Advanced breast cancer clinical trials close to home

Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Patient Rights

As a patient at St. Anthony's Medical Center, you have the following rights:

• To quality care that respects your personal values and beliefs.
• To treatment and services that you need or request, that are within the ability of the Medical Center to provide. If St. Anthony's cannot provide the service, you have the right to be informed about the need to transfer to another facility and the alternatives to such a transfer.
• To be informed about and to involve family and/or others to help make decisions about your care.
• To be informed about and participate in ethical questions that arise during your care.
• To make informed decisions about organ donation.
• To access your medical records and to receive them within the time frame governed by state and local law for a nominal fee.
• To be free from any sort of abuse/harassment, including verbal, physical, psychological, sexual and emotional abuse.
• To be free from restraints and/or seclusion unless clinically necessary.
• To care that manages your pain, and respects and supports pain management decisions made by you and your health care team. St. Anthony's plans, supports and coordinates care and resources to assure that the pain of all patients is recognized and addressed appropriately.
• To alternative means of communication if you are hearing and/or speech impaired or if you do not speak English.
• To know the identity and professional status of the people who are caring for you.
• To choose a doctor other than the one currently caring for you, at your request and expense.
• To care that is continuous, coordinated and given in appropriate settings.
• To have bills and charges for service explained to you.
• To consent or refuse treatments or procedures and be informed of the medical consequences of your decision.
• To participate or refuse to participate in medical research and to have any research fully explained to you.
• To make health care directives and/or choose another person to make decisions about your health care if you are unable to do so.
• To complain about treatment or care, have your complaints reviewed and, if possible, resolved without compromising your care or access to service.
• To personal privacy and to expect that your personal and medical records be kept confidential. You also have the right to ask that information about your presence at St. Anthony's not be made available to the public. If you choose, however, you have the right to request that St. Anthony's notify a family member or other representative of your hospitalization.
• To send or receive letters, make telephone calls and have visitors, unless medically or therapeutically restricted.
• To reasonable safety and security in St. Anthony's practices and its environment.
• To assistance in obtaining protective services.
• To pastoral care and other spiritual services.
• To know which St. Anthony's rules and regulations apply to your conduct as a patient.

Back to top

Patient Responsibilities

As a patient at St. Anthony's Medical Center, your responsibilities are:

• Giving accurate and complete information about matters relating to your health.
• Telling your doctor and St. Anthony's of any advance health care directives, such as a durable power of attorney, and for providing a copy to be included in your medical records.
• Following the treatment plan agreed upon by you and your doctor, and for accepting the results if you refuse recommended treatment.
• Asking questions when you don't understand what you have been told about your care or what you are expected to do.
• Making sure the financial obligations of your care are fulfilled.
• Considerate behavior toward other patients, visitors, hospital personnel and property.
• Discussing pain relief options, collaborating with your physician and nurse to develop a pain management plan, requesting pain medication when needed and informing St. Anthony's staff if the pain is not relieved.
• Following the rules listed in the Patient Handbook.

All patient rights and responsibilities exist without regard to race, creed, sex, handicap, age or national origin.

Back to top

Filing a Patient Rights Grievance

If you believe your patient rights have not been observed, you may contact the manager of Customer Service at extension 1197.

Or, you may file a grievance with:

Missouri Department of Health and Hospital Licensing
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-751-6303

Division of Accreditations Operations Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 630-792-5000
Fax: 630-792-5636
Email: complaint@jcaho.org

Back to top