Patient Rights
The staff of West Palm Hospital exists to provide quality, compassionate health care responsive to the needs of our patients and community. Because we are committed to support your Patient Rights, we feel it is important for you to have this information at the time of your admission and/or services at our hospital.
As a patient you have the right:
- To be treated with courtesy and respect, with appreciation of individual dignity, and with protection of personal privacy
- To a prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests
- To receive medically appropriate care regardless of age, race, creed, sex, national origin, physical handicap, or source of payment
- To know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for your care
- To know what patient support services are available including whether an interpreter is available if you do not speak English
- To know what rules and regulations apply to your conduct
- To be given by your health care provider information concerning diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternatives, risks and prognosis to allow you to participate in development and implementation of your plan of care and make informed decisions
- To be informed of your health status and prognosis and to be involved in care planning and treatment, including pain management
- To refuse treatment, except otherwise provided by law
- To be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on availability of known financial resources for your care
- A patient who is eligible for Medicare has the right to know, upon request and in advance of treatment, whether the health care provider accepts the Medicare assignment rate
- To receive, upon request and prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care
- To receive a copy of a reasonable, clear, understandable and itemized bill; and upon request, to have the charges explained
- To treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment
- To expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care will be treated as confidential and to have access to those records in a reasonable time frame
- To know if the medical treatment is for purposes of experimental research and to give your consent or refusal to participate in such experimental research
- To express grievances regarding any violation of your rights, as stated in Florida law, through the grievance procedure of the health care provider or health care facility which served you and to the appropriate state licensing agency
- To expect reasonable safety in regards to hospital practices and environment are concerned
- To be free from all forms of abuse or harassment
- To freedom from restraints used in provision of acute medical and surgical care unless clinically necessary
- To freedom from seclusion and restraints used in behavior management unless clinically necessary
- To have reasonable access to care
- To be informed regarding outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes
Patient Responsibilities
A patient is responsible for:
- Providing to his/her health care provider, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to his/her health
- Reporting unexpected changes in his/her condition to his/her health care provider
- Reporting to his/her health care provider whether he/she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him/her
- Following the treatment plan recommended by his/her health care provider
- Keeping appointments and when he/she is unable to do so for any reason, notifying the health care provider or health care facility
- His/her actions if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the health care provider’s instructions
- Assuring that the financial obligations of his/her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible
- Following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct
- Asking their health care provider what to expect regarding pain and pain management, to discuss pain relief measure and develop a pain management plan. A patient is to report pain when it begins, help the health care provider measure pain level and inform health care provider if pain is not relieved.
Grievance Process
You have the right to file a grievance with hospital representatives. This grievance process is designed to address your concerns as a patient of the hospital. Concerns regarding quality of care are of particular importance to the hospital. You also have the right to lodge a grievance with the state agency directly, regardless of whether you have first used the hospital’s grievance process.
If you wish to file a grievance with a hospital representative, please contact the following:
Hospital Administration 863-3802, (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00p.m.) or call the Operator (“O”) and ask for the Nursing Supervisor (during other hours).
If you wish to file a grievance with the state agency, you may do so by calling Consumer Assistance Unit at 1-888-419-3456 or by writing to:
Agency for Health Care Administration
Consumer Assistance Unit
2727 Mahan Drive
Building 1
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
Ethics Process
If you are a patient, family or significant other and have an ethical issue, you can communicate with the Ethics Compliance Officer by calling:
- 863-3802 during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or
- Operator (“O”) and the staff can access the On-call Administrator (on weekends, holidays and after hours).
The Ethics Committee meets bi-monthly but can be convened for an on-call issue. The committee’s action will be advisory in nature and not binding on the parties since final medical decisions rests with the patient, family or legally designated individual, in consultation with attending physician.