Patient & Family Rights

• Participation in hospice is voluntary and you may sever the relationship at any time.  Exercise your rights as a patient at any time.
• Receive only the care and services to which you or your family have consented.  Receive effective pain management and symptom control for the conditions related to your terminal illness. Receive information about the services covered under the hospice benefit and receive information about the scope of services that hospice will provide and specific limitations on those services.
• Receive care in a setting and manner that preserves your dignity, privacy and safety to the maximum extent possible.  
• Receive care in a manner that neither physically nor emotionally abuses you and your needs will not be neglected and/or exploited.
• Receive care free from the use of unnecessary restraints. Freedom from physical restraint through the use of medications unless they are prescribed by a doctor.
• Refuse to participate in experimental research.
• The right to have any grievances, concerns or complaints resolved promptly.  THC will ensure the patient and the family receive education in the availability and use of THC’s grievance procedure.  A patient will not be retaliated against (increasing charges, decreasing the services received, taking away privileges, abusive treatment, threatening language or forcing a patient to discontinue hospice care) should the patient exercise his or her right to complain about a violation of his or her rights.
• Refuse any specific treatment without severing the relationship with hospice.
• Have your own private attending physician as long as the physician agrees to abide by our policies and procedures.
• Exercise your own religious beliefs as long as they are not in conflict with health and safety standards. Exclude religion from your treatment if you wish.
• Have your family, legal guardian or other patient representative present during an inpatient stay unless the presence of such person poses a risk to you or someone else.
• Participate in the development of the plan of care and any changes to that plan. You will be informed about and updated on changes in condition.
• Have your medical and personal information classified as confidential. Approve or refuse the release of such information to an individual agency, except in the case of a transfer to another health care institution or agency, as required by law or third party payment contract.
• Continue hospice care and not be discharged from hospice during periods of coordinated or hospice approved hospital admissions.
• Request to be provided with a description of hospice services and levels of care to which you are entitled and any charges associated with such services.
• Review upon request copies of any inspection report completed within two years of such request.
• The right to determine life sustaining choices which includes resuscitative services. Patients have the right to Advance Directive options.
• The right to receive appropriate care without regard for the ability to pay for such care.
• The right to information in a method that is effective for you.
• Hospice services are monitored for GA patients by the Department of Community Health.  The contact information is Georgia Department of Community Health, 2 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.  Phone 800-878-6442.  web:  www.dch.georgia.gov. For SC patients: hospice services are monitored by SCDHEC, Division of Health License at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC, 29201. Phone 803-545-4370. Web: www.SCDHEC.gov/health/licen 
• Your property will be treated with respect.
• Have your family or guardian exercise your rights when it is determined you are no longer able to exercise your rights.
• Have relationships with home care providers that are based on honesty.
• Not be subjected to discrimination or reprisal for exercising any of your rights.
• Be free from mistreatment, neglect or verbal, mental, sexual and physical abuse including injuries of unknown source and misappropriation of your property.

Transitions Hospice Care expects the patient and family to assume responsibility for the following:

• Health History- patient/family will provide information about past illness, treatment, and medications.
• Cooperation- patient/family will ask questions if directions and/or procedures are not well understood.
• Communication- patient/family will inform hospice if there is a need to change a scheduled visit, if instructions are unclear, or if there is a change in the patient’s condition.
• Care Plan- patient/family will participate in all aspects of care planning.
• Financial- following complete explanation of financial implications of hospice care by a team member, patient/family is responsible for payment of any cost not covered by insurance carriers.
• Language Barrier- patient/family will inform hospice if written or verbal information is not understood in English; hospice will make an effort to provide translation services in language identified by the patient and family.
• Hospice staff cannot accept money or gifts from patients or family members.  You may give donations to the hospice.
• After hours’ calls must be directed to your local hospice branch office number, which will then be dispatched through the answering service and routed to our on-call staff members.

To voice grievances and recommend changes in policies and services without coercion, discrimination, reprisals, or unreasonable interruptions of services you may write to the President/CEO of the Company at Transitions Hospice Care, PO Box 898, Cassville, GA 30123. 

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