Patient Rights & Responsibilities

rights and responsibilites
We respect the rights of our patients and recognize that each person is an individual with different needs.

We recognize and support patients’ rights to participate in health care decisions—including the right to discontinue or refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law.

Patient Rights

Patients have the right to:

  • Care that is safe, competent, respectful, and considerate of their personal values and beliefs, and their emotional and spiritual needs.
  • Know the name and qualifications of anyone involved in their care.
  • Make decisions about their plan of care before and during treatment, when medically possible.
  • Involve a family member or representative of their choice in making decisions about their care, and to designate a representative to make health care decisions for them.
  • Receive complete information from their physician about their diagnosis, treatment, alternatives, risks, and expected results.
  • Prompt and reasonable response to requests and needs for treatment and service.
  • Have a family member or representative of their choice and their own physician notified promptly of their admission to the hospital.
  • Security and personal privacy, and confidentiality of their personal information and clinical record.
  • Access their own information through Health Information Management in a reasonable time frame, except where prohibited by law.
  • Create advance directives concerning treatment to address end-of-life issues agreeable within the patient’s plan of care, as permitted by law, and to have the hospital and staff comply with these directives.
  • Be informed about outcomes of care or services that have been provided, including unanticipated outcomes.
  • Effective communications including the use of interpretive language services.
  • Have complaints addressed and receive resolution in a timely, reasonable and consistent manner, without fear of retaliation of any kind.
  • Be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect or exploitation.
  • Have restraint or seclusion applied only when medically necessary, and not as a means of coercion, discipline or retaliation.
  • The appropriate assessment and management of their pain.
  • Access protective and advocacy services.
  • Information about the hospital’s policy regarding organ donation and procurement.
  • Information about the hospital’s policy regarding conflicts of interest and ethical business behavior.
  • Consent to, or decline to, participate in research studies.
  • Refuse treatment and/or to leave the hospital against medical advice, except in certain very special situations, and to be informed of the medical consequence of such action.
  • Help in understanding their hospital bill.
Patient Responsibilities

In acknowledging the personal worth and dignity of each individual, we also recognize that you, as the patient, have certain responsibilities that support the health care we provide.

Patients are responsible for:

  • Requesting assistance if needed.
  • Providing, to the best of their knowledge, complete and accurate information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalization, medications, and other matters relating to their health.
  • Reporting to their health care provider when they do not understand a plan of treatment or what is expected of them.
  • Reporting unexpected changes in their condition.
  • Following the treatment plan recommended by their health care provider.
  • Their actions if they refuse treatment or do not follow the health care provider’s instructions.
  • Keeping appointments and, when unable to do so, for notifying the hospital or health care provider.
  • Providing all needed information for insurance processing, and assuring that the financial obligations of their health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
  • Following hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
  • Being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel.
  • Leaving non-essential personal items at home.
Patient Advocate

Location: 5th Floor / Room 504
1330 Coshocton Avenue
Mount Vernon, OH 43050

740.393.9890

Grievances

Knox Community Hospital encourages you to contact Management about your concerns regarding patient rights, quality of care, patient safety or discharge readiness. Please ask to speak to the director or supervisor of the department providing your care, or to the Patient Advocate (the Patient Advocate may be contacted directly at 740.393.9890).

If we are not able to resolve your concerns regarding patient care at the time of the complaint, you will receive a written response advising you of the steps being taken to resolve or to further investigate your concern. We will advise you in writing of the actions taken to address your concern, or, if your concern cannot be resolved within 7 days, when you can expect a resolution.

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your concern, you may, within 30 days of receiving notice of the resolution, request in writing that the hospital’s Administrative Operations Team review your concern. The team will review and respond to your concern within 60 days of receiving your request.

Requests for review of a grievance by the Hospital’s Administrative Operations Team should be addressed to:

CEO
C/O Knox Community Hospital
1330 Coshocton Avenue
Mount Vernon, OH 43050

To file a complaint about a health facility with the State certification agency, contact:

Ohio Department of Health
246 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 800.342.0553
Fax: 614.564.2422
Email: HCCompliants@odh.ohio.gov