Patient Rights

At Covenant Health System, we take your safety and security very seriously. This page contains a list of patient rights and responsibilities that will make your visit with us as rewarding as possible.

Our patients have the right to exercise the following rights without regard to sex, national origin, race, age, economic status, educational or religious background, or the source of payment for care:

1. Be provided information and assistance in understanding information throughout their stay about their condition, rights and responsibilities.
2. Upon admission, receive a written copy of the patient’s rights and responsibilities in the patient’s primary language, or have an appropriate translator.
3. Receive a reasonable response to requests and needs for treatment and/or service.
4. Impartial access to medically appropriate treatment that promotes continuity of care.
5. Considerate and respectful care that recognizes psychosocial, spiritual and cultural variables, preserving human dignity.
6. Access to pastoral care and other spiritual services.
7. The right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment, including verbal, physical, psychological, sexual or emotional while under the care of the hospital.
8. Access to protective services, including guardianship and advocacy services,
   conservatorship, and child or adult protective services.
9. The right to be free from seclusion or restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
10. The opportunity to voice complaints about his or her care, and to have those complaints reviewed, and when possible, resolved (see also Administrative Policy #11-RI, Patient and Family Requests/Complaints). From inside the hospital, patients and family members are encouraged to call the Guest Request Line at extension 40625. To lodge a formal complaint with the Texas Department of State Health Services, phone, fax or mail to:
    
    Texas Department of State Health Services
    Facility Licensing Group/MC 1980
    1100 W. 49th Street
    Austin, Texas 78756
    FAX: 512.834.6653
    Complaint Hotline: 1.888.973.0022
    
11. Personal privacy and confidentiality including:
    a) Being interviewed, examined and treated in surroundings designed to give reasonable visual and auditory privacy. Giving consent to any photographic techniques that would allow or be used in such a way that personal identification is possible.
    b) Restricting access to the medical record to only individuals directly involved in the patient’s care, or monitoring the quality of care, or authorized by law/regulation, or authorized by permission of the patient or legal representative.
    c) Having access to the information in the patient’s hospital record by the patient or designated representative.
12. Care of the dying that provides comfort and dignity to the patient through effective pain management and acknowledgment of the psychosocial and spiritual concerns of the patient and the family regarding dying and the expression of grief.
13. To express their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices as long as these do not harm others or interfere with treatment.
14. Make health care choices together with the physician with respect to the following:
    a) The acceptance of care and/or refusal of treatment and to be informed of the medical consequences of such refusal.
    b) Formulation of advance directives and appointing a representative to make health care decisions on his or her behalf.
    c) The involvement of family and/or guardian in the care choices throughout the course of treatment or the exclusion of any or all family members from participating in his or her care decisions.
15. Be informed of any research/educational projects involving their care or treatment and to understand that refusal to participate in a research project will not affect their treatment or care.
16. Have their guardian, next of kin or legal representative exercise their rights if the patient is deemed legally incompetent, medically incapable of understanding the proposed treatment or procedure, unable to communicate health care choices, or is a minor.
17. Have a family member or representative of the patient’s choice and his or her physician notified promptly of his or her admission to the hospital.
18. Know the professional status of persons providing care and services, and any professional relationships of persons providing care.
19. Reasonable personal and environmental safety.
20. Request another health care practitioner or consultant from another facility.
21. Transfer to another facility or organization if the patient is medically stable, has been completely examined by a physician, the need for transfer has been established and communicated to the patient, and an accepting physician and facility have been secured.
22. Request and receive a detailed explanation of a bill for services rendered.
23. Patients have the right to communication (mail, visitors, phone calls) unless they choose to restrict communication.
24. If it becomes necessary to restrict a patient’s visitors, mail, telephone calls or other forms of communication, the restrictions are evaluated for their therapeutic effectiveness and are fully explained to the patient and are determined with their participation.