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Patients' Rights & Responsibilities

Patients' Rights

Eden Medical Center and its medical staff have adopted the following rights for our patients. Eden Medical Center will honor these rights without regard to sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, disability, religion, ancestry, veteran status, national origin, sexual orientation or marital status or the source of payment for care.

Patients, as well as the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of the patient, have the right to:

Be informed of your rights, in advance of providing or discontinuing care, whenever possible.
Know the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating the care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
Have a family member (or other representative of your choosing) and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
Considerate and respectful care, and to be made comfortable. You have the right to respect for your personal, cultural, psychosocial and personal values, and to have access to pastoral and other spiritual services.
Receive care in a safe setting that is free from all forms of abuse or harassment. You have a right to be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
Receive information about your health status, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes) in terms you can understand.
Participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
Participate actively in decisions regarding medical care including development and implementation of your care plan. However, you do not have the right to demand inappropriate or medically unnecessary treatment or services.
Request or refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law, including the right to leave the hospital even against the advice of physicians.
Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse this course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in this treatment, the likelihood of achieving the desired results, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
Formulate advance directives and have staff and practitioners who provide care comply with these directives or be informed if the hospital is unable to honor your advance directive wishes.
Identify a surrogate decision maker who can make health care decisions for you should you become unable to do so, and have all the patients’ rights apply to this person or others who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
Full consideration of personal privacy and privacy concerning the medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual. You have the right to have visitors leave prior to an examination and when treatment issues are being discussed.
Confidential treatment of all communication, recordings/films and records pertaining to the care and the stay in the hospital. Written permission shall be obtained before the medical records and/or films can be made available to anyone not directly related with the care, unless otherwise authorized or permitted by law.
Access information contained in your medical record within a reasonable time frame, and to request an amendment to and receive an accounting of disclosures regarding your health information.
Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital’s bill / charges regardless of the source of payment.
Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
Reasonable continuity of care, and to know in advance the time and location of appointment as well as the identity of persons providing the care.
Be advised if the hospital/personal physician proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research projects without fear of compromise to your care.
Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient.
Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have decision making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage, unless: no visitors are allowed; it is determined that health or safety would be compromised; you do not wish a person to visit; or you lack decision-making capacity, at which time your wishes will be considered for purposes of determining who may visit.
Request a list of and assistance with accessing protective or advocacy services in the community, including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.
Appropriate assessment and management of pain, information about pain, pain relief measures and to participate in pain management decisions.
Be informed of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital. Be informed that, with your authorization, the hospital may provide a friend or family member with information about your continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
Be involved in the development and implementation of your discharge plan.
Have complaints/concerns voiced by you or your representative addressed in a respectful manner, as soon as possible.
File a complaint, concern or grievance. If you want to file a grievance with this hospital, you may do so by writing to Administration (Eden Medical Center, 20103 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley CA 94546); by contacting the Nurse Manager or Administrator; or by calling (510) 727-2712. Your actions will in no way adversely affect your care or access to care.
Report concerns about the safety or quality of care provided in the hospital to The Joint Commission after efforts to resolve the concerns through the hospital’s management have been unsuccessful. Contact The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring by calling 1-800-994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jointcommission.org.
File a complaint with the California Department of Health Services, regardless of whether you use the hospital’s grievance process, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P: 1st Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403, (510) 620-3900.

Patients' Responsibilities

To assist us in providing the quality of health care and services you expect and deserve, you, as a patient at Eden Medical Center, have the responsibility to:

Provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, medications, past illnesses, hospitalizations, and other matters relating to your health and healthcare.
Provide information about advance directives: give us direction about your preferences for future medical care and the identity of anyone who you may want to make healthcare decisions on your behalf should you later become incapable of making such decisions on your own.
Inform us if you do not understand a proposed course of action or what is expected of you.
Ask questions about your treatment, diagnosis and/or prognosis.
Follow the directions of your physician and treatment team.
Inform us immediately if you believe that you are given a medication or being provided with a treatment that is not correct or not intended for you.
Ask for pain relief when pain first begins, help the staff assess your pain, work with the staff to develop a pain management plan, and advise staff if your pain is not relieved.
Report unexpected changes in your condition to a member of the staff.
Accept responsibility for your actions should you refuse treatment or should you choose not to follow the prescribed treatment plan.
Learn what you can do to improve your ability to care for yourself, if appropriate.
Know and follow hospital rules and regulations including those related to unit community living, noise control, smoking and visitors.
Respect the rights, privacy and confidentiality of other patients and staff.
Never bring a weapon into the hospital.
Never hurt or threaten another patient, family member or member of the staff.
Never bring alcohol or non-authorized drugs into the hospital.
Use only the medications prescribed for you in the amount specified.
Show respect for the property of others and the hospital.
Leave your personal valuables and property at home.
Satisfy your financial obligations for care and treatment by providing us with correct information about your health insurance or other source of payment.
Talk with a member of the staff if you are dissatisfied with the care and/or service.