Rights cont. Patient Responsibilities The right to receive care in a safe setting The right to understand your rights have the responsibility to: A safe setting is one that a reasonable person to have visitors l Provide a correct and complete health history would consider safe. Safety includes You have the right to welcome the visitors of your including use of environmental factors, infection control and choice for emotional support, including a spouse, l security, i.e., the presence of security staff, alarms domestic partner, other family members and Ask questions when they do not understand and policies. A safe setting also protects friends. You may also change your mind at any something vulnerable patients, including newborns and time. Visitors may be restricted when their l Tell their doctor if they do not think they can children. presence intrudes on others’ rights, safety or follow through with treatment health. The right to be free from all forms of l Accept the consequences of refusing abuse or harassment The right to receive relevant, current, treatment easy-to-understand information Abuse is the willful infliction of injury, l Respect the rights of other patients unreasonable confinement, intimidation or You and your representative have the right to punishment which causes harm, pain or mental receive information in a format that is easy for l Respect staff and property anguish. you to understand. This includes information l about your diagnosis, the likely course of your Provide correct and complete insurance Neglect is considered a form of abuse. It is illness, treatment and any unplanned outcomes. information and work with the hospital to defined as the failure to provide the goods and We offer qualified interpreters for those who are arrange payment when needed Patient Rights and services needed to avoid physical harm, mental deaf/hard of hearing and for patients with limited l Recognize the effect of lifestyle on their anguish or mental illness. English skills as defined by hospital policy. personal health Responsibilities Harassment is intentional behavior which is These services are free to our patients. l Report any concerns they may have so the found threatening or disturbing. The right to have your cultural, personal hospital can try to resolve them values, beliefs and preferences respected The right to be free from physical or At MaineGeneral Medical Center (MGMC), mental abuse and corporal (physical) We know coming into a hospital can make people we believe medical care includes being punishment feel scared and helpless. To ease these feelings, * “Informed decisions” presumes that you or your treated with concern, respect and representative have received information about your You have the right to be free from restraints we accept and support each person’s culture, recognition of each person’s dignity and unless they are used to ensure your immediate personal values and spiritual beliefs within the health status, diagnosis and prognosis in a format you understand. preferences. The federal and state rights physical safety or the safety of a staff member or bounds of safe medical practices. detailed in this brochure support our belief. another person. Restraints must be removed as ** “Prompt” means as soon as possible after the soon as safely possible. MaineGeneral does not The right to be treated with doctor or other qualified practitioner has given orders These rights and responsibilities pertain to use restraints as a routine part of care and works respect and dignity to admit the patient. all patients who stay overnight (inpatients) hard to find the least restrictive way to keep You have the right to be free from discrimination and who receive care during the day where patients and others safe. based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, applicable (outpatients) throughout MGMC. language, physical or mental disability, The right to safe implementation of socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and restraints and seclusion by trained staff gender identity or expression. This means we If restraints or seclusion () are deemed treat everyone with respect, dignity and caring the best way to keep you and others safe, you have here at MaineGeneral. the right to receive care from staff trained in the proper and safe use of seclusion and restraints to help calm unsafe situations and prevent injuries. (Over) 08-13 Patient Rights

The right to notice of privacy 3. A grievance is considered resolved when the Please note: facilities like The right to personal privacy such as the You and your designated representative(s) have the patient, patient representative/support person or MaineGeneral Medical Center are not allowed to right to respect, dignity and comfort right to be informed of your rights in a language family member is satisfied with the action taken receive payment for treatment of serious harm This includes privacy while going to the or format that you can understand. We will give on his/her behalf. Once resolved, we send you a that results from preventable mistakes and bathroom, bathing and dressing; privacy during you this information before starting or stopping written response which includes steps taken to adverse events as defined by state law. medical/ treatments; and when requested patient care whenever possible. investigate your grievance, the results of the as appropriate. A patient’s right to privacy may be investigation, the date the investigation was The right to help develop and limited if he/she must be continuously observed, The right for prompt resolution completed, the name of the hospital and the implement your plan of care such as when restrained or in seclusion, because of a grievance name of the person investigating your You or your representatives have the right to be there is immediate and serious risk of harm to Our goal is to promptly and completely address grievance. involved in all aspects of your plan of care, self or others. the concerns of our patients/patient discharge plan and pain management plan. representatives, support people or family 4. Sometimes MGMC takes appropriate and The right to confidentiality members. We can often resolve an issue or reasonable actions to resolve an issue, but the The right to make informed decisions The hospital protects and safeguards your question right away, as long as we know about it. person making the complaint is still not This includes knowing your health status, being medical information from being shared with But sometimes a concern is more involved or satisfied. When this happens, the grievance is involved in care planning and treatment and people who are not allowed to have it. This requires an interdepartmental team to help answer. also considered closed. being able to request or refuse treatment. Being a includes paper records, video, audio and/or 5. If you are not satisfied with the grievance partner in your own care allows you to make computer-stored information. If a patient care concern is not resolved or “informed decisions”* about your care. This right addressed to everyone’s satisfaction, a patient, or resolution process at MaineGeneral, you may We share this information with specific informed write or call: does not allow you to demand that MaineGeneral the patient’s representative/support person or provide care or services deemed medically consent from you or your legal representative. family member, may file a grievance. A grievance DHHS Division of Licensing at unnecessary or inappropriate. Our Notice of Pr ivacy has more details about is a formal or informal written or verbal complaint 41 Anthony Avenue, 11 State House Station, privacy of health care information. made to the hospital about the patient’s care. Augusta, ME 04333-0011 The patient has the right to have an It may involve abuse or neglect or a concern about advance directive You or your legal representative have the right to Phone: 1-800-383-2441, 207-287-9308 or access information contained in your clinical a Medicare beneficiary billing complaint. Voice/TTY at 711 or Fax at 207-287-9307. An advance directive is a written document, (Note: Billing complaints are not considered such as a living will or power of attorney for records within a reasonable timeframe. grievances unless the complaint includes issues You do not have to use the hospital’s grievance health care, that defines what health care you You have the right to access your medical records with patient services or care.) process before contacting DHHS. want in case you cannot decide for yourself. and to inspect and obtain a copy; this may involve a fee for producing and handling. Here are the steps involved in 6. If patient care and safety issues cannot be A psychiatric advance directive is a type of submitting a grievance: resolved through MGMC’s complaint process, advance directive prepared by a person who is You also have the right to request corrections if you think the information is wrong. There are 1. Discuss your grievance with a staff member you may also call The Joint Commission concerned that he/she may be subject to toll-free at 1-800-994-6610. involuntary psychiatric commitment or certain exceptions which may prevent you from from the service area or with a patient accessing all or parts of your records. advocate. Call 248-5290 to speak with an 7. If you receive Medicare and have a grievance treatment. advocate. about quality of care, or disagree with a You have the right to have such directives Please call Medical Records at 626-1441 or coverage decision or wish to appeal a premature honored as permitted by state law. 872-1254 or the Patient Advocate Office at 2. We strive to investigate and resolve most 248-5290 to learn more. concerns within 7 business days. Due to the discharge, you may write or call: nature of the concern, staff scheduling or Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation The right for the hospital to give 15 Old Rollinsford Rd. Suite 302, ”prompt”** notice of your admission to work load, a concern may need extra time. the hospital to a family member, your When this occurs, MaineGeneral works to Dover, NH 03820 representative/support person and your (Continued on back) resolve the concern in another two weeks or Phone: 603-749-1641 provider within 21 business days total. Toll-Free in New England: 1-800-772-0151