Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

  1. receive service(s) without regard to age, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, sex, national origin or sponsor;
  2. be treated with consideration, respect and dignity including privacy in treatment;
  3. be informed of the services available at the center;
  4. be informed of the provisions for off-hour emergency coverage;
  5. be informed of the charges for services, eligibility for third-party reimbursements and, when applicable, the availability of free or reduced cost care;
  6. receive an itemized copy of his/her account statement, upon request;
  7. obtain from his/her health care practitioner, or the health care practitioner’s delegate, complete and current information concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand;
  8. receive from his/her physician information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any nonemergency procedure or treatment or both. An informed consent shall include, as a minimum, the provision of information concerning the specific procedure or treatment or both, the reasonably foreseeable risks involved, and alternatives for care or treatment, if any, as a reasonable medical practitioner under similar circumstances would disclose in a manner permitting the patient to make a knowledgeable decision;
  9. refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be fully informed of the medical consequences of his/her action;
  10. refuse to participate in experimental research;
  11. voice grievances and recommend changes in policies and services to the center’s staff, the operator and the New York State Department of Health without fear of reprisal;
  12. express complaints about the care and services provided and to have the center investigate such complaints. The center is responsible for providing the patient or his/her designee with a written response within 30 days if requested by the patient indicating the findings of the investigation. The center is also responsible for notifying the patient or his/her designee that if the patient is not satisfied by the center response, the patient may complain to the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Health Systems Management; 800-804-5447
  13. privacy and confidentiality of all information and records pertaining to the patient’s treatment;
  14. approve or refuse the release or disclosure of the contents of his/her medical record to any health-care practitioner and/or health-care facility except as required by law or third-party payment contract;
  15. access his/her medical record pursuant to the provisions of section 18 of the Public Health Law, and Subpart 50-3 of this Title;
  16. authorize those family members and other adults who will be given priority to visit consistent with your ability to receive visitors; and
  17. make known your wishes in regard to anatomical gifts. You may document your wishes in your health care proxy or on a donor card, available from the center.