Patient Rights & Policies

You have the right to:

• Receive impartial medical treatment and care regardless of age; race; ethnicity; religion; creed; culture; language; physical or mental disability; socioeconomic status; payment sources; sex; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; or communicable diseases such as, but not limited to, HIV, MRSA and Hepatitis.
• Care that meets the current standards of practice.

You have the right to:

• Receive a copy of the Patient Rights in writing. A copy of these rights will also be provided to your representative.
• Have a family member or representative and your physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital, unless you request this not be done.
• Access, inspect and receive copies of your health information in a reasonable time frame.
• Receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your medical record.
• Request restricted access of your health information. The hospital will attempt to grant all reasonable requests.
• Communicate with people outside the hospital by means of visitors and verbal and written communication. Any restrictions will be fully explained.
• Know the identity and professional status of individuals providing your care.
• Sufficient information so you can give informed consent prior to any procedure or treatment.
• Complete and current information concerning your diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment and any known prognosis in terms you can reasonably be expected to understand.
• Be informed by the practitioner responsible for your care of any continuing health care requirements following discharge.

You have the right to:

• Expect any discussion or consultation involving your case to be conducted discreetly and that individuals not directly involved in your care will not be present without your permission.
• Receive care and treatment in surroundings that ensure reasonable privacy. This includes having a person of your own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure.
• Receive a copy of the hospital’s Notice of Privacy Practices, which outlines the hospital’s responsibilities and your rights relating to your health information.
• Be informed of any audio/visual monitoring done as a routine part of providing your care. Your consent will be obtained prior to any other video recording or monitoring.

You have the right to choose who may and may not visit you during your hospital stay. By doing so, you may enjoy significant emotional benefits from a more patient-centered support system.

You have the right to:

• Be informed of your visitation rights, including any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights when visitation would interfere with your care and/or the care of other patients.
• Be informed of your right to consent to receive the visitors you designate, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including same sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend, and your right to withdraw such consent at any time.
• Defer to your primary spokesperson to identify and consent to visitors if, for any reason, you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so.
• Appoint a support person who may, with your permission, visit you as long as their presence does not interfere with your care. Your support person will decide who may visit you if you are unable to do so.
• Expect all visitors to enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with your preferences without regard to their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability

Everyone has a role in making healthcare safe. As the patient, you can play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your healthcare team. You have the right to:

• Expect care that is considerate and respectful of your personal values and beliefs.
• Receive care in a safe setting free from abuse or harassment.
• Be free from restraints and seclusion of any form that are not medically necessary.
• Speak up if you have questions or concerns, or don’t understand something about your care.

You have the right to:

• Request a consultation with the Ethics Committee when confronted with making difficult healthcare decisions. Your family, support person or healthcare provider who is directly involved in your care also may request a consultation with the Ethics Committee. Contact the Ethics Committee at 816-691-2050 (ext. 2050).
• Access pastoral care and spiritual services.
• Receive sensitivity regarding issues related to care at the end-of-life.
• Be informed if your care is to be delivered under the auspice of any clinical training or research program within the institution. You shall receive a description of expected benefits and potential discomforts and risks. You have the right to refuse to participate in any such activity without compromise to access of services.

You have the right to:

• An itemized and detailed explanation of your bill, the right to inquire about financial assistance in paying your bill, and the right to inquire about assistance in filing any insurance claims.
• Timely notice prior to termination of your eligibility for reimbursement by any third-party payer for the cost of your care.

You have the right to:

• Reasonable protection of your personal items.
• Receive information about the hospital’s process for the initiation, review and resolution of patient concerns.
• Request that concerns not resolved to your satisfaction be referred to the North Kansas City hospital's Grievance Committee by notifying the Patient Representative at (816) 691-5333 (ext. 5333).
• Lodge a grievance with any state agency directly, regardless of whether you have first used the grievance process.

State Advocacy Agencies 
Department of Health and Senior Services 
Bureau of Health Facilities Services Regulation 
P.O. Box 570 
Jefferson City, MO 65102 
(800) 392-0210; email info@health.mo.gov

Missouri Medicare/Primaris 
200 North Keene Street 
Columbia, MO 65201 
(800) 735-6776; email online@primaris.org

Missouri Medicaid Recipient Services Unit 
P.O. Box 6500 
Jefferson City, MO 65102 
(800) 392-2161

Medicare - Medicare beneficiaries have the right to request a referral to Quality Improvement Organizations for concerns regarding quality of care, medicare coverage decisions or premature discharge. For more information, contact Primaris (contact information above).

Joint Commission - If you have concerns about patient care and safety at North Kansas City Hospital that the hospital has not addressed, you are encouraged to contact the hospital management. If concerns cannot be resolved through the hospital, you are encouraged to contact the Joint Commission's Office of Quality Monitoring.

The Joint Commission 
Office of Quality Monitoring 
One Renaissance Boulevard 
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 
(800) 994-6610; email patientsafetyevent@jointcommission.org

You have the right to:

• Be involved in the development and implementation of your plan of care, including pain management and your discharge plan.
• Request or refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law.
• Not be subjected to any procedure without your voluntary, competent, informed consent, or the consent of your legally authorized representative. You will be informed when medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist.
• Request a consult with a specialist at your expense.
• Describe your pain with the expectation the description will be accepted as a true indicator of your pain and interventions will be initiated to bring the pain to your comfort function goal.
• Create an Advance Directive, such as a Living Will or Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. These documents express your choices about care or name someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself. If you have a written Advance Directive, a copy should be provided to the hospital. Staff and practitioners who provide care will comply with Advance Directives.
• Appoint a representative, either through the designation of a Durable Power of Attorney, or by notifying your care team of your selection, who can be involved in the development and implementation of your plan of care and may consent for treatment on your behalf if you cannot speak for yourself. Your representative may be the same as your support person, but does not have to be.

You have the right to:

• Receive a complete explanation of the need to transfer you to another healthcare facility and the risks and benefits from such a transfer.
• Be informed of services options and agencies available for your post-discharge, care as appropriate for your care.
• Request a transfer to another room if the actions of another patient or visitors are unreasonably disturbing you. 

The patient who is a newborn, child or adolescent has the right to:

• Have his/her family/guardian involved in his/her assessment, treatment and continuing care.
• Have his/her family/guardian receive aid in coping with illnesses that are particularly traumatic because of their duration, severity or effect on the patient’s physical or psychological development.
• Be cared for in a physical environment that encourages its use and provides comfort, safety and security with furniture and equipment appropriate to age, size and developmental needs.
• Have provision made in the social environment for activities appropriate to his/her age, development, and peer and group interaction.
• Have provision made for appropriate educational services when treatment necessitates significant absence from school.
• Have needed services provided either directly or through referral, consultation or contractual arrangements and/or agreements.
• Have continuity of care when transferred from one setting to another through a needs assessment of continuing treatment, continuing education and support for normal development.
• Availability of a process by which his/her family/guardian may resolve conflicts concerning his/her care.

You have the responsibility to:

• Provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to your health.
• Report unexpected changes in your condition.
• Make known whether you clearly understand a potential course of action and what is expected of you.
• Follow the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care. This may include following instructions from nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan for care, implement the practitioner’s orders, and enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations.
• Keep appointments or notify the practitioner or the hospital when you are unable to do so.
• Accept responsibility for your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow the practitioner’s instructions.
• Fulfill financial obligations resulting from your health as promptly as possible.
• Follow hospital rules and regulations.
• Comply with the hospital's policy on tobacco usage by not using tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, pipes) while on the hospital's campus.
• Approve and consent to the presence of visitors of your choice, and abide by any clinical restriction or limitation to visitation that would interfere with your care and/or the care of other patients. If you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so, your primary spokesperson may identify and consent to visitors on your behalf.
• Be considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel, and assist in controlling the noise level and number of visitors in your room. You are responsible for respecting the property of other persons and the hospital.
• Speak up if you have questions or concerns, or don’t understand something about your care.
• Pay attention to the care you are receiving, and ask questions if something doesn’t seem right.
• Read all medical forms thoroughly and make sure you understand them before you sign.
• Know what medications you take and why you take them. Ask questions if you aren’t sure
• Tell your doctors and nurses about allergies or previous negative reactions to medications before you receive a new medication.
• Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate, and make sure this person understands your preferences in healthcare treatment decisions.
• Ask about follow-up care before you leave the hospital and make sure you understand all the instructions.

If you or your spokesperson is displeased with our care or service, please let us know so we may take reasonable steps to address your concerns in a timely manner. Notify the nurse manager or designated unit leader. Registering a concern will not compromise your present or future access to care.

It is our goal to address each concern at the point of service as quickly as possible. Should the complaint involve the services of our Patient Representative, the Patient Representative shall acknowledge, in writing, our receipt of the concern. Should the complaint be promptly resolved, the correspondence to your or your spokesperson will contain the following:

• Date the grievance was received
• Description of the grievance
• Name of the hospital contact person
• Steps taken on your behalf to investigate and resolve the grievance

If, after a reasonable amount of time, the concern is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact the Patient Representative at (816) 691-5333 (ext. 5333) for further assistance.

If you have a question regarding the charges for hospital services, you may contact Patient Financial Services at (816) 691-2040 (ext. 2040) or (800) 691-2040. If, after a reasonable amount of time, the concern is not resolved to the satisfaction of the patient, the patient may contact the Vice President, Finance at (816) 691-2006 (ext. 2006) or the Patient Representative at (816) 691-5333 (ext. 5333) for further assistance.