Patient Rights
Every patient shall have the following rights, none of which shall be abridged by the
hospital or any of its staff. The hospital administrator shall be responsible for
developing and implementing policies to protect patient rights and to respond to
questions and grievances pertaining to patient rights. These rights shall include at least
the following :
- Every patient, or his/her designated representative, shall whenever possible, be
informed of the patient's rights and responsibilities in advance of furnishing or
discontinuing patient care - To have a family member, chosen representative and/or his/her own physician
notified promptly of admission to the hospital - To receive treatment and medical services without discrimination based on race,
age, religion, national origin, sex, sexual preferences, handicap, diagnosis, ability
to payor source of payment - To be treated with consideration, respect and recognition of their individuality, including the need for privacy in treatment
- To be informed of the names and functions of all physicians and other health
care professionals who are providing direct care to the patient. The healthcare
professionals shall identify themselves by introduction and/or by wearing a name
tag - To receive, as soon as possible, the services of a translator or interpreter to facilitate communication between the patient and the hospital's health care personnel
- To participate in the development and implementation of his/her plan of care
Every patient or his/her representative (as allowed by state law) has the right to
make informed decisions regarding his/her care - To be informed of his/her health status, be involved in care planning/treatment,
and able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a
mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically
unnecessary or inappropriate - To be included in experimental research only when he/she gives informed,
written consent to such participation, or when a guardian provides such consent
for an incompetent patient in accordance with appropriate laws and regulations. - The patient may refuse to participate in experimental research, including the
investigations of new drugs and medical devices - To be informed if the hospital has authorized other health care and/or
educational institutions to participate in the patients treatment. The patient shall
also have a right to know the identity and function of these institutions, and may
refuse to allow their participation in his/her treatment - To formulate advance directives and have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives
- To be informed by the attending physician and other providers of health care
services about any continuing health care requirements after his/her discharge
from the hospital. The patient shall also have the right to receive assistance from
the physician and appropriate hospital staff in arranging for required follow-up
care after discharge - To have his/her medical records, including all computerized medical information,
kept confidential - To access, request amendments to and obtain information on disclosures of health information
- To be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff
- To safe implementation of restraint or seclusion by trained staff
- To be free from all forms of abuse and harassment
- To receive care in a safe setting
- To examine and receive an explanation of the patient's hospital bill regardless of
source of payment, and may receive upon request, information relating to
financial assistance available through the hospital - To be informed in writing about the hospital's policies and procedures for initiation, review and resolution of patient complaints, including the address and telephone number of where complaints may be filed with the department
- To have complaints reviewed by the organization without being subject to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of care
- To be informed of his/her responsibility to comply with hospital rules, cooperate
in the patient's own treatment, provide a complete and accurate medical history,
be respectful of other patients, staff and property, and provide required
information regarding payment of charges - Except in emergencies, the patient may be transferred to another facility only with a full explanation of the reason for transfer, provisions for continuing care and acceptance by the receiving institution
- For each inpatient, or, if applicable, the patient's legal guardian, to have an opportunity to designate an uncompensated caregiver following the patient's inpatient admission into a hospital and prior to the patient's discharge, for provision of the patient's post hospital aftercare at the patient's residence
- To be informed of visitation rights, including: Right to receive visitors, according
to the patient's wishes and consent & right to withdraw or deny consent for
visitors - To be treated with dignity and respect
- To pain management
- To religious or other spiritual services, including requesting and receiving pastoral counseling
- To have a family member, a friend, or another individual present for emotional support
- To be informed about anticipated outcomes of care, treatment, and services that
relate to sentinel events - To give or withhold medical informed consent and/or withhold informed consent
to produce or use recordings, films, or other images for purposes other than the
patient's care - To have an environment that preserves the dignity and contributes to positive self-image
- To access protective and advocacy services
- To discuss with a physician any ethical issues that arise during the course of care
- To request an ethics review
- To have issues addressing autopsy and organ donation conducted in a sensitive
manner - Patients who receive treatment for mental illness or developmental disability, in
addition to the rights listed herein, have the rights provided in the Louisiana
Mental Health Law.
To file a grievance or any concerns about patient care and safety in the hospital by
contacting the Hospital Administration at 337-462-7409. If concerns
cannot be resolved through the hospital, complaints or concerns may be filed with the
state survey agency or The Joint Commission (TJC) at the following:
If concerns cannot be resolved through the hospital, complaints or concerns may be filed with the state survey agency or The Joint Commission (TJC).
Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)
Health Standards Section
P.O. Box 3767
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Phone: 225.342.6249
The Joint Commission (TJC)
Office of Quality and Patient Safety
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Online: jointcommission.org
Patient Responsibilities
- You have the responsibility to be considerate of other patients and to see that your visitors are considerate as well; particularly in regard to noise, smoking and the number of visitors, which may be annoying to other patients.
- You are expected to abide by the hospital rules and regulations.
- You have the responsibility to respect other patients' cultural and personal dealing with illness and death.
- You have the responsibility to cooperate to the best of your ability with all hospital personnel caring for you.
- You have the responsibility to provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalization, medications and other matters relating to your health.
- You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in your condition to the responsible practitioner.
- You are responsible for reporting whether you clearly comprehend a contemplated course of action and what is expected of you.
- You have the responsibility to ask questions if you do not understand any direction or information given you. If you refuse any medication, treatment or procedure recommended by your physician, you will be asked to sign a statement releasing the facility from all responsibility as a result of such course of action.
- You are responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the practitioner primarily responsible for your care. This may include following the instructions of nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan of care and implement the responsible physician's orders, and as they enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations.
- It is your responsibility to pay promptly for healthcare services ordered by your physician and provided to you in the course of your treatment. If requested, the hospital will process an insurance claim on your behalf if you provide the policy information necessary and a signed claim form.
- It is your responsibility to be prompt about asking any questions that you may have.
- You will be responsible for signing the Release of Information Form if you wish your records to be released.
- You have the responsibility to respect the privacy of your fellow patients.
- It is your responsibility to exercise your right as a patient and as a citizen. You are encouraged to voice your grievances to the appropriate personnel so that corrective action can be taken.
- You are responsible for the personal possessions you keep in your room.
- You have the responsibility to respect other people's property and that of the hospital.
Patient Visitation Rights
As a patient at Beauregard Health System, you have a right to have visitors and that all visitors enjoy equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences and subject to the hospital's justified clinical restrictions.
Justified clinical restrictions means any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation imposed by the hospital on a patient's visitation rights when restriction of limitation is necessary to provide safe care to a patient and/or other patients. A justified clinical restriction may include, but need not be limited to, one or more of the following:
- A court order limiting or restraining contact.
- Behavior presenting a direct risk or threat to the patient, hospital staff or others in the immediate environment.
- Behavior disruptive of the functioning of the patient care unit.
- Reasonable limitation on the number of visitors at any one time.
- Patient's risk of infection by the visitor.
- Visitor's risk of infection by the patient.
- Extraordinary protections because of a pandemic or infectious disease outbreak.
- Substance abuse treatment protocols requiring restricted visitation.
- Patient's need for privacy or rest.
- Need for privacy or rest by another individual in the patient's shared room.
- When the patient is undergoing a clinical intervention or procedure and the treating healthcare professional believes it is in the patient's best interest to limit visitation during the clinical intervention or procedure.
Prior to care being provided, the hospital shall inform each patient at the time he or she is informed of his or her other rights (or his or her support person, where appropriate) in writing of:
- Patient's visitation rights.
- Patient's right to receive the visitors whom he or she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), another family member or a friend.
- Patient's right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time.
- Justified clinical restrictions that may be imposed on a patient's visitation rights.
All visitors designated by the patient (or support person where appropriate) shall enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that immediate family members would enjoy.
The hospital shall accept verbal confirmation from a patient of individuals who should be admitted as visitors of the patient and individuals who should be denied visitation rights. The hospital may record such information in the records for future reference. In the event the patient is a minor, the legal parent of the minor shall be given the opportunity to verbally designate the individuals permitted to visit the minor child.
A patient may verbally designate a support person to exercise the patient's visitation rights on his or her behalf should the patient be unable to do so. Upon such designation by a patient, the legal status of the relationship between the patient and the designated support person shall be irrelevant. This designation of an individual as the patient's support person, however, does not extend to medical decision making. In the event the patient is unable to exercise his or her patient visitation rights, the hospital shall recognize the support person's verbal directive as to who should be admitted as visitors of the patient and individuals who should be denied visitation rights with respect to the patient.
In the event a patient is unable to select visitors due to incapacitation and such patient has not designated a support person to exercise the patient's visitation rights, the hospital may consider the following non-exhaustive forms of proof to establish the appropriateness of a visitor or to designate a support person for the incapacitated patient when two or more individuals claim to be the incapacitated patient's support person capable of exercising the patient's visitation rights:
- An advance directive naming the individual as a support person, approved visitor or designated decision maker (regardless of the state in which the directive is established).
- Shared residence.
- Shared ownership of a property or business.
- Financial interdependence.
- Marital/relationship status.
- Existence of a legal relationship (may be a legal relationship recognized in another jurisdiction, even if not recognized in the hospital's jurisdiction, including parent-child, civil union, marriage or domestic partnership).
- Acknowledgment of a committed relationship (e.g., an affidavit).
- Written documentation of the patient's chosen individual(s) even if it is not the legally recognized advance directive.
The hospital may impose justified clinical restrictions on a patient's visitation rights. When restricting visitation rights, the hospital shall explain to the patient (or support person as applicable) the reasons for the restrictions or limitations on the patient's visitation rights and how the hospital's visitation policies are aimed at protecting the health and safety of all patients. The hospital shall not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
Grievance
If any patient of the hospital believes that his or her patient visitation rights have been violated, they may file a complaint using the hospital's internal grievance system.