OrthoIndy and OrthoIndy Hospital’s Patient Rights
A. You have the right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care.
B. You and/or your representative have the right to make informed decisions regarding your care, the right to be told your current health status, and be involved in care planning and treatment.
C. You can appoint someone to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to make decisions for yourself. This is called an Advance Directive. We will provide you with information about Advance Directives, will ask if you have an Advance Directive so we can place a copy in our medical record, and will honor your wishes expressed in the Advance Directives you provide. Your representative can exercise your rights when you are not able to speak for yourself. Your Advance Directive may include at a minimum, your wishes regarding: end of life care; your wishes to be informed or not informed of the approaching stage of end of life; your plan for a safe and comfortable death; avoidance of discomfort and preservation of your dignity; pain relief that is as effective as possible; emotional support; avoidance of assessments and intrusions that do not relieve suffering at the end of life, unencumbered support of family and friends; spiritual care; palliative medicine and/or hospice consultation; information about organ donation; and the benefits of enrolling in hospice care to provide support for you, your family and loved ones. Please be aware that OrthoIndy Hospital suspends an Advance Directive indicating Do Not Resuscitate during a surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia.
D. You have the right to have a family member or representative of your choice, and/or your own doctor notified promptly that you have been admitted to the hospital. You have the right to designate a lay care giver who will assist you with your care at home after you leave the hospital. This person may or may not be the same person designated as the health care representative described in Section C above. You are not required to designate a lay caregiver, but if you do, we will ask you to complete a form to give us permission to release your medical information to that person. Prior to your discharge, we will attempt to communicate with your lay care giver about your post-discharge instructions. We will also provide you with information at the time of your discharge regarding your post-discharge needs at home, and you should share this with your lay care giver as well.
E. You have the right to personal privacy.
F. You have the right to receive care in a safe setting.
G. You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
H. You have the right to confidentiality of your medical records.
I. You have the right to access information contained in your clinical records within a reasonable time frame. We use electronic medical records so most of your medical records are stored in our computers instead of on paper. We will provide a copy for you upon your request.
J. You have the right to be free from any restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
K. You have the right to be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental or research project without compromising your access to services. If you agree to be part of a study you will be asked to sign special consents that tell the expected risks and benefits of being in the study. You don’t have to be in a study to get care at the hospital, but some new devices may only be available as part of a study. You can refuse to be in any research study, at any time and it will not compromise your access to any of our services.
L. You have the right to know the professional status of any person providing services to you.
M. You have the right to know the reasons for any proposed change in the Professional Staff responsible for your care.
N. You have the right to know the reasons for your transfer either within or outside the hospital. If you need care that we don’t provide at our facility, you will be told that we don’t offer the service and asked about a transfer to another hospital. Before a transfer we will contact the other hospital to make sure they have the services you need and that they agree to your transfer. In an emergency, you will be provided with care to stabilize your condition before your transfer. A physician is at the hospital 24 hours a day, every day. A physician may not be present in the hospital outpatient department during all hours services are furnished to patients.
O. You have the right to know the relationship(s) of the hospital to other person or organizations participating in the provision of care to you. We are affiliated with OrthoIndy. The hospital meets the federal definition of a “physician owned hospital” and doctors who own or are employed by OrthoIndy (orthopedic physicians, physiatrists and anesthesiologists) also own OrthoIndy Hospital. A complete list of the physicians who own the hospital is available on request. We have contracts with other, independent physicians to provide their services to you, such as the internal medicine doctors who staff our Pre-op Clinic, radiologists, (X-ray interpretations) and pathologists (lab interpretations). The independent doctors are not directly under our control, and will send you a separate bill for their services. Let us know if you have concerns about them, and we will investigate and/or assist you in getting any questions answered. We also have a contract with a company to provide equipment such as crutches and walkers that you may need at home after your surgery. This is offered as a convenience to you, but you are free to use a different company for your at-home needs, and you may be required to use certain companies for coverage by your health plan.
P. You have the right to access the costs of the services you receive, and you may obtain an itemized bill upon request, usually within two weeks.
Q. You have the right to be informed of the source of the hospital’s reimbursement for your services, and of any limitations, which may be placed on your care. We will bill you for the services you receive, and if you have health insurance or are covered by a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid, we will, with your permission, bill your insurance or other payment source. When we know that your insurance plan or government program limits the number of hospital days they will pay for, our UR or Discharge Planning staff will tell you, and ask you to decide whether you want to pay for those days or items that will not be covered.
R. You have the right to have pain treated as effectively as possible.
S. You have the right receive visitation privileges consistent with your visitation preference. Visitation will not be denied on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
T. You or your representative can exercise your rights while receiving care in the hospital without coercion, discrimination or retaliation.
U. You have the right to sign an Organ and Tissue Donor form as a part of your admission process and your family has the right to informed consent of donation of tissues and organs.
V. Mechanisms to inform each patient of his or her rights in a language the patient readily understands - at a minimum this via written text.
W. You have the right to be provided necessary assistive devices, including language and hearing interpreters if needed at no cost to you. Tell us what you need during registration, or tell your nurse once you arrive at the hospital.
If you have a complaint: Contact your nurse or the supervisor to report a problem. Or write to us at the address below. Be sure to include your phone number or a way we may contact you.
Complaints to the Chief Executive Officer
OrthoIndy Hospital
8400 Northwest Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
We will respond as soon as possible when you are here, and always within two business days from the time you tell us your complaint or the CEO gets your letter. Complaints about the quality of care we provide, or concern that you were sent home too early, please contact the agency that oversees Medicare quality standards. For Indiana, that is:
KEPRO
5291 West Kennedy Blvd., Suite 900
Tampa, FL 33609
855.408.8557
Individuals may also call to make complaints about care provided at our facility to the agency that regulates our industry.
Indiana State Department of Health
Division of Acute Care
2 North Meridian St., 4A
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.233.7474 (Acute Care Receptionist)
317.233.1325 (ISDH Main Switchboard)