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Patient Information – Patient Rights
Our Personal Commitment to your Health
Your health is very important to us. It is our mission to provide quality, consumer-focused health care and education with a personal touch. At Mecosta County Medical Center we respect your rights as a patient, particularly the right to be well informed and involved in your medical care and treatment.
The following is an overview of your rights as a patient and a guideline for what you can expect during your stay at Mecosta County Medical Center.
Equal Treatment
We provide impartial access to treatment regardless of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, age, handicap, religion, marital status, sexual preference or source of payment. You have the right to respectful care at all times and under all circumstances. Your civil and religious rights as well as your cultural and spiritual beliefs will be respected as long as they do not cause harm or interfere with treatment.
You have the right to request translation services as necessary related to language, vision, speech or cognitive impairment.
Safety & Security
It is our goal to provide a secure environment for your medical care. We strive to ensure safety in all aspects of your care including medication administration, fall prevention, and correct site surgical intervention.
You have the right to discreet care by requesting not to be placed on the medical center registry. By doing so, your name will not be given out to anyone who may inquire about your presence at Mecosta County Medical Center.
You have the right to be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect or exploitation. At anytime, if you feel unsafe or threatened, please ask to speak with a member of our Medical Center Management Team.
Privacy
We honor patient privacy and promote the preservation of personal dignity. Case discussions, consultations, examinations and treatments are confidential and will be conducted discreetly. You have the right to have a person of your own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex.
You are not obligated to discuss your private health information with anyone who is not directly involved with your care. However, we strongly encourage you to openly communicate with all appropriate hospital personnel participating in your care.
If you have questions regarding verbal privacy, please contact your nurse. In order to assure that your personal information is respected, remember to only share information with trusted family and friends.
You have the right to request a transfer to another room if another patient or visitor is unreasonably disturbing you.
Except in the normal course of medical care, diagnostic treatment and services, pictures and/or tape recordings are not permitted without your written consent. This includes recording or filming made for internal or external medical center purposes.
Confidential Information
Your medical information is personal and will remain confidential. Sources of payment, diagnostic or medical records or information provided to any staff member will not be released to any “third party” without your permission.
You have the right to have complete and current information concerning your diagnosis. You are entitled to inspect or receive, for a reasonable fee, a copy of your medical records.
Also, you have the right to request changes or additions to your medical record and to receive an accounting of disclosure regarding your own health information as permitted under law.
Provision of Care
At Mecosta County Medical Center, staff works together with your physician to develop an individualized plan of care based upon your needs, strengths, limitations and goals for treatment. Plans of care are reviewed and revised throughout your stay to meet your changing health care needs.
You, as the patient, have the right to be involved in all decisions regarding your care and plan for treatment. Information will be provided to you in a language you can understand to enable you to make an informed decision.
Discussions regarding your care shall include treatment options available to you, risks and benefits of such treatment including expected outcomes and any unanticipated outcomes that may occur during the course of treatment.
You, as a competent adult, have the right to accept or refuse medical and surgical treatment to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the probable consequences of that refusal.
You have the right to know the identity and the professional status of all individuals providing service to you and to know the physician(s) responsible for your medical care.
You have the right, at your own expense, to request a consultation with a specialist of choice. Specialists should be a member of the Mecosta County Medical Center Medical Staff, and in the event a non-Medical Staff Member is selected, the matter should be referred to Administration for resolution. This is not intended to preclude non-Medical Staff Members from providing consultation when requested or indicated.
You have the right to have your pain evaluated and to be told about pain relief options. See our Pain Management brochure for more information.
You also have the right to be free from physical and chemical restraints, except those restraints authorized in writing by a physician. Restraints are occasionally necessary in an emergency to protect the patient from injury to self or others. Restraints may only be applied by a qualified professional who will indicate in writing the circumstances requiring the use of restraints, and promptly report the action to the physician.
You may not be transferred to another facility unless you have received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the alternatives to such transfer. The transfer also needs to be accepted by the receiving facility.
Patients are never expected to perform services for the hospital that are not included in their therapeutic plan of care.
Experimental treatments and research (which are rare at the Medical Center), will not be performed unless you have given written authorization.
Medications
 All medications administered to patients may be given only in accordance with specific orders of a physician. We encourage you to bring your current medications (including supplements and herbal preparations) in their original bottles with you to the Medical Center. Your medications will be securely stored and will be returned to you at the time of your discharge.
In general, we do not administer a patient’s own medications, except for Medicare patients who are admitted for an observation stay. For Medicare Observation patients, we will make every effort to allow use of your own medications. We cannot guarantee that this will always be possible, and you may be charged for hospital stock medications you received during your stay. Please ask your nurse about this process if you are a Medicare patient and are being admitted as Observation.
Patient Education
Mecosta County Medical Center is committed to providing you with accurate, timely and useful health information. You will receive information about your ongoing care, medications you receive and things that you should know for your care at home. Most teaching is done verbally. Written information sheets are provided containing your discharge instructions and medications that have been prescribed for you. We encourage you to ask questions and to let us know if you prefer information provided in another way.
Patient Decisions
You have the right as a competent adult, to make all decisions regarding your care, treatment, and the services at Mecosta County Medical Center. This includes the right to put in writing preplanned decisions regarding your wishes for end-of-life care and the termination of resuscitation efforts. In accordance with Michigan law, you have the right to designate a surrogate decision-maker who can carry out your health care wishes if you, yourself, become unable to participate in these decisions. Like you, your surrogate decision-maker can act on your behalf to consent to, refuse, or withdraw care, treatment, and services including life-sustaining treatment, as indicated in your preplanned directive.
There are certain times when an advance directive will not be followed at Mecosta County Medical Center. These include when a patient is under the effects of anesthesia, when the patient is pregnant, when the request of the patient and/or surrogate decision-maker goes against normal ethical and accepted medical practices, or when the form is incomplete by standards set forth by State of Michigan and Federal Law.
Competent, adult patients may review, revise or revoke their advance directive at any time and in any manner in which there is clear and convincing evidence of their intent to do so.
Advance directives created in other states will be accepted as an expression of the patient’s wishes and will be followed, provided there is a general agreement among the family members and the physician directing the medical care.
In the event of your death, you also have the right to designate your wish to donate your eyes, tissues, and organs in accordance with governmental regulations. Mecosta County Medical Center collaborates with the Gift of Life, Michigan Organ and Tissue Donation Program, and will assist your family in making all necessary arrangements to carry out your request to donate.
Ethics Committee
When assistance is needed to help resolve ethical concerns, a request to the Mecosta County Medical Center Ethics Committee may be requested. The Ethics Committee provides assistance to practitioners, patients, families and staff who are faced with difficult ethical issues. If you feel that a matter of medical ethics needs further consideration, please ask your doctor, nurse or social worker for more information.
Your Responsibilities as a Patient
You have the right to be informed of the Medical Center rules and regulations applicable to your care. We ask that all patients conduct themselves in a manner that is considerate of the rights of other patients, Medical Center personnel and property.
Your responsibilities include:
- Providing a complete and accurate medical history including a list of home medications, supplements and herbal preparations.
- Reporting any unexpected changes in your condition.
- Providing accurate payment information and promptly meeting financial obligations to the Medical Center.
- Asking questions when you do not understand the planned course of action or when you have concerns about your ability to follow your plan of care and treatment prescribed by your physician.
Personal Belongings
You have the right to wear your own personal clothing and religious items as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment. You have the right to expect sufficient storage of personal items, however, Mecosta County Medical Center is not responsible for any items misplaced while you are a patient. The best place to keep all non-essential items such as money, jewelry, clothing and medications is at home. We can assist you making arrangements to send items home with a relative or friend.
Communicating Outside MCMC
You have the right to have visitors, although each department has established reasonable visiting hours. Special patient circumstances may be taken into account.
You have the right to communicate verbally and in writing to persons outside the hospital with reasonable assistance provided by our staff.
You have the right to send and receive unopened, personal mail, and to private phone conversations. Patients and visitors can access the Internet remotely from their own lap top.
We welcome pastoral visits. If you need assistance in contacting a representative of your faith, please ask your nurse.
You have the right to access protective and advocacy services during your stay. You and your family are also free to meet with your physician, attorney, or other person of your choice without restraint or interference.
For questions patients should ask their doctors, go to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site: www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/.
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