Patients & Families > Patients Rights and Responsibilities
Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Patient Responsibilities
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center provides impartial access to treatment and facilities for all patients regardless of race, creed, age, sex, national origin, financial status or sources of payment for care.
In addition, you are guaranteed the following rights as a patient at the Center.
- To be treated with respect, consideration, and dignity by all Center personnel;
- To personal and informational privacy, within the law, including the right;
- To refuse to talk with or see anyone not directly involved in your care;
- To be interviewed and examined in surroundings assuring reasonable visual and auditory privacy;
- To have a person of one’s own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex and not to remain disrobed any longer than is necessary for the medical purpose for which you were asked to disrobe;
- To expect that any discussion about your care will be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in your care will not be present without your permission;
- To have your medical records read only by individuals directly involved in your care or in the monitoring of its quality except with your written authorization or that of your legally authorized representative;
- To expect all communications and other records pertaining to your care, including the source of payment for care, to be treated as confidential;
- To expect reasonable safety insofar as the Center’s practices and environment are concerned;
- To know the identity and professional status of those providing your care at the Center, and any professional relationships among those providing your care here, as well as their relationship to any other health care or educational institutions involved in your care;
- To complete and current information about your diagnosis (to the degree it is known), your treatment, any possible side effects of your treatment and any known prognosis in terms you can understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to you, the information will be made available to your legally authorized representative;
- To have access to an interpreter if you are unable to speak or understand English;
- To reasonable informed participation in decisions about your care that is, to the degree possible, based on a clear, concise explanation of your condition, all proposed technical procedures, any risk of death or serious side effects, any problems related to recovery and the probability of success. Except in emergencies, you will not be subjected to any procedure without your voluntary and competent consent or that of your legally authorized representative. You will be informed of any medically significant alternatives for care;
- To refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequences of doing so;
- To be informed of and to refuse any opportunity to participate in experimental treatment studies conducted at the Center;
- To expect reasonable continuity of care including information about any continuing health care needs after your treatment; and
- To make complaints or suggestions about the Center without compromising the quality or accessibility of your care. Complaints or suggestions may be made in person or in writing to the Center’s president (Baton Rouge) or director (Hammond/Covington).
Medical Records
Your medical records generated at the Center during any course of therapy are held in strictest confidence. Information about your radiation treatment will be routinely sent to your referring physician and other physicians participating in your care. Information will not be provided to anyone else, unless we have written authorization from you to do so. If you wish information about your condition to be released to a third party, information requests by the third party should be made in writing, accompanied by your personally signed, written authorization. Records originating at another facility, or from another health care provider, belong to the originating facility. If you desire to keep copies of your medical records from other institutions for your personal records, please request copies from the originating institution before you relinquish custody of the records to the Center.
American Disabilities Act
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Patient Responsibilities
As a patient at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, you are responsible for:
- Providing, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present physical complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to your health.
- Reporting unexpected changes in your condition to your Center physician.
- Making it known whether you clearly comprehend a proposed course of action and what is expected of you.
- Following the treatment plan recommended by your Center physician and following the instructions of nurses, radiation therapists and other Center health care practitioners.
- Keeping appointments and notifying the Center if you are unable to do so for any reason.
- The consequences of refusing treatment or not following your doctor’s instructions.
- Assuring that your financial obligations for your health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
- Being considerate of the rights of other patients and Center personnel.
Notice of Health Information Privacy Practices.