Open Accessibility Menu
Hide

Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital (OVSH) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. OVSH encourages respect for the personal preferencesand values of each individual.

While you are in our facility, your rights and responsibilities include the following:

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES – Consistent with state law, the patient (and/or legal representative, as appropriate) has the following responsibilities:

  1. To provide information that facilitates care, treatment, and services.
  2. To ask questions or acknowledge when the patient does not understand the treatment course or care decisions.
  3. To follow instructions, policies, rules, and regulations that support quality care and a safe environment.
  4. To be considerate and respectful when interacting with staff.
  5. To maintain civil language and conduct.
  6. To meet financial commitments to the organization.
  7. To provide accurate and complete information about health-related matters.
  8. To take an active role in making decisions about care, treatment, and services by doing the following:
    • Discussing condition and treatment with the practitioner.
    • Reporting any changes to condition.
    • Providing advance directive and/or expressing wishes regarding use of life support.
  9. To cooperate with the organization’s staff who provide care.
  10. To ask questions if plans or direction of care are not clearly understood.
  11. To follow and respect the organization’s rules and regulations about patient care and conduct.
  12. To be considerate of the rights of other patients and staff.
  13. To follow guidelines about use of cameras.
  14. To accept responsibility for actions if treatment is refused or practitioner instructions are not followed.
  15. To provide the organization with complete information to process insurance claims.
  16. To arrange to pay bills within an acceptable time period.
  17. To be responsible for belongings and not bring unnecessary items or valuables to the organization.
  18. To inform staff of all information that may affect care and safety.

PATIENT RIGHTS – Consistent with state law, the patient (and/or legal representative, as appropriate) has the following rights:

  1. 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.
  2. To be treated with dignity and respect.
  3. To effective communication.
  4. To have cultural and personal values, beliefs and preferences respected.
  5. To personal privacy and privacy of health information.
  6. To pain management.
  7. To religious or other spiritual services.
  8. To access, request amendments to and/or obtain information on disclosures of health information.
  9. To have a family member, friend, or other individual present for emotional support during the patient’s stay.
  10. To be free from discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
  11. To receive information in a manner that meets the patient’s needs when he or she is impaired by vision, speech, hearing or cognitive impairments.
  12. To receive information in a manner that is understandable and tailored to the patient’s age, language, and ability to understand.
  13. To be involved in making decisions about care, treatment, and services.
  14. To have the patient’s physician promptly notified of the patient’s hospital admission.
  15. To refuse care, treatment, and services, and to receive information about this in writing.
  16. To have a surrogate decision maker if the patient is unable to make decisions on his or her own. The surrogate decision maker has the right to refuse care, treatment, and services on the patient’s behalf.
  17. To have family involved in decision making about care, treatment, and services.
  18. To receive information about the outcomes of the patient’s care, treatment and services that are needed to participate in current and future health care decisions.
  19. To be informed about anticipated outcomes of care, treatment, and services that related to sentinel events.
  20. To give or withhold informed consent.
  21. To give or withhold informed consent to produce or use recordings, films, or other images for purposes other than the patient’s care.
  22. To receive relevant information when deciding whether to participate in research, investigation ortrials including the following:
  • Explanation of the purpose of the research.
  • Expected duration of participation.
  • Clear description of the procedures involved in the research.
  • Statement of the potential benefits, risks, discomforts, and side effects.
  • Alternative care, treatment, and services available to the patient that might prove advantageous.
  1. To receive information about the individual(s) responsible for and providing the patient’s care, treatment, and services.
  2. To be free from neglect, exploitation and verbal, mental and sexual abuse.
  3. To have an environment that preserves dignity and contributes to positive self-image.
  4. To have complaints reviewed by the organization without being subjected to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of care.
  5. To access protective and advocacy services.
  6. To discuss with a physician any ethical issues that arise during the course of care.
  7. To request access to the organization’s Ethics Committee.
  8. To receive information about advance directives.
  9. To have advance directives respected and followed.
  10. To have issues addressing autopsy and organ donation conducted in a sensitive manner.
  11. To request and receive pastoral counseling.
  12. To request and expect the organization to arrange for the prompt and orderly transfer of the patient’s care to others when the organization cannot meet the patient’s requests or needs for care, treatment, and services.
  13. No Surprises: Understand your rights against surprise medical bills. Click here to learn more.

If you have a concern, problem, complaint, or suggestion, you may talk with your doctor, nurse, any staff member, or manager.

  1. You may also contact any of the following by telephone or in writing:
    • Administrator, Ron Connovich - 937-521-3901
    • Chief Nursing Officer, Mendy Williams - 937-771-2261
    • Written complaints may be sent to 100 West Main Street, Springfield, OH. 45502 with attention to Ron Connovich, Mendy Williams, or the Compliance Officer.
    • Anonymous complaints can be made by calling the OVSH compliance hotline at 1-844-601-1873.
  2. You may also contact any/all of the following regulatory agencies:
    • The Joint Commission (hospital accreditation) to report a quality/patient safety concern(this must be submitted in writing).
      • At www.jointcommission.org using the “Report a Patient Safety Event” link in the action center on the home page of the website.
      • By fax - 630-792-5636
      • By mail to the Office of Quality and Patient Safety, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Blvd., Oakbrook terrace, IL. 60181
  • The Ohio Department of Health Hotline - 800-342-0553 or 800-669-3534
  • Beneficiary & Family Centered Quality Improvement Organization – Livanta at 1-888-524-9900. You can also file a civil rights complaint with:

The US Department of Health and Human Services-Office for Civil Rights: Electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf

By mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 509F, HHH Building Washington, D.C. 20201 1-800-368-1019 or 800-537-7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.