The following list of patient rights protects your interests and promotes your well-being. You, the patient, have the right to:

• Access to care or treatment regardless of race, creed, sex, age, national origin, ability to pay or the presence or lack of an advance directive.
• Be treated with respect and dignity.
• Personal and informational privacy, within the law.
• Consideration of the psycho-social, spiritual and cultural variables that influence perceptions of illness, recovery, death and grieving process.
• Expect the hospital to take reasonable safety precautions to provide a secure environment.
• Effective pain management.
• Relevant, current and understandable information concerning your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
• Access to visitors.
• Effective communication for those with hearing, vision or speech impaired, limited english proficiency. Interpreter services are available.
• Participate in decisions involving your health care.
• Consult with a specialist of your choice, at your expense. For in-house consultations, the specialist must have privileges in this facility.
• Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action.
• Expect reasonable continuity of care, and to be informed of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
• Request and receive a detailed explanation of your bill regardless of the source of payment.
• Express a concern or complaint concerning the hospital, your care or a hospital employee without your care being affected.
• Access the hospital’s biomedical ethics committee when ethical issues arise. These may include conflict resolutions, withholding or withdrawing resuscitative services of life-sustaining treatment. Contact the nursing staff for information on how to access the biomedical ethics committee.
• Formulate advance directives and designate surrogate decision makers.
• Protective services, should they be required.
• Information about the outcome of care, including unanticipated outcomes.
• Freedom from medically unnecessary restraints. Should a patient experience a change in emotional, physical or mental status, family members may be requested to sit with the patient, or arrange for a private sitter.

If a patient feels any of the above rights have been violated, the hospital has a grievance process for the prompt resolution of patient complaints. Patients should contact the Nurse Manager of their unit, the house supervisor or Quality Services, Monday through Friday 8:00am-5:00pm at ext. 7827

In addition, you may file a complaint or grievance by contacting:

Department of State Health Services
Health Facility Licensing & Compliance Division
1100 W.49th St.
Austin, TX 78756

You, the patient, are expected to:

• Provide accurate and complete information about your medical history.
• Report unexpected changes in condition and follow recommended treatment plan.
• Accept the consequences of refusing treatment.
• Meet financial obligations as promptly as possible.
• Follow hospital rules and regulations.
• Respect the rights of other patients and hospital personnel. This includes assisting in the control of noise, limiting the number of visitors and complying with non-smoking hospital regulations. The patient and family are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the hospital.