Patient Rights

At the Ambulatory Surgery Center, we support your right to know about your health and illness, and your right to participate in decisions that affect your well-being. Our own statement of patients’ rights, incorporating state and federal law, describes the Center’s commitment to protecting your rights.

PATIENT RIGHTS

Patients have the following rights at our surgery center:

1. The right to quality care and treatment given with respect, consideration and dignity.
2. The right to appropriate privacy.
3. The right to the privacy of information regarding your diagnosis, treatment options, communication, and the potential outcomes of treatment, as well as access to information contained in your medical record.
4. The right to participate in decisions concerning care and treatment, and the right to obtain complete and current information from your healthcare practitioner concerning your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms you can reasonably be expected to understand.
5. The right to know if the physician performing your procedure has a financial interest or ownership in this facility.
6. The right to be informed of your responsibilities, conduct, and the facility’s rules affecting your treatment.
7. The right to knowledge of services provided at this facility.
8. The right to discharge instructions, including information about after hours care.
9. The right to be informed regarding charges for services and to receive a copy of your account statement upon request.
10. The right to refuse to participate in experimental research.
11. The right to receive information on this facility’s policy on advance directives.
12. The right to receive this facility’s notice of privacy practices.
13. The right to know the names of those who are treating you, including physicians, nurses and other staff who will treat you.
14. The right to truthful marketing or advertising utilized by the facility.
15. The right to be informed if a physician does not carry malpractice insurance.
16. The right to voice grievances and recommend a change in policies and services to the facility’s staff, the operator and the NYS Department of Health without fear of reprisal.
17. The right to refuse treatment, as permitted by law. You can refuse treatment and still receive alternate care.
18. The right to be fully informed regarding your condition in order to make an informed decision regarding your care, and to receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure, including the reasonably foreseeable risks involved and alternatives to care or treatment that are needed to make a knowledgeable decision to give informed consent or refuse a course of treatment.
19. The right to understand and sign an Informed Consent form before receiving care.
20. The right to appropriate assessment and management of pain, information about pain and pain relief measures, and to participate in pain management decisions.
21. The right to continuity of care. If overnight care is required, staff will arrange for your transportation to the transfer hospital.
22. The right to respectful, safe care and treatment free from seclusion, restraints, abuse and harassment.
23. The right to have a family member notified of your admission, as well as the notification of your personal physician, if requested.
24. The right to leave the facility against the advice of your physician.
25. The right to express spiritual and cultural beliefs.
26. The right to receive services without regard to age, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, sex, national origin or sponsor.
27. The right to express complaints about the care and services provided and to have this facility investigate such complaints. The facility is responsible for providing you or your designee with a written response within 30 days of the findings of the investigation. The facility is also responsible for notifying you or your designee that if you are not satisfied with the facility’s response, you may file a complaint with the New York State Department of Health’s Centralized Hospital Intake Program, the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care at the addresses and telephone numbers provided below.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. You are responsible for providing accurate and complete information related to your health, reporting perceived risks in your care, and reporting unexpected changes in your health.
2. You and your family are responsible for asking questions when you do not understand what a staff member has told you about your care or expectations of what they are going to do.
3. You are responsible for following the treatment plan established by your physician, including the instructions of nurses and other healthcare professionals as they carry out the physician’s orders.
4. You are responsible for notifying the facility when you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment.
5. You are responsible for providing your healthcare insurance information and assuring the financial obligations of your care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
6. You are responsible for the consequences if you refuse treatment or fail to follow the practitioner’s instructions.
7. You are responsible for being respectful and considerate of other patients and the facility’s personnel.

These rights and responsibilities outline the basic concepts of service here at the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Greater New York.  If you believe, at any time, that our staff has not met one or more of the above statements during your care here, please ask to speak to the Medical Director or Administrator.  We will make every attempt to understand your complaint or concern, we will attempt to correct it if it is within our control, and you will receive a written response.  If our facility’s staff has not resolved the problem, you may contact the New York State Department of Health or the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman as set forth below:

New York State Department of Health
Centralized Hospital Intake Program
433 River St., Suite 303, Troy, N.Y. 12180
1-800-804-5447

Accreditation Association for
Centralized Hospital Intake Program
5250 Old Orchard Road, Suite 200
Skokie, Illinois 60077 1-847-853-6060

Website for the Office of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman:
Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.
visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
or use www.cms.hhs.gov/center/ombudsman.asp