Patient’s Bill of Rights

Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

• A patient has the right, upon request, to be given the name of his attending practitioner, the names of all other practitioners directly participating in his care, and the names and functions of other healthcare persons having direct contact with the patient.
• A patient has the right to consideration of privacy concerning his own medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination, and treatment are considered confidential and shall be conducted discreetly.
• A patient has the right to have records pertaining to his medical care treated as confidential except as otherwise provided by law or third party contractual arrangement.
• A patient has the right to know what facility rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient.
• The patient has the right to expect emergency procedures to be implemented without unnecessary delay.
• The patient has the right to good quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.
• The patient has the right to full information in layman’s terms, concerning diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications. When it is not medically advisable to give the information to the patient, the information shall be given on his behalf to the responsible person.
• Except for emergencies, the practitioner shall obtain the necessary informed consent prior to the start of a procedure. Informed consent is defined in Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 7, Chapter 601.
• A patient, or if the patient is unable to give informed consent, a responsible person has the right to be advised when a practitioner is considering the patient as a part of a medical care research program or donor program, and the patient, or responsible person, shall give informed consent prior to actual participation in the program. A patient, or responsible person, may refuse to continue in a program to which he has previously given consent.
• A patient has the right to refuse drugs or procedures, to the extent permitted by statute, and a practitioner shall inform the patient of medical consequences of the patient’s refusal of drugs or procedures.
• A patient has the right to medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon age, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, disability, or source of payment.
• The patient who does not speak English shall have access, where possible, to an interpreter.
• The facility shall provide the patient, or patient designee, upon request, access to the information contained in his medical records, unless access is specifically restricted by the attending practitioner for medical reasons.
• The patient has the right to expect good management techniques to be implemented with the facility. Those techniques shall make effective use of the time of the patient and avoid the personal discomfort of the patient.
• When an emergency occurs and the patient is transferred to a hospital, the responsible person shall be notified. The institution to which the patient is to be transferred shall be notified prior to the patient’s transfer.
• The patient has the right to expect that the Facility will provide information for continuing health care requirements following discharge and the means for meeting them.
• A patient has the right to be informed of his rights at the time of admission.
• The facility expects the patient to ask questions about any directions or procedures they don’t understand.
• The facility expects the patient to be considerate of other patients and staff in regard to noise, smoking, and number of visitors in the patient areas. The patient is also expected to respect the property of facility and other persons.
• The patient is expected to follow instructions and medical orders and report unexpected changes in their condition to their physician and facility staff.
• The patient is expected to follow all safety regulations that they are told or read about.
• If the patient fails to follow their healthcare provider’s instructions, or if the patient refuses care, they are responsible for their own actions.
• The patient can choose to change primary physicians if other qualified physicians are available.
• Patient has the right to ask the ER to honor their Advance Directive.
• The patient has the right to be free from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or harassment.

The physicians, nurses, and the entire staff at America’s ER are committed to ensuring you receive safe, reasonable care.

Should you have a complaint or grievance related to America’s ER, you may request to speak with the America’s ER Patient Representative or Administrator.

If your complaint or grievance is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact:

Presentation of a complaint will not compromise your care under any circumstances.