Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Section 381.026, Florida Statutes, addresses the Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. The purpose of this section is to promote the interests and wellbeing of patients and to promote better communication between the patient and healthcare provider. Florida law requires that your health care provider or health care facility recognize your rights while you are receiving medical care and that you respect the healthcare provider’s or health care facility’s right to expect certain behavior on the part of patients. You may request a copy of the full text of this law from your healthcare provider or health care facility. A summary of your rights and responsibilities follows.

SUMMARY OF THE FLORIDA PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Your Rights:

• A patient has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect, with appreciation of his or her individual dignity, and with protection of his or her need for privacy, including consideration of the psycho-social, spiritual and cultural variables that influence the perceptions of illness.
• A patient has the right to a prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests.
• A patient has the right to know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for his or her care.
• A patient has the right to know what patient support services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if he or she does not speak English.
• A patient has the right to know what patient support services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if he or she does not speak facilities that routinely provide services to patients and must make these services available to the deaf. (TTY)
• A patient has the right to bring any person of his or her choosing to the patient-accessible areas of the health care facility or provider’s office to accompany the patient while the patient is receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment or is consulting with his or her health care provider, unless doing so would risk the safety or health of the patient, other patients, or staff of the facility or office or cannot be reasonably accommodated by the facility or provider.
• A patient has the right to know what rules and regulations apply to his or her conduct.
• A patient has the right to be given by the health care provider information concerning diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternatives, risks, and prognosis.
• A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, except as otherwise provided by law.
• A patient has the right to be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his or her care.
• A patient who is eligible for Medicare has the right to know, upon request and in advance of treatment, whether the health care provider or health care facility accepts the Medicare assignment rate.
• A patient has the right to receive, upon request, prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care.
• A patient has the right to receive a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable, itemized bill and, upon request, to have the charges explained.
• A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, or source of payment.
• A patient has the right to treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment.
• A patient has the right to know if medical treatment is for purposes of experimental research and to give his or her consent or refusal to participate in such experimental research.
• A patient has the right to express grievances regarding any violation of his or her rights, as stated in Florida law, through the grievance procedure of the health care provider or health care facility which served him or her and to the appropriate state licensing agency. Patients may file a grievance by contacting Patient Relations at 561-263-4JMC (4562) or at patientrelations@jupitermed.com
• A patient has the right to be free from the use of seclusion or restraint unless clinically required and free of seclusion or restraints of any form as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation.
• A patient who is dying has the right to receive care that optimizes his/her comfort and dignity through treating symptoms that respond to treatment as desired, in managing pain and acknowledging the psychosocial and spiritual concern of the patient and family.
• A patient has the right to sign a living will-advance directive and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on his behalf; however, provision of care is not conditioned on the existence of an advance directive.
• A patient has the right to participate in decisions regarding their care; including the consideration of ethical issues that arise in his/her care.
• A patient has a right to privacy and confidential treatment and communication about their care.
• A patient has the right to confidentiality, including clinical records, and the right to access the information in his/her medical record in a reasonable time frame.
• A patient has the right to submit a written request to petition for an amendment of their medical record.
• A patient has the right to refuse the release of personal health information, except in instances where permitted or required by law.
• A patient has a right to be provided with a copy of the HIPAA, Notice of Privacy Practices upon request.

Your Responsibilities:

• A patient is responsible for providing to the health care provider, to the best of his or her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to his or her health that may assist in establishing a diagnosis and plan of care.
• A patient is responsible for reporting unexpected changes in his or her condition to the health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for reporting to the health care provider whether he or she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him or her.
• A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for keeping appointments and, when he or she is unable to do so for any reason, for notifying the health care provider or health care facility.
• A patient is responsible for his or her actions if he or she refuses treatment or does not follow the health care provider’s instructions.
• A patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his or her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
• A patient is responsible for notifying staff and/or their medical provider if there are limitations (cultural, religious, other…) that may limit or pose barriers to the care being provided.
• A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct and support an environment where the safety and property of the organizations personnel and others are respected.

Jupiter Medical Center respects the dignity of everyone we serve. We comply with applicable federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, disability, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, payment source or ability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law.

If you have a complaint against the hospital, you have the right to contact the Consumer Assistance Unit facility complaint hotline at 1-850-487-3183 or 1-888-419-3456 or write to the:

Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Consumer Assistance Unit
2727 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32310

If you have a complaint against a physician, you have a right to call the Medical Quality Assurance, Consumer Services office at 1-850-414-7209 or write to the:

Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Medical Quality Assurance
Consumer Services
2727 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32310

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), enforces federal civil rights laws, conscience and religious freedom laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, and the Patient Safety Act and Rule, which together protect your fundamental rights of nondiscrimination, conscience, religious freedom, and health information privacy at covered entities.

If you have any questions or need help filing a civil rights, conscience or religious freedom, or health information privacy complaint, you may email OCR at OCRMail@hhs.gov or call the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights toll-free at: 1-800-368-1019, TDD: 1-800-537-7697.