient Responsibilities:

At Jefferson Healthcare we want the patient to play an active role in their health care and include the following patient responsibilities.

To provide complete and accurate information about their medical history and communication needs to those involved in patient’s care.
To take part in decisions about their care and treatment.
To ask questions about unfamiliar practices and procedures.
To inform their physician or nurse of any changes in their health.
To follow the treatment plan of care.
To be considerate of other patients and ensure that their visitors are equally thoughtful.
To respect hospital policies and staff.
To arrange payment methods prior to scheduled inpatient hospitalizations.
To be respectful of their caregivers and obey hospital rules/regulations and policies; this will assist Jefferson Healthcare in providing a safe environment and the best care possible. In rare instances where patients jeopardize our safe environment and can't respect our employees, the physician is notified and discharge may occur.

Comments or Concerns

Jefferson Healthcare has a complaint procedure in which patients may participate without fear of jeopardizing their care. If the patient or patient’s representative have concerns or complaints about any part of their care at Jefferson Healthcare, they are encouraged to speak with any department director or staff member on the unit or in the clinic.
The patient may also contact:

Jefferson Healthcare
Quality and Compliance Department
834 Sheridan

Port Townsend, WA 98368

Patient Complaint Hotline (360) 385-2200 ext 2235

In addition, the patient also has the right to contact the Washington State Department of Health.

Washington State Department of Health

HSQA Complaint Intake
Post Office Box 47857
Olympia, WA 98504-7857

Local: 360.236.4700

If the patient is a Medicare beneficiary and has a complaint regarding quality of care, their Medicare coverage, or premature discharge, the patient may contact Qualis Health at the following address:

Qualis Health
PO Box 33400

Seattle, WA 98133-0400
1-800-MEDICARE