Rights

While you are a patient at a WVU Medicine hospital, you have the right to:

  • Receive quality medical care regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, diagnosis, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation or preference, veteran status, religion, gender, age, ability to pay, or conditions of reimbursement.
  • Receive care in a safe environment free from all forms of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment.
  • Be free from restraints and seclusion in any form that is not medically required.
  • Request confidential communication by alternative means or at alternative locations and to receive information in a manner you understand.
  • Receive a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices describing how your protected health information (PHI) is used and disclosed for purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, as well as how to file complaints and obtain additional information.
  • Expect that PHI contained in the Designated Record Set (DRS) is confidential and will be used by WVUHS only for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or as otherwise outlined in the Notice of Privacy Practices. PHI will not be disclosed for any other purposes unless you have given permission to release information or reporting is required or permitted by law. You have the right to request that the hospital restrict access to PHI as provided by applicable law.
  • Review PHI in the DRS, receive a copy, and to have the information explained, except when restricted by law. You have the right to request amendment and/or correction to PHI in the DRS. A request for amendment may be denied if the information is accurate and complete based on the provider’s professional judgment, the information was not created by a WVUHS site, or it is not subject to your right of access as provided by applicable law.
  • Receive an accounting of disclosures of your PHI as required by law.
  • Be well informed about your illness, possible treatments, and likely outcomes, and have the opportunity to discuss this information with your provider.
  • Have a family member and/or your personal physician notified of your admission to the hospital.
  • Know the names and roles of the people treating you.
  • Have an advance directive and have hospital staff and other health professionals providing care in the hospital comply with these directives.
  • Receive information about pain management measures and have staff respond in a clinically appropriate and timely manner to your reports of pain.
  • Expect that the hospital will give you clinically necessary health services to the best of its ability. However, should treatment referral or transfer be recommended, you have the right to be informed of risks, benefits, and alternatives.
  • Know if the hospital has relationships with outside parties that may influence your treatment and care.
  • Consent or decline to take part in investigational or clinical research.
  • Be told of realistic care alternatives when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
  • Know about hospital rules that affect your treatment, and about charges and payment methods.
  • Know about hospital resources, such as patient advocates, who can help you to resolve problems and get answers to questions about your hospital stay and care.
  • Receive clinically appropriate and timely relief from pain or other distressing symptoms.
  • Stay in an environment that preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
  • Receive visitors you designate during visitation hours, and to withdraw or deny consent to visitation at any time.
  • Opt out of the facility directory.

Responsibilities

While you are a patient in the hospital, you have the responsibility to:

  • Provide information about your health, including past illnesses, hospital stays, and use of medication.
  • Ask questions when you do not understand information or instructions.
  • Tell your provider if you cannot follow through with a prescribed treatment.
  • Be considerate of the needs of other patients, staff, and the hospital.
  • Provide insurance information and work with the hospital to arrange payment, when needed.
  • Recognize the effect of lifestyle on your personal health.
  • Safeguard all of your personal belongings, including sending valuable personal belongings home whenever possible.
  • Follow rules and regulations of the facility.
  • Treat your healthcare providers with respect and refrain from any type of violence, including but not limited to, any act or threat of verbal or physical violence, abuse, harassment, intimidation, hostility, or other threatening disruptive behavior.
  • Abide by the WVUHS Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct.