Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities

Patients are responsible for working with medical staff to get the best care possible. We expect that our patients assume the following responsibilities:

Provision of Information

1. The patient has the responsibility to provide, to the best of his/her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to his/her health.
   Compliance with Instructions
2. The patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for his/her care. The patient is responsible for keeping appointments. The patient is also responsible for expressing any concerns about his/her ability to follow and comply with care of treatment, including understanding his/her medications, treatment or care plans.
   Refusal of Treatment
3. The patient assumes responsibility if he/she refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner’s instructions, as long as he/she is made aware of the consequences.
   Asking Questions
4. The patient is responsible for asking questions when he/she does not understand what he/she has been told about his/her care or what he/she is expected to do.
   Problems
5. The patient is responsible for telling the doctor, nurse or patient advocate if there are problems with the care given or that his/her needs are not being met.

Community Health Center Charges

The patient is responsible for either providing the health center with all documentation that will help assure that the financial obligations of his/her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible or his/her financial obligations are being met as promptly as possible.

Community Health Center Rules and Regulations

The patient is responsible for following health center rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.

Respect and Consideration

The patient is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and health center associates, for assisting in the control of noise and for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the health center. He/she is responsible for treating associates and other patients in a respectful manner.

No Smoking Policy

The patient has the responsibility to abide by the health center’s policy of no smoking.

As a patient in a Clinic in New York State, you have the right, consistent with law, to:

1. Receive service(s) without regard to age, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, sex, gender identity, 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 and receive an estimate of the charges for services, view a list of the health plans and the hospitals that the center participates with; 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;
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 to his/her medical record per Section 18 of the Public Health Law, and Subpart 50-3. For additional information link to: http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/1449/section_1. htm#access
16. Authorize those family members and other adults who will be given priority to visit consistent with your ability to receive visitors;
17. When applicable, make known your wishes in regard to anatomical gifts. Persons sixteen years of age or older may document their consent to donate their organs, eyes and/or tissues, upon their death, by enrolling in the NYS Donate Life Registry or by documenting their authorization for organ and/or tissue donation in writing in a number of ways (such as health care proxy, will, donor card, or other signed paper). The health care proxy is available from the center;
18. View a list of the health plans and the hospitals that the center participates with; and
19. Receive an estimate of the amount that you will be billed after services are rendered.

NYS Office of Mental Health – Rights of Outpatients

The rights of people in outpatient mental health programs are protected by both law and regulation.

The State Office of Mental Health (OMH) licenses outpatient programs including but not limited to, clinic, day treatment for children, intensive psychiatric rehabilitation treatment, partial hospitalization, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS). Under these licenses, an array of facility based and community-based services are available.

Participating in a psychiatric treatment program does not mean you are mentally incompetent or that you have any restriction on the rights granted to all citizens. There are specific civil rights that are protected if you participate in an outpatient program. Included are right to register and vote in elections, apply for permits and licenses, take civil service tests, and apply for jobs and be appointed without discrimination if you qualify.

Under the law, you have the right to be treated confidentially, with respect and dignity by all staff people. Treatment or access to programs may not be limited or denied because of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, age, marital status, or disabilities that are unrelated to treatment. If you think that you are being discriminated against on any of these grounds – or if you believe that you are a victim of mental, verbal, physical, or sexual abuse – this booklet tells where you may file an official complaint.

You also have the same right as other citizens to designate a “health care proxy” or prepare an “advance directive.” Because some people have recurring episodes of mental illness, these documents may be of particular interest to people who use mental health services. The documents allow you to provide instructions about your future treatment, to be used later if you are unable to give instructions at the time you are being treated.

Basic Information

When you are admitted to an outpatient program, or shortly after, you should be informed about your rights. Your rights may not be limited as punishment or for the convenience of staff people and may not be restricted unless a specific order is written by a physician. Any restrictions on your rights must be discussed with you prior to the restrictions going into effect and the order must be placed in your clinical record. The order must state the clinical justification for the limitation and the specific time period when it will remain in effect.

These rights include:

• The right to freedom from abuse and mistreatment by employees.
• The right to a reasonable degree of privacy, including bathroom privacy.
• The right to an individualized service plan, a full explanation of the services provided, and the right to participate in the development of your individualized service plan.
• The right to be informed of the provider’s grievance policies and procedures, and the right to bring any questions or complaints to the director of the program or the organizations listed at the back of this booklet.
• The right to receive clinically appropriate care and treatment suited to your needs and skillfully, safely, and humanely administered with full respect for your dignity and personal integrity.
• The right to be treated in a way that acknowledges and respects your cultural environment.

In a separate category, your outpatient program may inform you about these additional elements, although they are not rights set forth in law or regulation:

• The name of the staff member who will have primary responsibility, for example, as your principal contact person or personal service coordinator.
• Alternate treatments available to you.
• The rules of conduct in your program.
• The cost of treatment.
• The limit, if there is one, on how long you can stay in the program.
• The program’s relationship with other agencies regarding additional services.
• The program’s source of funding.
• The authority under which the program operates.

Participation and Objections

For most people, participating in an outpatient program is voluntary. Occasionally someone is ordered by a court to obtain outpatient services under the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program (also known as Kendra’s Law) or as a condition of parole from prison. While your full participation in the program is a central goal, if you object to your individualized service plan, or if it is not working to your satisfaction and you want it changed, that is not reason to discharge you from the program. Periodically, you can expect to review your plan with staff – people to look at your progress. You can be discharged if participation is no longer clinically appropriate or if you engage in conduct that poses a risk of physical harm to yourself or others.

You have the right to make an informed choice on whether you will participate in research projects. These could involve new medications, a series of questions posed by an interviewer, or questionnaires. If you refuse to participate, a program cannot use that as grounds to deny you further treatment. If you decide to participate, your signed informed consent is required.

Privacy and Confidentiality

The law protects your right to privacy and confidentiality during treatment. This includes conversations between you and staff people who provide services, and information in your record. The Office of Mental Health will provide you with a separate Notice of Privacy Practices that will tell you how we use and disclose your confidential mental health treatment information. It will also tell you what your rights are with regard to your mental health treatment information, and who you can contact if you have questions or a complaint about how we have used or shared your treatment records.

Generally, information from your treatment record cannot be released without your written consent. In limited circumstances, however, the law may allow or require release of records or information to certain individuals, governmental agencies or provider organizations. Most disclosures will be noted in your record, and you are entitled to learn about them upon request. The law states that notations do not have to be kept when records are disclosed to the Mental Hygiene Legal Service, quality of care reviewers, or government finance agents dealing with payments. The law also says that for disclosures made to insurance companies licensed under the State Insurance Law, such a notation needs to be entered only at the time the disclosure is first made.

Access to Records

You must be given an opportunity to inspect your clinical record when you have submitted a written request. The law does allow some limitations on this access, based on clinical justification. In addition, you have the right to request that your physician discuss your treatment record with you.

If you request an inspection or a copy of your record, a program can impose a reasonable charge for all inspection and copies. The charge cannot exceed what these services actually cost the program. In no case can a program charge more than 75 cents per page.

If you disagree with some part of your record, you can submit a written statement challenging the information in the record to be permanently attached to the record.

You may ask to have your record sent to any other service provider or your attorney. If you are under age 18, a parent or legal guardian may make this request.

Problems or Complaints

You have the right to information on how to make a complaint. A provider of service must give a notice of recipients’ rights to each person upon admission, and post the rights in an easily accessible location.

If you have a problem or complaint, the person who runs the program is responsible for making sure your rights are protected. If this does not work, or is inappropriate, there are other organizations that can help.

For assistance

A staff member, such as the personal service coordinator or principal contact person, or director of the program.

New York State Office of Mental Health

44 Holland Ave., Albany NY 12229

Toll free: 1-800-597-8481, En Español: 1-800-210-6456

The Justice Center

161 Delaware Avenue

Delmar, NY 12054

1-855-313-2122

Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program

Disability Rights NY

725 Broadway, Suite 450

Albany, NY 12207

1-800-993-8982

Mental Hygiene Legal Service

First Judicial Department

41 Madison Ave., 26th floor, New York NY 10010

1-212-779-1734

Second Judicial Department

170 Old Country Road, Mineola NY 11501

1-516-746-4545

Third Judicial Department

40 Steuben Street, Suite 501, Albany, NY 12207

1-518-474-4453

Fourth Judicial Department

50 East Ave., Suite 402, Rochester NY 14604

1-585-530-3050

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of New York State

99 Pine Street, Suite 302

Albany NY 12207

1-800-950-3228

To contact The Joint Commission or to express concern about this organization, email: [email protected]

For additional copies of this booklet fax your request to: Utica Print Shop, 1-315-735-5041