Plumas District Hospital is committed to protecting the fundamental human, civil, constitutional, and statutory rights of each individual patient. State and federal law protect these rights and require that patients be informed about their rights.
Patients Rights
- Considerate and respectful care, and to be made comfortable. You have the right to respect for your cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences.
- Have a family member (or other representative of your choosing) and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
- Know the name of the licensed health care practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care, and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
- Receive information about your health status, diagnosis, prognosis, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes) in terms you can understand. You have the right to effective communication and to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
- Make decisions regarding medical care, and receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse a course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
- Request or refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law. However, you do not have the right to demand inappropriate or medically unnecessary treatment or services. You have the right to leave the hospital even against the advice of members of the medial staff, to the extent permitted by law.
- Be advised if the hospital/licenses health care practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting your care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.
- Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
- Appropriate assessment and management of your pain, information about pain, pain relief measures and to participate in pain management decisions. You may request or reject the use of any or all modalities to relieve pain, including opiate medication, if you suffer from severe chronic intractable pain. The doctor may refuse to prescribe the opiate medication, but if so, must inform you that there are physicians who specialize in the treatment of pain with methods that include the use of opiates.
- Formulate advance directives. This includes designating a decision maker if you become incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or become unable to communicate your wishes regarding care. Hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital shall comply with these directives. All patients’ rights apply to the person who has legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
- Have personal privacy respected. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be told the reason for the presence of any individual. You have the right to have visitors leave prior to an examination and when treatment issues are being discussed. Privacy curtains will be used in semi-private rooms.
- Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and stay in the hospital. This is your copy of your patient rights that explains your privacy rights in detail and how we may use and disclose your protected health information.
- Receive care in a safe setting, free from mental, physical, sexual or verbal abuse and neglect, exploitation or harassment. You have the right to access protective and advocacy services including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.
- Be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as means to coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
- Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments as well as the identity of the persons providing the care.
- Be informed by the physician, or a delegate of the physician, of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital. You have the right to be involved in the development and implementation of your discharge plan. Upon your request, a friend or family member may be provided this information also.
- Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient.
- Designate a support person as well as visitors of your choosing, if you have decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood, marriage, or registered domestic partner status, unless:
- No visitors are allowed.
- The facility reasonably determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient, a member of the health facility staff or other visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
- You have told the health facility staff that you no longer want a particular person to visit. However, a health facility may establish reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors. The health facility must inform you (or your support person, where appropriate) of your visitation rights, including any clinical restrictions or limitations. The health facility is not permitted to restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. Have your wishes considered, if you lack decision-making capacity, for the purposes
of determining who may visit. The method of that consideration will comply with federal law and be disclosed in the hospital policy on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any persons living in your household and any support person pursuant to federal law.
- Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital’s bill regardless of the source of payment.
- Exercise these rights without regard to sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, or the source of payment for care.
- Voice complaints and recommend changes freely without fear of coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of care.
- File a grievance. Concerns regarding quality of care and/or premature discharge will be referred to the appropriate committees. Patient concerns and/or complaints should be directed to the quality/risk manager or the patient experience manager at Plumas District Hospital, 1065 Bucks Lake Rd, Quincy, CA 95971. Phone: (530) 283-2121 The grievance committee will review each grievance and provide you with a written response within seven (7) days. . The written response will contain the name of a person to contact at the hospital, the steps taken to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance process, and the date of completion of the grievance process. Concerns regarding quality of care or premature discharge will also be referred to the appropriate Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organization (PRO).
- File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health regardless of whether you use the hospital’s grievance process. The California Department of Health’s phone number and address is: California Department of Public Health, Chico District Office, 126 Mission Ranch Boulevard, Chico, CA 95926. Phone: 1-800-554-0350
- Receive information in a manner that you understand. Written information provided will be appropriate to the age, understanding and, as appropriate, the language of the patient. As appropriate, communications specific to the vision, speech, hearing cognitive and language-impaired patient will be appropriate to the impairment. Communications with the patient will be effective and provided in a manner that facilitates understanding by the patient. Plumas District hospital will provide you with interpretation or translation services as needed.
- Access, request amendment to, and obtain information on disclosures of your health information, in accordance with law and regulation.
- Receive information from his/her physician about his/her illness, health status, diagnosis, course of treatment, outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes), and his/her prospects for recovery in terms that he/she or the patient’s representative can understand.
- To give or withhold informed consent to produce or use recordings, films, or other images for purposes other than your care or for internal or external use of recordings, films, or other images. Informed consent will include an explanation of how the recordings, films, or other images will be used. No recording, films, or images will be obtained without prior consent. You have the right to rescind at any time consent for recordings, films, or other images. Any person engaging in the production of recordings films, or other images will have a confidentiality statement with Plumas District Hospital.
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Patient Responsibilities
Your responsibilities include:
- Providing complete and accurate information, including your full name, address, home telephone number, date of birth, Social Security number, insurance carrier and employer, when it is required.
- Providing, to the best of your knowledge, complete and accurate information about your health and medical history, including present condition, past illnesses, hospital stays, medicines, vitamins, herbal products, and any other matters relating to your health, including perceived safety risks.
- Ensure that the hospital has a copy of your Advance Directives.
- Reporting perceived risks in your care and unexpected changes in your condition to your physician.
- Reporting whether you clearly understand your treatment plan and what is expected of you. You are expected to ask questions when you do not understand information or instructions.
- Following the treatment plan recommended by your physician. This may include following the instructions of nurses and other health care providers as they carry out the coordinated plan of care, implement your doctor’s orders, and enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations. If you believe you can’t follow through with your treatment plan, you are responsible for telling your doctor.
- Your actions and outcomes if you refuse treatment or do not follow your physician’s orders for care and treatment.
- You are responsible for keeping appointments, and, when you are unable to do so, for notifying your physician or the hospital (for any reason).
- Assuring that your health care financial obligations are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
- Following hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct and for assisting in the control of noise and the number of visitors.
- Being considerate of the rights of others by treating hospital staff, other patients and visitors with courtesy and respect.
- Being respectful of the property of other persons and the hospital.
- By leaving valuables at home and only bringing necessary items for your hospital stay.
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Patient Complaint/Grievance Process
It is the policy of Plumas District Hospital to provide the highest quality, most efficient, service for our patients. Patients and/or designated representatives have the right to communicate complaints regarding the care received, to have those complaints investigated, and to the extent possible, resolved. Complaints or grievances will in no way impact access to future services rendered at Plumas District Hospital.
If the patient/designated representative wishes to file a formal complaint/grievance, he or she may contact Plumas District Hospital’s Quality Coordinator at 530-283-7137.
We encourage anyone who is aware of a violation of a law or believes they have observed suspicious behavior to report their concern. This can be done anonymously without fear of retribution by calling the compliance hotline at 1-530-283-7121
Complaints may also be filed with the California Department of Health Services' Licensing and Certification Program, 126 Mission Ranch Blvd., Chico, CA 95926 or by calling 1-800-554-0350.
Any concerns about patient care and safety in the hospital that the hospital has not addressed may be sent to The Joint Commission by calling 1-800-994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jointcommission.org.
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Notice of Privacy Practices
Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information
Plumas District Hospital is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the Hospital. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by the Hospital, whether made by Hospital personnel or your personal doctor. This Notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose your health information. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of health information. We are required by law to: • Make sure that your health information is kept private (with certain exceptions • Give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information; and • Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect.
Who Will Follow this Notice
The following parties share the Hospital’s commitment to protect your privacy and will comply with this Notice:
- Any health care professional authorized to update or create health information about you.
- All departments and units of the Hospital.
- All employees, volunteers, trainees, students and medical staff members of the Hospital.
- All affiliated entities, sites, and locations.
- These entities, sites, and locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes described in this Notice.
How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You
The following sections describe different ways that we use and disclose your health information. For each category of uses or disclosures, we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
Disclosure at Your Request
We may disclose information when requested by you.
For Treatment
We may use your health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose your health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, health care students, or other Hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the Hospital. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of the Hospital also may share health information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work, and X-rays.
We also may disclose your health information to people outside the Hospital who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the Hospital, such as skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and physicians or other practitioners. For example, we may give your physician access to your health information to assist your physician in treating you.
Electronic exchange of health information helps ensure better care and coordination of care. The Hospital participates in health information exchange(s) that allow outside providers who need information to treat you to access your health information through a secure health information exchange.
For Payment
We may use and disclose your health information so that the treatment and services you receive at the Hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about surgery you received at the Hospital so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment. We may also provide basic information about you and your health plan, insurance company or other source of payment to practitioners outside the Hospital who are involved in your care, to assist them in obtaining payment for services they provide to you.
For Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose your health information for health care operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the Hospital and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine health information about many Hospital patients to decide what additional services the Hospital should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other Hospital personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the health information we have with health information from other hospitals to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of health information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who the specific patients are
