Gila Regional Medical Center: Your Rights as a Patient at GRMC

We consider you a partner in your hospital care. Your right to experience achievement of your personal health goals is enhanced when you are well-informed, participate in treatment decisions, and communicate openly with your doctor and other health professionals. This communication will help make your care as effective as possible. Gila Regional Medical Center encourages respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual.

You have the right to reasonable access to considerate care that safeguards and maintains your personal dignity, as well as respects your cultural, psychosocial and spiritual values.
You have the right to receive the same quality of care, throughout the hospital, as other patients with the same health problems and care needs.
You have the right to be well informed about your illness, possible treatments, and likely outcomes and to discuss this information with your doctor.
You have the right to participate in decisions regarding your care, as well as participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conﬂict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.
You have the right to consent or refuse to participate in proposed research studies or clinical trials which may affect care and treatment, and to have expected beneﬁts, potential discomforts, risks, alternatives, and the procedure or study fully explained prior to consent. If you decline to participate in research or trials, you are entitled to the most effective care that the hospital can otherwise provide.
You have the right to know the names and roles of the people treating you. You have the right to be informed of hospital policies and practices that relate to patient care, treatment and responsibilities.
You have the right to appropriate assessment and management of pain. Your right to pain management is respected and supported by physicians and all other caregivers.
You have the right to receive informed consent, and may consent to or refuse a treatment, as permitted by law, throughout your stay. If you refuse a recommended treatment, you will receive other needed and available care.
You have the right to have an advance directive, such as a living will or durable power of attorney for healthcare decisions. These documents express your choices about your care or name someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself. If you have a written advance directive, you should provide a copy to the hospital, your family, and your doctor. You have the right to include or exclude any or all family members in participating in your care decisions.
You have the right to security and personal privacy. Patient care procedures (such as bathing) are performed in a manner that respects your privacy.
You have the right to conﬁdentiality, and to expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care will be treated as conﬁdential, except when reporting is permitted or required by law (such as suspected abuse and public health hazards).
You have the right to review the records pertaining to your medical care and to have information explained or interpreted, except when restricted by law.
You have the right to expect that within its capacity and policies, the hospital will make reasonable response to your request for appropriate and medically indicated care and services. The hospital must provide evaluation, service, and/or referral as indicated by the urgency of the case. When medically appropriate and legally permissible, or when you have so requested, you may be transferred to another facility. The institution to which you are transferred must ﬁrst accept you for transfer. You must also have the beneﬁt of complete information and explanation concerning the need for, risks, beneﬁts, and alternatives to such a transfer.
You have the right to ask and be informed of the existence of business relationships among the hospital, educational institutions, other healthcare providers, or payers that may inﬂuence your treatment and care.
You have the right to expect reasonable continuity of care, when appropriate, and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
You have the right to be informed of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances, and conﬂicts, such as the ethics committee, patient advocate, or other available mechanisms. You have the right to participate in resolving dilemmas regarding your care.
You have the right to expect unrestricted access to communication. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to restrict visitors, mail, telephone calls, or other forms of communication as a component of your care. You have the right to be included in any such decision.
If you are not satisﬁed with, or are concerned about any aspect of your care, you have the right to raise questions, voice complaints, or suggest changes in service, staff, or treatment without fear of recrimination or discrimination.
You have the right to be informed of the hospital’s charges for services and available payment methods.
If you do not understand English, you may ask for an interpreter. If you are disabled, you may ask for assistance.
You have the right to have access to protective services such as guardianship and advocacy services, conservatorship, and child or adult protective services.