Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As of Jan. 1, 2025

Citizens Memorial Hospital District and Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation (CMH) will protect and promote each patient’s rights. CMH is committed to providing quality medical care respectfully, courteously and promptly. CMH must inform each patient, or when appropriate, the patient’s representative (as allowed under State law), of the patient’s rights, in advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient care whenever possible. CMH will take reasonable steps to determine a patient’s wishes concerning designation of a representative.

Patient Rights

Emergency Treatment

You have the right to emergency treatment to stabilize your condition if presenting to the hospital emergency department.

Access to Care and Health Equity

You have the right to be provided treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of your age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or communicable disease.

Respect and Dignity

You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. You have the right to an environment that contributes to a positive self-image. You have the right to individualized, considerate, and respectful care at all times and under all circumstances. CMH respects your culture, personal values, beliefs and preferences and will recognize your religious and other spiritual preferences.

Privacy and Confidentiality

You have the right to personal privacy and to give permission for those not directly involved with your care to be present in discussions regarding your care.
You have the right to keep and use personal clothing and possessions, as long as doing so does not interfere with medical care or others’ rights.
You have the right to use a phone and receive mail in a confidential manner. If communication is restricted in any way, you have the right to know why.
You have the right to access information contained in your medical records within a reasonable time frame. CMH strives to enable you to receive your medical records in an efficient and timely manner. You or your designated representative have the right to review your medical record and to receive copies of the record at a reasonable photocopy fee. You have the right to obtain information on disclosures of health information and the right to request an amendment to your medical record.
You have the right to confidentiality of your medical records. CMH respects your privacy and your right to give or withhold informed consent to use recordings, films, or other images of you for purposes other than your care. If you think confidentiality has been breached, you may file a complaint by contacting the Privacy Officer (417-328-6422). They will assist you in filing the complaint with CMH or you may call the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services (1-800-368-1019).

Communication

You have the right to have a family member (or representative) of your choice and your own healthcare practitioner notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
You have the right to receive information in a way that meets your needs if you have vision, speech, hearing, or cognitive impairments. Information will be tailored to your age, language and ability to understand. Resources for language interpretation and translation services are available free of charge.

Concerns

You have the right to have your complaints heard, reviewed, and, when possible, resolved. If you or your legal representative have a concern about any aspect of care, please let us know so we can resolve it promptly. You have the right to voice a complaint concerning your treatment, accommodations, hospital personnel, or staff without fear of repercussions or unreasonable interruption of care. You have the right to ask your nurse and/or healthcare practitioner to help you resolve care issues during your visit. You have the right to ask for the department supervisor to resolve care issues during your visit. You have the right to voice your complaint to the Patient Family Advocate (417-328-6539). We consider your feedback valuable opportunities for us to improve patient care and experience.
You have the right to file a written grievance and expect a prompt resolution when your complaint cannot be directly resolved by staff involved.

To file a grievance, please contact the Patient Family Advocate (417-328-6539). Upon your request, you will be provided with a copy of the hospital’s policy and procedure on grievances. Grievances about situations that may endanger the patient will be reviewed promptly. In most cases, CMH will review and respond to all other grievances within seven (7) days or will inform you or your representative that the hospital is working to resolve the grievance and the anticipated response date. You also may call the Health Services Regulation MO Department of Health & Senior Services (1-573-751-6303) to voice a grievance. Complaints that pertain to patient safety or quality of care issues may be made to The Joint Commission at 1-800-994-6610 or by going to the website www.jointcommission.org and clicking on Report a Complaint option.

Health Services Regulation

MO Department of Health & Senior Services

PO Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102

CMH Complaint and Grievance Process

Begin by contacting a Department Manager or Patient Family Advocate (417-328-6539).
Managers and/or other staff will research, respond, and resolve the complaint when possible.
If the complaint can’t be resolved, a Patient Family Advocate initiates the grievance process.
The Patient Family Advocate establishes and communicates a time frame for resolution.
The CMH Grievance Committee reviews concerns, develops resolution, and sends a letter of resolution to close the communication loop with you.

CMH strives to provide the highest quality customer service, but if we have failed to meet your expectations, know that you have many resources within CMH to voice your concerns.

Providers of Care

You have the right to know the name and professional status of individuals providing service to you. You have the right to know which healthcare practitioner is primarily responsible for your procedures and/or treatment.

Participation in Care

You or your representative have the right to participate in decisions about your care plan, treatment and services, and to choose and communicate with your healthcare practitioners.
You have the right to participate in ethical issues that may arise in the course of your care. These may include conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, forgoing or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, and participation in investigational studies or clinical trials. To access services of the Ethics Committee, please contact Social Services (417-328-6314).

Information and Education

You or your representative (as allowed under State law) have the right to make informed decisions regarding your care. You and/or your representative have the right to be informed about your health status, diagnosis, and prognosis, including unanticipated outcomes of care, treatment, and services that relate to sentinel events. Your rights include being informed of your health status, being involved in care planning and treatment, and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right should not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate. You or your designated representative have the right to be informed, upon request, regarding general information pertaining to services you received.

Consent

You or your representative (as allowed under State law) have the right to receive information from your healthcare practitioner in order to give informed consent before any procedure and/or treatment is started. You have the right to accept medical care or to refuse it to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequences of refusal, including risks and unanticipated outcomes, as well as reasonable alternatives. If related to research or clinical trials, you are informed of risks and benefits in participation and you are informed of the purpose, duration, and procedures involved. CMH honors your right to give or withhold informed consent.
You or your designated representative, or family, have the right to make choices about your discharge plan, including being informed of service options that are available to you and a choice of agencies which provide the service. If you or your representative are concerned about the quality of care or premature discharge, you have the right to contact the quality improvement organization (QIO) or other insurance provider.
You have the right to involve family members in decisions about care and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on your behalf, including refusal of care and consent for treatment, in accordance with law and regulation. If you are too ill or incapable of communicating, your healthcare practitioner may, with your permission, discuss your condition with your family or representative.

Advance Directives

You have the right to formulate, revise and revoke advance directives and to have the hospital staff and practitioners who provide care to you in the hospital comply with these directives which state your wishes. You have the right to designate a decision-maker in your Advance Health Care Directive in the event you are, or become incapable of, understanding a proposed treatment or procedure or if you are or become unable to communicate your wishes regarding care. Copies of an Advance Health Care Directive are available through Social Services (417-328-6314). CMH will appropriately record your advance directives and honor your decisions about care, treatment and services received at the end of life, including wishes for organ donation, in accordance with law and the organization’s capabilities.

Pain Management

You have the right to discuss your pain, pain management options and any concerns with your healthcare practitioners, nurses and staff.

Charges

You have the right to request and receive an explanation of your total bill for services provided in the hospital regardless of the source of payment for your care. You have the right to have your bill audited for accuracy.

Visitation

You have the right to have a family member or other individual to be present with you for support during the length of your stay unless the individual’s presence infringes on other’s rights, safety or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated. You have the right to consent to receive the visitors whom you designate, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend, and you have the right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. CMH will not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. CMH will ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with your preferences. Your information may be included in a patient directory and you may restrict any or all uses and disclosures.

Safety

You have the right to receive care in a safe setting. You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse including verbal, mental, physical, sexual and financial abuse, as well as harassment, neglect, exploitation, or corporal punishment. You have the right to access protective and advocacy services while you are a patient in the hospital. If suspected or requested, Social Services (417-328-6314) will assist you in notifying appropriate agencies. Many of these agencies’ telephone numbers are listed within CMH’s Patient & Visitor Service Guide (patient handbook). Protective agencies include those for children and vulnerable adults who may be in a hazardous living condition or situation. CMH will report suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, as appropriate.
You have the right to be free from restraint or seclusion, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. Restraint or seclusion may only be imposed to ensure the immediate physical safety of yourself, staff or others and must be discontinued at the earliest possible time.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

CMH complies with applicable Federal and State civil rights laws and does not exclude, discriminate against or treat people differently on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, payment sources, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or communicable disease.

CMH provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats. CMH provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as qualified interpreters and information written in other languages.

If you believe CMH has failed to provide language services, disability aids, and/or non-discrimination protection, you can file a grievance with Patient Family Advocate / Section 1557 Coordinator (417-328-6539) or Corporate Compliance Officer (417-328-6422). You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, by visiting the OCR Complaint Portal at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, calling 1-800-368-1019 (TDD: 1-800-537-7697), or mailing a complaint to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, D.C. 20201.

Patient Responsibilities

Providing Information

You are responsible for providing information regarding your health condition(s) to facilitate care. You have the responsibility to provide, to the best of your knowledge or ability, accurate and complete information about your present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to your health. You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in your condition to the healthcare practitioner responsible for your care. You have the responsibility of informing your healthcare practitioner and the hospital of any advance directives, Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) orders, living wills or religious beliefs that need to be considered during the course of your hospitalization.
You are responsible for asking questions when you don’t understand information presented to you. You are responsible for reporting whether you clearly comprehend a contemplated course of action and what is expected of you to care for yourself.

Safety

You are responsible for following instructions, policies, rules, and regulations set in place by the organization to support quality care and a safe environment. You are responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the healthcare practitioner primarily responsible for your care. This may include following the instructions of nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan of care, implement the responsible healthcare practitioner’s orders and enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations. You are responsible for outcome(s) of your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow the healthcare practitioner’s instructions.

Respect and Consideration

You are responsible to be respectful and civil in language and conduct. You are responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel and for cooperating in the control of noise, the number of visitors, and observing CMH and state no smoking laws. You are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the hospital.

Accountability

You are responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of your healthcare are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
You are responsible for your personal property, including cell phones, eye glasses, dentures, canes, jewelry, etc., while in the CMH facility. Any valuables should be sent home with family when possible.

You may obtain an additional copy of these rights from Social Services (417-328-6314) or from your nurse. If you have a question, concern or comment that you would like to ask about CMH, either during your stay with us or after you return home, please contact our Patient Family Advocate (417-328-6539).