We believe that patients who understand and participate in their treatment achieve better results. Please take a moment and familiarize yourself with your rights and responsibilities as a patient.

You have the right to:

• Know the risks, benefits and alternatives to proposed treatments or procedures
• Choose the physicians or other clinicians who will be providing care or treatment, as well as have information about them
• Receive information in easy to understand terms that will allow for an informed consent or refusal of the treatment or procedure
• Privacy regarding medical care
• Participate in the plan of care
• Formulate advanced directives and have staff and practitioners comply with those directives
• Reasonable responses to reasonable requests of service
• Leave the medical center against the advice of the physician
• Examine and receive an explanation of the bill for services regardless of the source of payment
• Select providers of goods and services after discharge
• Receive a Notice of Privacy Practices
• Request privacy protection
• Access protected health information in a reasonable time frame
• Amend protected health information
• Request an accounting of disclosures of protected health information
• Be free from any forms of restraint or seclusion as a means of convenience, discipline, coercion, or retaliation
• The least restrictive restraint or seclusion should be used only when necessary to ensure patient safety
• Receive care in a safe environment, free from all forms of abuse, neglect, harassment and/or exploitation

You have the responsibility to:

• Provide accurate and complete information concerning your present medical condition, past illnesses or hospitalization and matters concerning your health
• Tell your caregivers if you do not completely understand your plan of care
• Follow the caregivers' instructions
• Follow all medical center policies and procedures while being considerate rights of other patients, medical center employees and medical center properties

You also have the right to:

Lodge a concern with the state, whether have used the hospital's grievance process not. If you have concerns regarding the quality of your care, coverage decisions want to appeal a premature discharge, the State Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Contact information for the state our QIO is located on the insert at the this booklet.

Patient Rights regarding problem resolution:

While you are a patient at River Region Health System, you may report a concern, complaint, or grievance by expressing your concerns to your physician, a nursing staff member, or any other employee involved in your care.  You may also request to speak to the Patient Advocate at any time.  If you have a concern related to any privacy issue, you should request that the Compliance Officer be notified to discuss the issue with you.

If you have a complaint and cannot resolve the problem with the administration of this facility, you may also contact the Bureau Director, Health Facilities Licensure & Certification Mississippi Department of Health, PO Box 1700, Jackson, Mississippi 39215.  The telephone number is 1-800-227-7308. 

If your concerns and questions cannot be resolved at this level, contact The Joint Commission at 1-800-994-6610 or send a fax to 1-630-792-5636.  You may also send an email to complaint@jointcommission.org or send a letter to Office of Quality Monitoring, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. 

Patients with limited English proficiency or a sensory impairment:

At River Region patients who are sensory impaired or have limited English proficiency can be assisted by an interpreter at no charge.  The 24/7 contact information for the language line/interpreter is 1-800-523-1786.  For more information on the Language Line contact the hospital operator by dialing "0".

River Region Health System will address and makes every effor to comply with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) in patient and employee relations. 

Reasonable accommodation includes but is not limited to designated parking, restroom accessibility, privacy, signage, mobility and equal access.

Specific accommodation will be addressed on an as needed basis and as identified to the extent physically and financially feasible by the Facility.