Patient's Bill of Rights (American Hospital Association)
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The Patient's Bill of Rights was first adopted by the
American Hospital Association in 1973 and revised in
October 1992. Patient rights were developed with the
expectation that hospitals and health care institutions
would support these rights in the interest of delivering
effective patient care. The American Hospital Association
encourages institutions to translate and/or simplify the bill
of rights to meet the needs of their specific patient
populations and to make patient rights and responsibilities
understandable to patients and their families.
According to the American Hospital Association,
a patient's rights can be exercised on this or her
behalf by a designated surrogate or proxy decision-maker
if the patient lacks decision-making capacity, is legally
incompetent, or is a minor.
Bill of Rights
- The patient has the right to considerate and respectful
care.
- The patient has the right and is encouraged to obtain
from physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current,
and understandable information about his or her diagnosis,
treatment, and prognosis.
- Except in emergencies when the patient lacks the ability
to make decisions and the need for treatment is urgent,
the patient is entitled to a chance to discuss and request
information related to the specific procedures and/or treatments
available, the risks involved, the possible length of recovery,
and the medically reasonable alternatives to existing
treatments along with their accompanying risks and benefits.
- The patient has the right to know the identity of
physicians, nurses, and others involved in his or her care,
as well as when those involved are students, residents,
or other trainees. The patient also has the right to know
the immediate and long-term financial significance of
treatment choices insofar as they are known.
- The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan
of care before and during the course of treatment and to refuse
a recommended treatment or plan of care if it is permitted by
law and hospital policy. The patient also has the right to be
informed of the medical consequences of this action. In case
of such refusal, the patient is still entitled to appropriate
care and services that the hospital provides or to be
transferred to another hospital. The hospital should notify
patients of any policy at the other hospital that might affect
patient choice.
- The patient has the right to have an advance directive
(such as a living will, health care proxy, or durable power
of attorney for health care) concerning treatment or designating
a surrogate decision-maker and to expect that the hospital will
honor that directive as permitted by law and hospital policy.
- Health care institutions must advise the patient of his or
her rights under state law and hospital policy to make informed
medical choices, must ask if the patient has an advance
directive, and must include that information in patient records.
The patient has the right to know about any hospital policy that
may keep it from carrying out a legally valid advance directive.
- The patient has the right to privacy. Case discussion,
consultation, examination, and treatment should be conducted
to protect each patient's privacy.
- The patient has the right to expect that all communications
and records pertaining to his/her care will be treated
confidentially by the hospital, except in cases such as
suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is
permitted or required by law. The patient has the right to
expect that the hospital will emphasize confidentiality of this
information when it releases it to any other parties entitled to
review information in these records.
- The patient has the right to review his or her medical
records and to have the information explained or interpreted
as necessary, except when restricted by law.
- The patient has the right to expect that,
within its capacity and policies, a hospital will make
reasonable response to the request of a patient for
appropriate and medically indicated care and services.
The hospital must provide evaluation, service, and/or
referral as indicated by the urgency of the case.
When medically appropriate and legally permissible, or
when a patient has so requested, a patient may be transferred
to another facility. The institution to which the patient
is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for
transfer. The patient also must have the benefit of complete
information and explanation concerning the need for, risks,
benefits, and alternatives to such a transfer.
- The patient has the right to ask and be told of the
existence of any business relationship among the hospital,
educational institutions, other health care providers, and/or
payers that may influence the patient's treatment and care.
- The patient has the right to consent to or decline
to participate in proposed research studies or human
experimentation or to have those studies fully explained before
they consent. A patient who declines to participate in research
or experimentation is still entitled to the most effective care
that the hospital can otherwise provide.
- The patient has the right to expect reasonable continuity
of care and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers
of available and realistic patient care options when hospital
care is no longer appropriate.
- The patient has the right to be informed of hospital
policies and practices that relate to patient care treatment,
and responsibilities. The patient has the right to be informed
of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances,
and conflicts, such as ethics committees, patient
representatives, or other mechanisms available in the
institution. The patient has the right to be informed of the
hospital's charges for services and available payment methods.
The collaborative nature of health care requires that patient
and/or their families and surrogates participate in their care.
The effectiveness of care and patient satisfaction with the
course of treatment depends, in part, on the patient's
fulfilling certain responsibilities:
- Patients are responsible for providing information about
past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other
health-related matters. .
- Patients must take responsibility for requesting additional
information or clarification about their health status or
treatment when they do not fully understand the current
information or instructions.
- Patients are responsible for making sure that the health
care institution has a copy of their written advance directive
if they have one.
- Patients are responsible for informing their physicians
and other caregivers if they anticipate problems in following
prescribed treatment.
- Patients also should be aware that the hospital has to
be reasonably efficient and equitable in providing care to
other patients and the community. The hospital's rules and
regulations are designed to help the hospital meet this
obligation.
- Patients and their families are responsible for being
considerate of and making reasonable accommodations to the
needs of the hospital, other patients, medical staff, and
hospital employees.
- Patients are responsible for providing necessary
information for insurance claims and for working with the
hospital as needed to make payment arrangements.
- A patient's health depends on much more than health
care services. Patients are responsible for recognizing the
impact of their lifestyles on their personal health.
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