Your Hospital Stay

Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibility

We believe that patients want to understand and participate in their health care. We also believe that patients can better participate if they know their rights and responsibilities. The following information summarizes these rights and responsibilities for our patients, their families and their friends. When the patient is a minor, these rights also apply to the parents or guardians.

Access to Care
Communication
Consent
Consideration
Consultation
Financial Responsibilities
Following Instructions
Giving & Receiving Information
Identity
Privacy & Confidentiality
Refusal of Treatment
Release of Information
Respect & Dignity
Transfer & Continuity of Care

Access to Care
You have the right to impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of your race, creed, sex, national origin, disability or sources of payment for care.

Communication
You have the right to connect with family and friends through visitation, and verbal and written communications.

Consent
You have the right to reasonable, informed participation in decisions involving your health care. You will be asked by your physician to sign consent for medical and surgical procedures. You have the right to prepare a Directive to Physician, Family and Surrogates (Living Will) or a Medical Power of Attorney for Health Care. (See Advance Directives.) With an advance directive, you can direct your physician to provide or to limit life-sustaining treatment, if you develop a terminal medical condition. You will not be discriminated against based on whether or not you complete an advance directive.

Consideration
All patients are responsible for following hospital rules and regulations and for being considerate of the rights of others while in the hospital. Please help us by controlling noise, observing our no-smoking policy and limiting the number of your visitors.

Consultation
You have the right to consult with a specialist at your own request and expense.

Financial Responsibilities
You are responsible for ensuring that the financial obligations of your health care are fulfilled. Memorial Hermann will bill your insurance company for its portion of your hospital stay. During your admission, you must provide the hospital with insurance billing information. Any unpaid balance by your insurance company will be your responsibility.

Regardless of the source of payment for your care, you have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of your total bill for services rendered in the hospital. To obtain an itemized copy of your bill, contact Patient Business Services at 713-448-5502 or 800-526-2121.

Following Instructions
You are responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by your doctors, nurses and other caregivers, and for reporting side effects of any treatments to your doctor. If you refuse treatment or fail to follow the directions of your physicians and other hospital personnel, your care may be affected.

Giving & Receiving Information
You are responsible for providing accurate and complete information about your health and for reporting changes in your condition. In addition, you have the right to obtain, from the health care professional responsible for coordinating your care, complete and current information about your diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment and any known prognosis.

Identity
You have the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service to you and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care.

Privacy & Confidentiality
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, also known as HIPAA, mandates regulations that govern privacy, security and electronic transaction standards. The primary purpose of this federal law is to provide standards to facilitate the electronic exchange of health information, provide individuals with better access to their health information and standardize this access among states, decrease health care fraud and abuse, and most importantly to protect your personal health information.

Memorial Hermann Healthcare System has special concern for confidentiality in the workplace. Safeguarding patients’ health information is not only a legal requirement but also an important ethical obligation. As a health care provider, Memorial Hermann and its staff are entrusted with clinical information regarding our patients. We recognize that medical and billing records are highly confidential and must be treated with great respect and care by all staff with access to this information. Memorial Hermann’s policy regarding confidentiality of protected health care information reflects our strong commitment to protecting the confidentiality of our patients’ medical records and clinical information. The “Noticy of Privacy Practices” booklet given to every Memorial Hermann patient, explains our policies in more detail.

Under HIPAA guidelines, we may use your name, your location, your general medical condition and your religious affiliation in our hospital directories. We will disclose this information to members of the clergy and (with the exception of religious affiliation) to other persons who ask for you by name. We will provide you with an opportunity to restrict or prohibit some or all disclosures unless emergency circumstances prevent you from objecting.

Refusal of Treatment
You may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law.

Release of Information
After receiving treatment at Memorial Hermann, you may require copies of your medical records. Request copies from the Health Information/ Medical Records Department. There is no charge for records requested for continued patient care when they, are sent directly to a physician.

Respect & Dignity
You have the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances.

Transfer & Continuity of Care
You may not be transferred to another facility or organization unless you request it and unless you have received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the alternatives to such a transfer. Patient transfers must be acceptable to the receiving physician and facility or organization.