Patient & Visitor
Patient Rights

Effective health care requires collaboration between patients, their families, physicians and other health care professionals. Open and honest communication, respect for personal and professional values, and sensitivity to differences are integral to optimal patient care.

The Regional Medical Center at Memphis (The MED) and Shelby County Health Care Network acknowledge their collective role in providing a foundation for respecting the rights and responsibilities of patients and their families/surrogate. We support and encourage the role of the patient, their family and/or their surrogates in considering and deciding on treatment options and other aspects of their care. Moreover, we are sensitive to cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, age, gender and other differences, as well as the needs of persons with disabilities.

Patient Rights

1. The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care in a safe environment, free from abuse or harassment including access to protective services.
   
   
2. The patient has the right to obtain from physicians and other health care providers relevant, current and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, information related to specific procedures and/or treatments, procedure and treatment risks, possible length of recuperation, medically reasonable treatment, and/or procedure alternatives with accompanying risks and benefits. The patient has the right to know what may be expected to occur if he/she receives no treatment.
   
   
   Except in emergencies, when the patient lacks decision-making capacity and the need for treatment is urgent, the patient is entitled to request and discuss information related to the specific procedures and/or treatments, procedure and treatment risks, possible length of recuperation, medically reasonable alternatives, and any related risks and benefits.
   
   
3. A patient and/or his/her surrogate have the right to be informed of unexpected or unanticipated outcomes should they occur.
   
   
4. A patient has the right to know the identity of physicians and other health care providers involved in his or her care, as well as when those involved are students or residents. A patient also has the right to know the identity of anyone entering his or her room.
   
   
5. The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan of care prior to and during the course of treatment. The patient has the right to consent to or refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and organizational policy and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action. In the case of refusal, the patient is entitled to other appropriate care and services that The MED provides or to be transferred to another health care provider or hospital. The MED will notify patients of any policy that might affect patient choice within the institution.
   
   
6. To the extent permitted by law, the patient has the right to have a surrogate decision maker participate in medical decision making as described in paragraph five above if the patient lacks decision-making capacity.
   
   
7. The patient has the right to an advance medical directive (such as a living will, health care proxy, or durable power of attorney for health care) regarding treatment and/or designating a surrogate decision maker. The patient has the right to expect that The MED will honor the intent of that directive to the extent permitted by law and organizational policy.
   
   
   The patient will be advised of their right under state law and organizational policy to make informed medical choices and will be asked if he/she has an advance medical directive. Upon presentation of an advance medical directive, a copy of the document will be placed in the medical record. The patient has the right to timely information about organizational policy that may limit its ability to fully implement a legally valid advance medical directive.
   
   
8. The patient has the right to assessment and management of pain, including an initial assessment and regular assessments of pain, and to expect that providers will be educated in pain management. The patient, and when necessary the surrogate, has the right to be educated regarding their role in managing pain as well as the potential limitations and side effects of pain treatments.
   
   
9. The patient has a right to consideration as to any personal, cultural, racial, spiritual, age, gender or other beliefs that might impact the patient's decisions regarding treatment and pain management. In the case of a non-English speaking patient, the patient has a right to an interpreter.
   
   
10. The patient has the right to be free from restraints or seclusion when imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff. The patient and or his/her family/surrogate have the right to be educated about the use of restraints or seclusion when either or both are medically indicated.
    
    
11. The patient has the right to know The MED is a teaching site for the University of Tennessee, Memphis, College of Medicine. Under most circumstances, patients who seek treatment from The MED and do not have their own private health care providers are assigned a health care provider who is on the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Memphis or who is a member of the clinical staff of The MED.
    
    
12. The patient has the right to every consideration of privacy. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment shall be conducted so as to protect each patient's privacy.
    
    
13. The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his/her care will be treated as confidential by The MED, 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 MED will emphasize the confidentiality of this information when it releases it to any other parties entitled to review information in these records.
    
    
14. The patient has the right to reasonable access to his/her medical record and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when releasing such information may be deemed harmful to the patient. In those situations, the treating physician may be contacted for guidance.
    
    
15. The patient has the right to expect that, within its capacity and policies, The MED will make reasonable response to the request of a patient for appropriate and medically indicated care and services. The MED 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 accept the patient for transfer. The patient also must have the benefit of complete information and explanation concerning the need for transfer, risks, benefits and alternatives to such a transfer.
    
    
16. The patient has the right to ask and be informed of the existence of business relationships among The MED, educational institutions, other health care providers or payers that may influence the patient's treatment and care.
    
    
17. The patient has the right to consent or decline to participate in proposed research studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment or requiring direct patient involvement, and to have those studies fully explained prior to consent. A patient who declines to participate in research or experimentation is entitled to the most effective care that The MED otherwise can provide.
    
    
18. The patient has the right to expect reasonable continuity of care when appropriate and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when the services of The MED are no longer appropriate.
    
    
19. The patient has the right to be informed of organizational 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, guest services representatives (patient representatives) or other mechanisms available within The MED and to be informed of appropriate external agencies in which to appeal.
    
    
20. The patient has the right to be informed of The MED's charges for services and available payment methods. The patient has the right to know the immediate and long-term financial implications of treatment choices, insofar as they are known.

Patients Responsibilities

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