Gastroenterology Consultants

Rights

• A Patient has the right to respectful care given by competent personnel.

• A Patient has the right, upon request, to be given the name of his attending practitioners, the names of all other practitioners directly participating in his care, and the names and functions of other health care persons having direct contact with the patient.

• A Patient has the right to consideration of privacy concerning his own medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination, treatment, and medical records are considered confidential and shall be handled discreetly.

• A Patient has the right to confidential disclosures and records of his medical care except as otherwise provided by law or third party contractual arrangement.

• A Patient has the right to participate in decisions involving his health care except when such participation is contraindicated for medical reasons.

• A Patient has the right to know what Gastroenterology Consultants, Inc. rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient.

• A Patient has the right to good quality care and high professional standards that are continually maintained and reviewed.

• A Patient has the right to full information, in layman’s terms, concerning diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments and possible complications. When it is not medically advisable to give the information to the patient, the information shall be given on his behalf to the person designated by the patient or to a legally authorized person.

• Except for emergencies, the practitioner shall obtain the necessary informed consent prior to the start of a procedure.

• A Patient, or if the patient is unable to give consent, a legally authorized person, has the right to be advised when a practitioner is considering the patient as a part of a medical care research program. The patient or responsible person shall give informed consent prior to participation in the program. The patient or responsible person may refuse to continue in a program to which he has previously given informed consent.

• A Patient has the right to refuse drugs or procedures. A practitioner shall inform the patient of the medical consequences of the patient’s refusal of drugs or procedures.

• A Patient has the right to medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, or disability.

• Gastroenterology Consultants, Inc. shall provide the patient, or patient designees, upon request, access to the information contained in his medical records, unless the attending practitioner for medical reasons specifically restricts access.

• A Patient has the right to expect good management techniques to be implemented within Gastroenterology Consultants, Inc. These techniques shall make effective use of time for the patient and avoid personal discomfort of the patient.

• A Patient has the right to examine and receive a detailed explanation of his bill.

Patient Responsibilities

• A Patient is responsible to keep appointments or telephone the practice when he/she cannot keep a scheduled appointment.

• A Patient is responsible for bringing information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to their health with them at the time of their visit. Patients should ask questions immediately if they feel they cannot follow the instruction.

• While practicing at this practice, the physician is obligated to exercise good medical judgment in order to help each patient. It is the patient’s responsibility to cooperate in the treatment program that the physician specifies.

• This practice has a privacy policy, which requires patients to identify those individuals who are authorized to receive reports and test results. No information will be given to anyone who has not been authorized to receive information unless it is necessary for continued or emergency care by another provider.

• A Patient is expected to be considerate of other patients, their family members, and the property of other persons.

• A patient has a responsibility to provide information necessary for insurance processing of his/her bills, to be prompt about payment of practice bills, and to ask any questions he/she may have concerning bills.

• Communication between a patient and our team is an important element in good health care. If the patient is concerned about or displeased with any aspect of their care, we ask that he/she first discuss the problem with the nurse or physician. We strongly encourage each patient to complete their patient questionnaire so that we can continually improve our services.