Patient Rights & Responsibilities

You have the right to:

Considerate and respectful care, and to be made comfortable. You have the right to respect for your cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences.

Have a family member (or another representative of your choosing) and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.

Know the name of the licensed health care practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care, and the names and professional relationships of physicians and non-physicians who will see you.

Receive information about your health status, diagnosis, prognosis, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes) in terms you can understand. You have the right to effective communication and to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care. You have the right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of your care, including issues of conflict resolution, withholding resuscitative services, and forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.

Make decisions regarding medical care and receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse a course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.

Request or refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law. However, you do not have the right to demand inappropriate or medically unnecessary treatment or services. You have the right to leave the hospital even against the advice of members of the medical staff, to the extent permitted by the law.

Be advised if the hospital/licensed health care practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting your care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.

Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.

Appropriate assessment and management of your pain, information about pain, pain relief measures and to participate in pain management decisions. You may request or reject the use of any or all modalities to relieve the pain, including opiate medications.

Formulate Advance Directives. This includes designating a decision maker if you become incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or become unable to communicate your wishes regarding care. Hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital shall comply with these directives. All patients’ rights apply to the person who has legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.

Have personal privacy respected. Case discussions, consultation, examinations, and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be told the reason for the presence of any individual. You have the right to have visitors leave prior to an examination and when treatment issues are being discussed. Privacy curtains will be used in semi-private rooms

Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and stay in the hospital. You will receive a separate “Notice of Privacy Practices” that explains your privacy rights in detail and how we may use and disclose your protected health information.

Receive care in a safe setting, free from mental, physical, sexual, or verbal abuse and neglect, exploitation, or harassment. You have the right to access protective and advocacy services, including notifying government agencies of neglect or abuse.

Be free from restraints and seclusion in any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.

Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments, as well as the identity of the persons providing the care.

Be informed by the physician, or a delegate of the physician, of continuing healthcare requirements and options following discharge from the hospital. You have the right to be involved in the development and implementation of your discharge plan. Upon your request, a friend or family member may be provided with this information also.

Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient.

Designate a support person as well as visitors of your choosing unless:
1. No visitors are allowed.
2. The facility reasonable determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient, a member of the health facility staff or other visitors to the health facility or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
3. If you have told the health facility staff that you no longer want a particular person to visit, arrangements will be made to restrict visitation. However, a health facility may establish reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including the restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors.
4. The health facility must inform you (or your support person, where appropriate) of your visitation rights, including any clinical restrictions or limitations. The health facility is not permitted to restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Have your wishes considered, if you lack decision-making capacity, for the purposes of determining who may visit. The method of that consideration will comply with federal law and be disclosed in the hospital policy on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any persons living in your household and any support person pursuant to federal law.
Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital’s bill regardless of the source of payment.
Exercise these rights without regard to and be free of discrimination on the basis of sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, medical condition, marital status, age registered domestic partner status, genetic information, citizenship, primary language, immigration status (except as required by federal law) or the source of payment for care.
File a grievance. If you want to file a grievance with this hospital, you may do so by writing or calling the Coordinator of Patient Experience:

147 North Brent Street
Ventura, CA 93003-2854
805-948-5337

Your grievance will be reviewed, and we will provide you with a written response within 7 days. The written response will contain the name of a person to contact at the hospital, the steps taken to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance process, and the date of completion of the grievance process.
File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health Services regardless of whether you use the hospital’s grievance process.

Address: California Department of Public Health
P.O. Box 997377, MS 0500
Sacramento, CA 95899-7377
Phone: 916-558-1784
Email: CDPH_LNC_SFS@cdph.ca.gov
File a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD):

Address: California Civil Right Department 2218 Kausen Drive #100,
Elk Grove, CA 95758
Phone: 800-884-1684 or 800-700-2320 (TTY)
Website: www.calcivilrights.ca.gov
File a complaint with the Medical Board of California:

Address: Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street #1200
Sacramento, CA 95815
Phone: 800-633-2322
Website: www.mbc.ca.gov/consumers/complaints
Contact Det Norske Veritas (DNV) if you have any unresolved patient safety or quality of care concerns by writing or calling:

Address: Hospital Complain DNV Healthcare Inc.
400 Techne Center Drive, Suite 350
Millford, OH 45150
Phone: 866-523-6842
Website: www.dnvglhealthcare.com

Patient Responsibilities

As a patient of Community Memorial Healthcare, you have the following responsibilities:

Healthcare is shared responsibility. Engaging in discussion, asking questions, seeking information, and exploring alternatives improves communication and understanding of one’s health and treatment.

Patients, as well as their family members, representatives, and visitors, are expected to recognize and respect the rights of our other patients, visitors, and staff. Threats, violence, disrespectful communication or harassment of other patients, health system or medical staff member will not be tolerated.
Requests for provider or medical staff changes based solely on gender, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression will not be honored.
To respect the rights and property of other patients and Community Memorial personnel. Just as you want privacy, a quiet atmosphere and courteous treatment, so do other patients. You have the responsibility to follow the organization's rules and regulations, limit your visitors, follow smoking regulations, and use the telephone, television, and lights courteously so that you do not disturb others.
Following Safety Policies such as smoking restrictions, weapons on campus, contraband, or use of drugs.
Patients and their families or visitors are expected to:
1. To prevent accidental fire due to ignition of a patient's administered oxygen therapy, do not bring any smoking materials (cigarettes/tobacco in any form, electronic cigarettes ["Vaping"], matches, lighters, battery recharger for electronic cigarettes,) into a patient's room
2. Refrain from conducting any illegal activity on Community Memorial Healthcare property ― if such activity occurs, it will be reported to the police
3. Refrain from recording or photographing your experiences in the hospital without the consent of everyone involved including physicians, nurses, and other staff ― please note that unauthorized recording violates California state law
4. For the safety of all patients, visitors, faculty, staff, and students, do not bring any weapons onto health system property including but not limited to guns, knives, pepper spray (or similar), or tasers/stun guns
To report to your physician, and other healthcare professionals caring for you, accurate and complete information to the best of your knowledge about present complaints, past illness, hospitalizations, medications, unexpected changes in condition and other matters relating to your health as well as to provide a copy of your advance health care directive or POLST to be filed in your medical record, if applicable.
To seek information about your health and what you are expected to do. Your healthcare provider may not know when you’re confused or uncertain, or just want more information. If you don't understand the medical words they use, please ask for more explanation.
The most effective plan is the one to which all participants agree and that is carried out exactly. It is your responsibility to tell your health care provider whether or not you can and want to follow the treatment plan recommended for you.
To ask your healthcare provider for information about your health and healthcare. This includes following the instructions of other health team members, including nurses and physical therapists that are linked to this plan of care. The organization makes every effort to adapt a plan specific to your needs and limitations.
To continue your care after you leave Community Memorial Healthcare, including knowing when and where to get further treatment and what you need to do at home to help with your care.
To accept the consequences of your own decisions and actions, if you choose to refuse treatment or not to comply with the care, treatment, and service plan offered by your healthcare provider.
To keep appointments with your healthcare provider. If you need to cancel an appointment, you should do so at least 24 hours before your appointment time.
To assure that your financial obligations for your healthcare is fulfilled by paying bills promptly. Late payments increase overall charges. You are responsible for working with your account representative to make payment arrangements and for providing the information necessary to determine how your hospital bill will be paid.
To be considerate of Community Memorial Healthcare facilities and equipment and to use them in such a manner so as not to abuse them.
Any abusive or disrespectful behavior could result in dismissal of care from Community Memorial Healthcare, or a visitor being barred from visitation.

If you have any questions regarding these Patient Responsibilities, please contact:
Coordinator of Patient Experience: 805-948-5337
Director of Patient Safety: 805-948-2884

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