Patients and Visitors

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Patient Rights

The following are rights guaranteed to patients of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Patients have the right to:

  • Receive considerate, respectful delivery of care regardless of age, race, color, national origin, culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, religion, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or manner of payment.
  • Request a change of practitioner, seek a second opinion, or refuse treatment.
  • Know the name and role of anyone providing care.
  • Agree or refuse to be a part of any medical study. 
  • Have pain checked and managed correctly.
  • Make an advanced directive (living will, medical power of attorney, etc.) at any time and to expect it to be followed.
  • Receive a detailed account of bills.
  • Receive financial counseling.
  • Understand all information and communication from their health care team.
  • Receive communicative devices, interpreters, and/or translator servicesat no cost. 
  • Have cultural, social, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and choices respected and have access to pastoral and other spiritual services.
  • Take part in all ethical decisions regarding their care.
  • Take part in discharge planning and receive information regarding discharge and follow-up care.
  • The protection of all personal information related to health care.
  • Have personal privacy, a safe and clean environment, and to let us know if they would like to restrict visitors or phone calls.
  • See the visitors they choose, including a spouse, domestic partner, another family member, or a friend and also the right to refuseto accept such visitors at any time.
  • Be told if there are any clinically required limitations on visitation rights.
  • Choose someone to make decisions about visitors if the patient cannot do it him/herself. 
  • Be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
  • Know that restraints will be used only when medically necessary.

Advanced directives

Patients have the right to expect advance directives to be acted upon to the extent of the law. If a patient does not have general information regarding advance directives, s/he can expect to receive it at the time of hospitalization.

Patient care is not conditional on the existence of an advance directive. An advance directive will be reviewed periodically with the patient or patient's legal representative. UMMC will honor advanced directives to the extent allowable by Mississippi law and the extent to which it is within the policies of this institution and to the extent agreed to by the treating physician.

Patients have the right to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment, including foregoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment or withholding resuscitative services.

Billing

Regardless of the source of payment for care, patients have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of the total bill for services rendered in the hospital. Patients can expect to have billing issues addressed. 

Communication

Patients have the right of access to people outside of UMMC by means of visitors or by verbal and written communication, which includes access to an interpreter, if needed. Any restrictions will be discussed with the patient.

Consent

Patients have the right to reasonably informed participation in decisions involving their health care. To the extent possible, this will be based on a clear, concise explanation of the patient's condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including significant possibilities of risk, mortality, or serious side-effects.

The patient will be informed of the existence of medically significant alternatives for care or treatment.

The patient will not be subjected to any procedure without her/his voluntary consent or the consent of a legally authorized representative, excepted in an emergency when the patient is unable to make an informed consent and a legally-authorized representative is unavailable.

The patient has a right to be informed of who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedure(s) or treatment(s). Upon admission, the patient will be informed of the name of the physician or other practitioner primarily responsible for providing their care, treatment, and services. At the time the informed consent is obtained, the patient will be informed of the name of the physician performing the procedure/treatment.

Cost

Patients have the right to a timely notice of the termination of eligibility for reimbursement by a third-party payor for the cost of care. A UMMC representative will inform the patient as soon as feasible after learning of the patient's ineligibility for reimbursement.

Discharge care

The patient and/or family has the right to be informed by the physician responsible for care, or delegate, any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.

Dying patient

The dying patient has the right to optimal comfort and dignity through treatment of primary and secondary symptoms that respond to treatment, as desired by the patient or the legally authorized representative.

The dying patient has the right to effective pain management such that is possible.

The dying patient and family have the right to the acknowledgment of psychosocial and spiritual concerns regarding dying and the expression of grief by the family.

Ethical issues

The patient or the legally-authorized representative (and the patient’s family if the patient wishes) has the right to participate in any ethical issues that arise in the care of the patient.

Identity

The patient has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service and to know which physician is primarily responsible for her/his care.

The patient has the right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are treating her/him as well as the relationship to other health care or educational institutions involved in care. Participation by the patient in a clinical training program or in the gathering of data for research purposes is voluntary.

The patient has the right to expect those who render services be adequately trained and that those services applicable to particular needs be provided.

Incompetent patient

The patient's guardian, next of kin, or legally authorized representative has the right to exercise, to the extent permitted by law, the rights delineated on behalf of the patient if:

  • The patient has been adjudicated incompetent in accordance with the law.
  • The patient is found by her/his physician to be medically incapable of understanding the proposed treatment or procedure.
  • The patient is unable to communicate her/his wishes for treatment.
  • The patient is a minor.

Information

The patient or legally authorized representative has the right to be informed of all patient rights at the time of admission.

The patient or legally authorized representative has the right to be informed of the mechanism for resolving patient complaints at the time of admission.

The patient has the right to obtain from the physician responsible for coordinating her/his care complete and current information concerning her/his diagnosis (to the degree known) unless such information might be harmful to the patient or impede the patient's prognosis. In such case, the information should be made available to the legally authorized representative. The patient, and when appropriate, the patient's family, has a right to know the outcomes of care from the physician responsible for the patient.

Patients and, when appropriate, their families are informed about the outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes. The patient should be informed of the hospital rules and regulations applicable to her/his conduct as a patient.

Privacy

Every patient has the right to be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable audiovisual privacy with persons of one's own sex present as appropriate. Every patient has the right to not remain disrobed any longer than required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.

The patient has the right to wear appropriate clothing and religious or other symbolic items as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.

Refusal

The patient has the right to refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially with the organization but not directly involved in her/his care.

Religious and personal beliefs

Patients have the right to have his/her cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences respected. UMMC accommodates the right to pastoral and other spiritual services for patients.

Respect and dignity

Every patient has the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances, with recognition of her/his personal dignity. 

Valuables

UMMC is not responsible for loss or damage of a patient's valuables. Patients should leave personal valuables at home during hospitalization.

Office of Patient Experience

The Office of Patient Experience provides an opportunity to voice compliments and concerns about your care as a patient at UMMC. Please call (601) 815-4545, and a representative will be happy to assist you.

Patient responsibilities

Patients are encouraged to take an active role in their care at UMMC.

Questions about patient care and safety

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is a Joint Commission-accredited health care organization. If you have concerns about the safety or quality of care provided in the hospital, you may report these concerns to The Joint Commission.

You may contact The Joint Commission directly for concerns.

  • Mail:
    Office of Quality and Patient Safety
    The Joint Commission
    One Renaissance Boulevard
    Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181