Specialty Care for the Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist & Hand

THE CENTER
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- Patient Rights

Patient Rights

The Indiana Hand Center
Your Patient Rights and Responsibilities
And Advance Directives

It is your RIGHT as an IHC patient or client:

To request and receive medically appropriate treatment and services within the center’s capacity and mission.
To receive care that respects your individual cultural, spiritual and social values, regardless of race, color, creed, nationality, age, gender, disability or source of payment.
To receive respectful, considerate, compassionate care that promotes your dignity, privacy, safety and comfort and that manages your pain as well as possible.
To receive physical support. To be as free from pain and in as much control of your environment as possible.
To expect that efforts will be made to provide you with the best of care during your stay here.
To be informed – in understandable language – of the nature of your illness and treatment options, including potential risks, benefits, alternatives and costs.
To know the identity of your caregiver. To request a second opinion or change physicians.
To accept or refuse recommended tests or treatments, to the extent the law permits. To refuse to sign a consent form if there is anything you don’t understand or agree to. To change your mind about any procedure to which you have consented. To be informed of the medical consequences of refusing tests or treatments.
To be informed of any proposed research or experimental treatment that may be considered in your care, and to consent or refuse to participate in this treatment.
To expect that appropriate decision-makers will be sought in case you lack decision-making ability and have no advance directive.
To be assured that medical and personal information will be handled in a confidential manner. To have access to the information in your medical record. It’s up to you whether we release any information at all, other than that required by your physicians and insurance company. Your caregivers can explain this option.
To be informed of the procedure you can follow to lodge complaints with the health care provider about the care that is, or fails to be furnished and about a lack of respect for property (to lodge complaints with us call the Chief Operating Officer at 317/471-4497).
To know about the disposition of such complaints.
To voice your grievances without fear of discrimination or reprisal for having done so.
To be advised of the telephone number, address and hours of operation of the state’s health care hotline, which receives questions and complaints about health care providers. You may voice a complaint to the state agency without first pursuing the grievance through the Indiana Hand Center.

The hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the phone number is 1-800-227-6334.

The address is:
Indiana State Department of Health
2 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

To request and receive information regarding the patient’s bill, including payments, insurance status and charge explanation. To receive information regarding financial assistance and help in determining financial needs.
To formulate advance directives. Advance directives are witnessed documents that say what you desire in the event you are unable to communicate your wishes. Advance directives such as living wills or life prolonging procedures declarations help you express your wishes about the extent to which you want treatments to prolong your life when death is inevitable within a short time. Directives such as the appointment of a health care representative or a durable power of attorney specify who should speak in your name if you cannot express your own wishes, either temporarily or permanently. Please note: The Indiana Hand Center does not honor a “no code” status in our surgery center.

In order to help us meet your health care needs and provide you with appropriate care, your RESPONSIBILITIES as an Indiana Hand Center patient are:

To provide all required personal and family health information.
To participate as best you can in making decisions about your medical treatment and carry out the plan of care agreed upon by you and your caregivers.
To ask questions of your physician or other caregivers when you do not understand any information or instructions.
To inform your physician or other care provider if you do not understand your diagnosis or treatment or if you desire a transfer of care to another physician, caregiver or facility.
To be considerate of others receiving or providing care.
To observe facility policies and procedures, including those on smoking, noise, no weapons on premises, and visitors.
To accept your financial obligations associated with your care and to provide appropriate financial information when requesting financial assistance if needed.
To be reasonable in requests for medical treatment and other services.
To advise your caregivers of any dissatisfaction you may have.