Patient Rights and Personal Choices

Patient Rights

We consider you a partner in your hospital care. When you are well informed, participate in treatment decisions, and communicate openly with your doctor and other health professionals, you help make your care as effective as possible. This hospital encourages respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual.

While you are a patient in the hospital, your rights include the following:

You have the right to considerate and respectful care.
You have the right to be well informed about your illness, possible treatments, and likely outcome and to discuss this information with your doctor.
You have the right to know the names and roles of people treating you.
You have the right to consent to or refuse treatment, as permitted by law, throughout your hospital stay. If you refuse a recommended treatment, you will receive other needed and available care.
You have the right to have an advance directive, such as living will or health proxy. These documents express your choices about your future care or name someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself. If you have a written advance directive, you should provide a copy to the hospital, your family, and your doctor.
You have the right to privacy. The hospital, your doctor, and others caring for you will protect your privacy as much as possible.
You have the right to expect that treatment records are confidential unless you have given permission to release information or reporting is required or permitted by law. When the hospital releases records to others, such as insurers, it emphasizes that the records are confidential.
You have the right to review your medical records and to have the information explained, except when restricted by law.
You have the right to expect that the hospital will give you necessary health services to the best of its ability. Treatment, referral, or transfer may be recommended. If transfer is recommended or requested, you will be informed of risks, benefits, and alternatives. You will not be transferred until the other institution agrees to accept you.
You have the right to know if this hospital has relationships with outside parties that may influence your treatment and care. These relationships may be with educational institutions, or other health care providers, or insurers.
You have the right to consent or decline to take part in research affecting your care. If you choose not to take part, you will receive the most effective care the hospital otherwise provides.
You have the right to be told of realistic care alternatives when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
You have the right to know about hospital rules that affect you and your treatment and about charges and payment methods. You have the right to know about hospital resources, such as patient representatives or ethics committees, that can help you resolve problems and questions about your hospital stay and care.
You have responsibilities as a patient. You are responsible for providing information about your health, including past illness, hospital stays, and use of medicine. You are responsible for asking questions when you do not understand information or instructions. If you believe you can't follow through with your treatment, you are responsible for telling your doctor.
This hospital strives to provide care efficiently and fairly to all patients and the community.
You and your visitors are responsible for being considerate of the needs of other patients, staff, and the hospital.
You are responsible for providing information for insurance and for working with the hospital to arrange payment, when needed.
Your health depends not just on your hospital care, but in the long term, on the decisions you make in your daily life. You are responsible for recognizing the effect of life-style on you personal health.
A hospital serves many purposes. Hospitals work to improve people’s health, treat people with injury and disease, educate doctors, health professionals, patients, and community members, and improve understanding of health and disease. In carrying out these activities, this institution works to respect your values and dignity.

Personal Choices

There may come a time when you or a member of your family is seriously hurt or becomes gravely ill. In the midst of your shock and grief you may be asked to make difficult decisions about the intensity of medical care administered, or whether or not life support systems should be used or withdrawn. While advances in medical technology have saved thousands of lives, sometimes the very capabilities of this technology to sustain life raises questions about the humanity of prolonging life in certain situations.

Whether it is you or a family member involved, it’s a lot harder to make good decisions when you are under a lot of stress.

While making these decisions can be difficult, your physician as well as chaplains, nurses and social workers can assist you.

A competent, informed patient has the right to determine how far the medical team should go to prolong life, in light of expected outcomes.

Hopkins County Memorial Hospital has made a commitment to the preservation of life and the alleviation of suffering. Therefore, every patient admitted to Memorial Hospital will receive total life support including CPR, unless a decision has been previously made. This is called a "Do Not Resuscitate" order and is made only after thoughtful discussions between the physician, the competent patient, and any others involved in the decision-making process. It is the physician’s responsibility to inform those involved of the patient’s diagnosis and likelihood of recovery.

A Living Will is a legally binding document which allows you to specify what kind of medical treatment you wish to receive should the need arise. Most states, including Texas, currently recognizes living wills. They are binding only within state boundaries, but some states will honor those from elsewhere. Living Wills are effective in Texas until they are revoked. Still, it’s considered a good idea to initial and date your living will every few years to show that it still expresses your wishes. YOU CAN REVOKE or amend your living will at any time simply by destroying the will, deleting certain sections and by telling your physician or nurse.

You may select another person to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself. These choices could include the withholding of care, as well as matters of more routine care. This designation is made by signing a DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE.

Copies of the Living Will (Directive to Physician) and/or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care can be obtained from the hospital’s Social Services Department or from the Admission Office.

For any additional information or questions, please contact the Social Services Department at 903-439-4092.

Ethical Concerns

Hopkins County Memorial Hospital has an Ethics Committee. Should you have a concern about your care or ethical issues here at Memorial Hospital, please Administration at 903-439-4052.  After hours, weekends, and holidays contact the operator and ask to speak with the House Supervisor.

If your concern is not resolved or you feel you need to express your concern to an entity other than the Hospital, call the Texas Department of State Health Services at 1-888-973-0022..