you have the right:

• To be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect by all hospital personnel.
• To receive services in response to requests that are within the institution's capacity and mission.
• To have your personal, cultural and spiritual values and beliefs supported when treatment decisions are made.
• To have a family member or representative of your choice and your physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
• To submit a verbal or written grievance regarding your care without fear of recrimination, and to have those concerns reviewed in a timely manner and, when possible, resolved in a timely manner.
• To be informed in writing of the response to your concerns.
• To know the physician who is primarily responsible for your care.
• To know the name and title of caregivers providing service to you.
• To know if your care involves the education of health-care providers. You have the right to consent or refuse to participate.
• To receive complete and current information concerning your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms you can understand, and to have any proposed procedure or treatment explanation to include:
  • A description of the nature and purpose of the procedure or treatment
  • The possible benefits
  • The known serious side effects, risks or drawbacks
  • Problems related to recovery
  • Alternative procedures or treatments
• To an interpreter if you do not speak English, if English is your second language, or if you are hearing or speech impaired. You have the right to alternative communication methods if you are deaf or blind.
• To participate with your physicians and other health-care providers in the development and planning of your plan of care.
• To be informed of the outcomes of treatment — positive and negative, anticipated and unanticipated.
• To have access to your medical records within a reasonable timeframe and to receive an explanation of all information contained in your records.
• To accept or refuse any procedure, drug or treatment, and to be informed of the possible consequences of any such decision.
• To be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary.
• To make advance treatment directives, such as Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Living Wills, and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care comply with these directives.
• To a safe and secure environment that is supported by infection-control and security services.
• To every consideration of personal privacy. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment will be conducted so as to protect each patient's privacy.
• To have all communications and records related to your care kept confidential.
• Not to be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or source of payment.
• To supportive care, including appropriate assessment and management of pain, treatment of uncomfortable symptoms and support of your emotional and spiritual needs, regardless of your medical status or treatment decisions.
• To be free of all forms of abuse and harassment.
• To consultation with another physician, at your own expense.
• To request consultation regarding ethical issues surrounding your care from the Swedish Medical Center Ethics Committee.
• To be transferred to another facility at your request or when medically appropriate and legally permissible. You have the right to be given a complete explanation concerning the need for and alternatives to such a transfer. The facility to which you will be transferred must first accept you as a patient.
• To know if your care involves research or experimental methods of treatment. You have the right to consent or refuse to participate.
• To expect reasonable continuity of care and to be informed by caregivers of realistic patient-care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate. You have the right to participate in this discharge planning process.
• To examine your bill and receive an explanation of the charges regardless of the source of payment for your care.
• To be informed of any hospital policies, procedures, rules or regulations applicable to your care.
• To have you or your representative make informed decisions regarding your care.
• To include family members or significant others in your care decisions.
• To assign your guardian, next of kin or legally authorized surrogate to exercise the rights listed above on your behalf, if you are unable to exercise them.

Northwest Hospital:

• Receive considerate and respectful care.
• Obtain complete and current information about your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis from your physician.
• Receive the information you need to give informed consent before any procedure or treatment.
• Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by the law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of such action.
• Be free from seclusion or restraints of any kind that are not medically necessary.
• Expect every consideration of your privacy concerning your own medical care program.
• Have a family member and your physician notified of your admission.
• Expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care will be treated as confidential; you have the right to review your own medical record and have access to information contained in your record in a reasonable time frame and at a reasonable price.
• Expect that the hospital will make reasonable response to your request for services.
• Be involved in making care decisions, including managing pain effectively.
• Obtain information as to any relationship of the hospital to other health care and educational institutions insofar as your care is concerned.
• Give or withhold consent to participate in research projects or procedures.
• Expect reasonable continuity of care.
• Examine and receive an explanation of your bill, regardless of the source of payment.
• Know what hospital rules and regulations apply to your conduct as a patient.

Virginia Mason:

Patient Rights
While you are a patient at Virginia Mason, you have the right to expect:

• Nondiscrimination. VMMC does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy, contact: Director, Staff and Labor Relations, (206) 625-7373;(800) 833-6384 (TTY).
  
• Respect. You have the right to considerate and respectful care.
  
• Participation in Your Care. You have the right to relevant, current and understandable information concerning your diagnosis, various treatment options, prognosis and costs. One of our most important jobs is keeping you informed. You have the right to participate in decisions regarding your care, including refusing treatment.
  
• Advance Directives. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including conveying your wishes regarding end-of-life decisions, such as life-sustaining treatment. You have the right to expect that your health care providers will comply with your decisions.
  
  Privacy. You have the right to every consideration of privacy, including personal needs. This also means that case discussion; consultation, examination and treatment should be conducted so as to protect your privacy. Similarly, you have the right to expect that all written communications and records about your treatment be treated as strictly confidential, except in cases permitted or required by law, such as suspected abuse or public health hazards. You have the right to be informed about how Virginia Mason will use or share information about you. To facilitate communications between your health care providers, your name may be posted next to your room number on a board at the nursing station. If you have any concerns with your name being posted on this board, please discuss them with your nurse.
  
• Access. You have the right to review all records pertaining to your medical care and to have the information fully explained to you, except when such disclosure is restricted by law. You also have the right to request an amendment to your medical record.
  
• Appropriate Care. You have the right to expect that Virginia Mason will make a reasonable response to your request for appropriate care and services. We will provide evaluation, service and/or referral as indicated by the urgency of each case. Only when it is medically appropriate and legally permissible will you be transferred to another facility. Your requests to be transferred will be honored based on medical, legal and payer requirements. Quality of care and premature discharge complaints should be addressed to the Patient Relations Department and will be referred to a utilization and quality control peer review committee for resolution.
  
• Pain Management. You have the right to expect information about pain and pain relief measures. We will provide knowledgeable staff members committed to pain prevention that will respond quickly to reports of pain.
  
• Knowledge of Staff Information and Relationships. You have the right to know the names of everyone involved in your care, their titles, education and relationship with the medical center. You have the right to know of business relationships between Virginia Mason and educational institutions and other health care providers.
  
• Freedom to Participate in Research. You have the right to consent or decline to participate in proposed studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment. You have the right to have studies explained to you prior to your consent. You have the right to be given a description of alternative services that might also prove advantageous to you. If you decide not to participate in research, you are still entitled to the most effective care the medical center can otherwise provide.
  
• Continuity. You have the right to expect reasonable continuity of care and to be informed by physicians and care providers of available and realistic patient care options that Virginia Mason may not be able to directly provide.
  
• Support. You have the right to have your family or representative, and your personal physician promptly notified of your admission to the hospital.
  
• Information about Medical Center Policies. You have the right to be informed of all medical center policies and practices that relate to your care and treatment. You have the right to be informed of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances and conflicts. Similarly, you have the right to be informed of the medical charges for services and available payment methods.
  
• Restraints. You have the right to be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. A restraint may be either physical or a drug that is being used as a restraint.
  
• Safety. You have the right to receive care in a safe setting and the right to be free from abuse or harassment.

Patient Relations – Compliments and Complaints/Grievances
We strive to treat all patients with compassion and dignity. Sometimes, despite our finest intentions, problems arise. If that happens, we encourage you to first discuss them with your physician or ask to speak with the manager of that area. Also, Compliment and Complaint forms are located throughout the medical center for you to fill out and mail. If the concern relates to billing, the billing office, at (206) 223-6601, will be happy to handle any financial questions you may have.

If a problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, the hospital has a Grievance Committee. To file a grievance, you should contact the Patient Relations Department by calling (206) 223-6616, or by writing the Patient Relations Department at:

Patient Relations
Virginia Mason Medical Center GB-ADM
P.O. Box 900
Seattle, WA 98111-0900

Unless you withdraw your grievance or otherwise indicate that your grievance has been addressed to your satisfaction, the Grievance Committee will respond in writing within a reasonable time (but not to exceed thirty (30) days). The response will describe the steps taken to investigate your grievance, the results of the investigation and when the review was completed. The response will also give you the name, telephone number and address of a person to contact if you remain dissatisfied.

You also have the option to call the Washington Department of Health Complaint Investigation Line at (800) 633-6828 to pursue your grievance. You may pursue that option in addition to or instead of the Grievance Committee.

Group Health:

As a Group Health member, you have the following rights:
•	To be treated with respect and dignity by all Group Health staff.
•	To privacy and confidentiality regarding your health and your care.
•	To information about your rights and responsibilities as a patient and consumer.
•	To information about Group Health, our practitioners and providers, and how to use our services.
•	To receive timely access to quality care and services.
•	To information about the qualifications of the professionals caring for you.
•	To give consent to, or refuse care, and be told the consequences of consent or refusal.
•	To an honest discussion with your practitioner about all your treatment options, regardless of cost or benefit coverage.
•	To join in decisions to receive, or not receive, life-sustaining treatment including care at the end of life.
•	To create and update advance directives and have your wishes honored.
•	To choose a personal primary care physician affiliated with Group Health.
•	To expect your personal physician to provide, arrange, and/or coordinate your care.
•	To change your personal physician for any reason.
•	To be educated about your role in reducing medical errors and the safe delivery of care.
•	To voice opinions, concerns, positive comments, or complaints.
•	To appeal a decision and receive a response within a reasonable amount of time.
•	To suggest changes to consumer rights and responsibilities and related policies.