Rights
While you are a patient at a WVU Medicine hospital, you have the right to:
- Be cared for with consideration and respect in a safe environment.
- 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
- 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.
- Receive information about pain management measures and have staff respond quickly to your reports of pain.
- Expect that the hospital will give you 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 research affecting your care.
- 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 representatives and ethics committee, who can help you to resolve problems and get answers to questions about your hospital stay and care.
- Be as free as possible of pain or other distressing symptoms.
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.
Role of the Hospital Ethics Committee
WVU Medicine hospitals have ethics committees to help you with difficult decisions and to help resolve conflicts, should they occur, between you and your provider or members of your family.
Ethics committees usually includes doctors, nurses, social workers, ethicists, a hospital administrator, and a hospital chaplain. These professionals have expertise in helping to make healthcare decisions and to resolve conflict.
If you would like to speak with the ethics committee, you can ask a member of your healthcare team to contact them.
Concerns and Complaints
We are committed to providing the highest quality of care. If you have an unsatisfactory experience, please let us know. You may contact the patient advocate, the nurse manager on your unit, or a hospital administrator at any WVU Medicine facility.
| J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and WVU Medicine Children’s | Patient Advocate: 304-598-4167 |
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| United Hospital Center | Patient Advocate: 681-342-1735 Risk Manager: 681-342-1604 |
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| Camden Clark Medical Center | Risk Management: 304-424-2144 Patient Advocate: 304-424-2712 |
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| Berkeley Medical Center | Patient Advocate: 304-596-5725 Quality and Risk Management: 304-264-1213 |
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| Barnesville Hospital | Quality and Risk Management: 740-425-5111 Complaint Hotline: 740-425-5046 |
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| Braxton County Memorial Hospital | Quality, Risk, and Compliance: 304-872-8470 |
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| Fairmont Medical Center | Patient Advocate: 304-598-4167 |
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| Garrett Regional Medical Center | Patient Advocate: 301-533-4390 |
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| Harrison County Hospital | Quality and Risk Management: 740-942-8625 |
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| Jackson General Hospital | Compliance and Risk Management: 304-373-1508 |
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| Jefferson Medical Center | Quality and Risk Management: 304-264-1213 Compliance: 304-264-1293 |
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| Potomac Valley Hospital | Complaint Liaison: 304-597-3511 |
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| Reynolds Memorial Hospital | Care Management: 304-843-3258 |
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| St. Joseph’s Hospital | Privacy Officer: 304-473-2207 |
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| Summersville Regional Medical Center | Quality, Risk, and Compliance: 304-872-8470 |
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| Wetzel County Hospital | Nursing: 304-455-8102 or Social Worker: 304-455-8009 |
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| Uniontown Hospital | Quality Management: 724-430-5249 |
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| Wheeling Hospital | Quality Management: 304-243-5342 |
If the hospital does not respond to your complaint to your satisfaction or if you have other concerns, please contact the appropriate agency, based on your location: