Rights and Responsibilities

Patients' Rights

  • Access to Care: Patients have the right to medical treatment without discrimination as to race, color, sex, and national origin, source of payment, political belief or disability.
     
  • Respect and Dignity: Receive considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, recognizing personal dignity.
     
  • Identity: Know the name and function of any person providing your services. Receive the identity, upon request, of all health care personnel and health care institutions authorized in your treatment.
     
  • Communication: Obtain from the person responsible for your health care complete and current information concerning your diagnosis, treatment and expected outcomes in terms which you can be reasonably expected to understand. Access to a language interpreter or signer in communication barriers are encountered, expect a quick assessment and response to your reports of pain.
     
  • Informed Consent: Receive information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure, treatment, and/or pain management plan except for emergency situation. Information shall include as a minimum an explanation to the specific procedure or treatment itself, its value and significant risk, and an explanation of other possible treatment methods, if any.
     
  • Transfer and Continuity of Care: Expect reasonable continuity of care and to be informed by the person responsible for your health care, requirements, if any. When it is not medically advisable to give you such information, the information shall be made available to any appropriate person you have named on your behalf.
     
  • Refusal of Treatment: Refuse treatment and be informed of the medical or other consequences of your action.
     
  • Privacy and Confidentiality: Receive personal information privacy to the extent consistent with adequate medical care.
    • Case discussion, consultation, examinations, and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly.
    • Privacy and confidentiality of all records pertaining to your treatment, except and otherwise provide by law or third party payment contract.
       
  • Report Concerns: Access to the Health Center's Patient Advocate or Inspector General for response to concerns about services.
     
  • Advanced Directive: Receive information about living wills or durable powers of attorney for health care decisions. Express their own wishes regarding withholding of medical care (living will) or of giving a designated family member or friend the legal authority to authorize consent or refusal of treatment ( durable power of attorney.)
     
  • Charges: Receive, upon request, an explanation of billing issues, regardless of payment source.
     
  • Health Center Rules and Regulations: Receive information about the Health Center's rules and regulations applicable to their conduct as patients.

Patients' Responsibilities

  • To present accurate identifying information.
  • To present details of illness or complaint in an honest and straightforward manner.
  • To cooperate responsibly with all persons involved in the health care process.
  • To keep appointments on time.
  • To cancel appointments only when absolutely necessary, and far enough in advance so that other patients might utilize that time.
  • To comply with the treatment plan that has been established jointly between the patient and health professional.
  • To ask for clarification whenever information or instructions are not understood.
  • To provide both positive and negative feedback to the Student Health Services staff.