New England OB/GYN Associates, Inc.
200 Boylston Street, Suite 301 Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-731-3400
PATIENTS RIGHTS
Your Rights as a Patient
Access to Care
Individuals shall be accorded impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of age, race, color, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, sex, gender identity, cultural, economic, educational, religious background, disability, national origin, or sources of payment for care.
Respect and Dignity
The patient has the right to considerate, respectful care and recognition of the patient’s personal dignity at all times under all circumstances and the right to be free of all forms of abuse and harassment and to the extent reasonably possible to privacy during medical treatment and other care. The patient has the right to have patient’s cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and personal values, beliefs and preferences respected. The patient has the right to request pastoral and other spiritual services. The patient has a right, if suffering from any form of breast cancer, to complete information on all alternative treatments that are medically viable.
Communication
The patient has the right of access to people outside the practice by means of visitors and by verbal and written communication. The patient has a right to prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests. When the patient does not speak or understand the predominant language of the community (English), the patient will be provided an interpreter or the ability to access interpreter services via a phone interpreter.
Consent
The patient has the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving the patient’s health care. To the degree possible, this is based on a clear, concise explanation of the condition and of all proposed technical procedures, including the possibilities of any risk of mortality or serious side effects, problems related to recuperation, and probability of success. The patient will not be subjected to any procedure without the patient’s voluntary, competent, and understanding consent or the consent of a legally authorized representative. Where medically significant alternatives for care or treatment exist, the patient will be so informed.
The patient has the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedures or treatment.
The patient will be informed if the practice proposes to engage in or perform experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting the patient’s care or treatment and the patient has the right to refuse to participate in any such activity.
The patient has the right to refuse to be observed, examined or treated by any students assigned to the practice for training purposes.
Conflicts
The patient has the right to be advised of any conflicts of interest the patient’s physician may have in respect to the care to be rendered.
Personal Safety
The patient has the right to expect reasonable safety at the practice.
Identity
The patient has the right to know the identity and professional status of individuals providing service and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for the patient’s care. This includes the patient’s right to know of the existence of any professional relationship among individuals who are providing treatment, as well as the relationship to any other health care or educational institutions involved in the patient’s care. Participation by patients in clinical training programs or in the gathering of data for research purposes is voluntary. The patient has the right to request physician’s credentials.
Information
The patient has the right to request and obtain, from the practitioner responsible for coordinating the patient’s care, complete and current information concerning diagnosis (to the degree known), treatment, and any known prognosis. This information will be communicated in terms the patient can reasonably be expected to understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to the patient, the information will be made available to a legally authorized individual. The patient has a right, if suffering from any form of breast cancer, to complete information on alternative treatments that are medically possible. The patient has the right to request and to inspect the patient’s medical records, request an amendment to, or receive an accounting of disclosures regarding personal health information, and for a reasonable fee, receive a copy of the patient’s medical record. The patient has the right to request and to receive a copy of the patient’s medical record, without a charge if the patient’s request is to support a claim or appeal under any provisions of the Social Security Act in any federal or state financial needs-based benefit program.
Privacy and Confidentiality
The patient has the right, within the law, to personal and informational privacy, as manifested by the following rights:
• To refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the practice, including visitors or personnel officially connected with the practice but not directly involved in the patient’s care (See HIPAA Policies).
• To wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items, as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
• To be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable visual and auditory privacy. This includes the right to have a person of the patient’s gender present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment, or procedure performed by a health professional not of the same gender as the patient and the right not to remain disrobed any longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which the patient was asked to disrobe.
• To expect that any discussion or consultation involving the patient’s case will be conducted discreetly and that individuals directly involved in the patient’s care will not be present without the patient’s permission.
• To have the patient’s medical record accessed only by individuals directly involved in the patient’s treatment or the monitoring of its quality and by other individuals only on written authorization or that of a legally authorized representative.
• To expect all communications and other records pertaining to the patient’s care, including the source of payment for treatment, to be treated as confidential.
Consultation
The patient, at the patient’s own request and expense, has the right to consult with a specialist. Additionally, the patient, at the patient’s own request and expense, has the right to seek a second opinion.
Refusal of Treatment
The patient may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. When refusal of treatment by the patient or the patient’s legally authorized representative prevents the provision of appropriate care in accordance with professional standards, and the patient is fully informed of the consequences of the patient’s actions, the relationship with the patient may be terminated upon reasonable notice. The patient has the right to formulate advance directives. The patient has the right to leave the practice, even against the advice of physicians.
Transfer and Continuity of Care
The patient has the right to change providers within the practice or have the patient’s records transferred to another provider. A patient may not be transferred by the practice to another facility unless the patient has received a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and of the alternatives of such a transfer and unless the transfer is acceptable to the other facility. The patient has the right to be informed by the practitioner responsible for the patient’s care, or the practitioner’s delegate, of any continuing health care requirements following discharge from the practice.
Practice Charges
Regardless of the source of payment for care, the patient has the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of the patient’s total bill for services rendered at the practice. The patient has a right to request and receive information about financial assistance and free health care. If refused treatment for economic status or lack of a source of payment, the patient has a right to prompt and safe transfer to a facility that agrees to provide treatment. The patient has a right to prompt life-saving treatment without discrimination due to economic status or source of payment.
Practice Rules and Regulations
The patient should be informed of the practice’s rules and regulations applicable to the patient’s conduct as a patient. Patients are entitled to information about the practice’s mechanism for the initiation, review, and resolution of patient complaints. The patient has the right to obtain a copy of any rules or regulations which may apply to the patient’s conduct as a patient.
Pain Management
The patient has the right to have pain assessed and managed as part of the treatment process.
Incompetent
If a patient is adjudged incompetent under applicable law by a court of proper jurisdiction, the rights of the patient are exercised by the person appointed under applicable law to act on the patient’s behalf.
The Patient’s Responsibilities as a Patient
Compliance with Instructions
A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the provider primarily responsible for the patient’s 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 provider’s orders, and as they enforce the applicable rules and regulations of the practice. The patient is responsible to communicate with providers any extent to which the patient does not understand the planned treatment or the patient’s part in that treatment. The patient is responsible for keeping appointments and when they are unable to do so for any reason, the patient is responsible for notifying the practice. A patient is responsible for being open and honest with the practice regarding the patient’s health history, including providing complete and accurate information to the best of the patient’s ability about the patient’s health, any medications taken, including over-the-counter products and dietary supplements, any legal or illegal addictive substances used and any allergies or sensitivities.
Refusal of Treatment
The patient is responsible for the patient’s own actions if the patient refuses treatment or does not follow the practitioner’s instructions.
The Practice Charges
The patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of the patient’s health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible. The practice will assist with the processing of claims; however, the ultimate responsibility falls to the patient and/or legal family members.
The Practice’s Rules and Regulations
The patient is responsible for following the rules and regulations of the practice that affect patient care and conduct.
Respect and Consideration
The patient is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients, visitors, and practice personnel including assisting in the control of noise, refraining from abusive language or behavior, not smoking, and limiting the number of visitors. The patient is responsible for being respectful of the property of the practice and of other persons. The patient may be held responsible for any damage to property or equipment caused by the patient’s behavior.
Information
The patient is responsible to make sure the patient understands all information regarding the implications of the patient’s symptoms, the patient’s surgery or procedure (if applicable) and any risks related to having or declining such surgery or procedure, the expected outcomes of the plan of care outlined by the patient’s physician, and the patient’s responsibilities with regard to that plan of care. The patient is responsible to indicate whether the patient clearly understands a contemplated course of action and what is expected of the patient.
Advance Directives
The patient is responsible for informing the patient’s provider about any living will, medical power of attorney or other directive (Advanced Directives) that could affect the patient’s care. Ask for assistance obtaining/completing a Massachusetts Health Care Proxy form or referral to social services for further information.
Responsible Party
The patient must have a responsible adult to transport the patient home after surgery and remain with the patient as directed by the provider or as indicated on discharge instructions.
New England OB/GYN Associates, Inc. is committed to responding to patient’s issues or concerns about patient care and safety. We encourage patients to contact the NEOGA Administrator at (617) 467-6672 if there is an issue or concern. If the concern is not resolved through this process, the patient has the right to file a grievance and the patient may contact any of the following agencies:
Massachusetts Department of Public Health,
Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality
67 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752
(617) 753-8000
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine,
178 Albion Street, Suite 330, Wakefield, MA 01880
Consumer Hotline: (800) 377-0550 (Massachusetts callers only)
General number: (781) 876-8200
For more information regarding our providers and practice, please visit our website www.neobgyn.org