Patient Rights/Responsibilities
The doctors, nurses and clinical staff at Landmark Hospital are dedicated to keeping patients healthy by providing very good care. If Landmark does not meet a need or room exists for improvement, please call 573-335-1091 and ask to speak to the Nurse Manager to voice your concern. If your concern is not resolved, you may contact:
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
1 Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
630-792-5000
Landmark Hospital's Patient Bill of Rights
Access to Care
As a patient, you have the right to impartial care, treatment and services that are available at Landmark Hospital regardless of race, creed, national origin, sex, age or financial status.
Respect and Dignity
You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times and under all circumstances. You have the right to pastoral and spiritual services. You have the right to have your cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and personal values, beliefs and preferences respected. You may wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
Pain Management
You can expect information about pain and pain relief measures, health professionals who respond quickly to reports of pain and state-of-the-art pain management.
Privacy and Confidentiality
You have the right, within the law, to personal and information privacy. You may refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with Landmark Hospital, including visitors or persons officially connected with Landmark Hospital but not directly involved in your care. You can expect your medical records will be treated as confidential information and only those persons who are directly involved in your care or in monitoring it will have access to your records. Only your written authorization can change this. You can expect all communications and other records pertaining to your care, including the source of payment, to be treated as confidential.
Consent
You (or a legally authorized person(s)) have the right to consent to or refuse proposed treatment and services. You also have the right to know about alternative methods of treatment, probable outcomes and the right to consult with a specialist. You have the right to be informed if the Medical Center 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.
Protective Services
Often you or your family may feel there is a need for protective services (i.e., guardianship, conservatorship, child or adult protective services). You may file a complaint if you wish. The Medical Center will provide you with a list of those names, addresses and phone numbers and will assist you in any way they can.
Personal Safety
You have the right to reasonable safety as far as Medical Center practices and environment are concerned.
Ethics Committee
Sometimes patients, families and staff have difficult choices and ethical questions they need to talk about (e.g., questions on end-of-life care) or issues related to your rights and responsibilities (e.g., safety, pain management, confidentiality). Members of the Ethics Committee are available to address difficult ethical issues. To access the Ethics Committee, call 573-331-8400 or ask your healthcare provider to contact a supervisor or manager.
Identity/Information
You have the right to information regarding the identity and professional status of the physician treating you. You (or in appropriate treatment and circumstances your family) have the right to discuss the outcome of all procedures with your physician. This explanation should be sufficiently clear for you to understand. You also have the right to participate in planning your care and to know the risks involved. If we are unable to give this information to you, it should be given to a person(s) legally authorized to receive it. You have the right to be included in any discussions/decisions regarding ethical issues in your care.
Transfer and Continuity of Care
You have the right to participate in your discharge planning, including available service options and a choice of agencies that provide the services. You have the right not to be transferred to another facility unless the reason for it and the alternatives have been explained to you and unless the next facility agrees to accept you. You have the right to be instructed in your continued self-care before your discharge from Landmark Hospital.
Medical Center Charges
You have the right to receive an itemized bill and explanation of it. You also have the right to a notice of termination of a third party payor’s reimbursement. Medical Center Rules and Regulations You have the right to be free from abuse, neglect or exploitation. You also have the right to know Medical Center rules and regulations for patients’ care and for handling complaints.
Patient Responsibilities
Provision of Information
As a patient, you have the responsibility to provide information about your present and past illnesses, treatment and about your understanding of the treatment plan designed for you. You and your family are responsible for reporting unexpected changes in your condition to the responsible practitioner.
Reporting Pain
It is the responsibility of the patient to discuss relief options with the doctors and nurses, help the doctors and nurses assess pain, and tell the doctors and nurses if the pain is not relieved.
Asking Questions
You and your family are responsible for asking questions when you do not understand what you have been told about your care or what you are expected to do.
Respect and Consideration
You have the responsibility to respect other patients and the personnel involved in your care and treatment. You are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and the Medical Center.
Medical Center Rules and Regulations
You have the responsibility to follow the rules and regulations of Landmark Hospital regarding patient care.
Compliance with Instructions
You have the responsibility to participate in the teaching and treatment plan recommended by the personnel who care for you. You and your family are responsible for following the treatment plan developed with your practitioners. You should express any concerns you have about your ability to follow the proposed course of treatment. The Medical Center, in turn, will make every effort to adapt the treatment plan to your specific needs and limitations. You and your family should understand the consequences of failing to follow the recommended course of treatment or of using other treatments. If you or your family refuses treatment or fails to follow the practitioner’s instructions, you are responsible for the outcome. Sometimes disagreements occur about a course of treatment. Usually these disagreements can be talked through and resolved. However, if they continue, you should talk to your physician or Care Coordinator. They can assist you in finding other ways to help resolve them.
Medical Center Charges
You have the responsibility for assuring that the financial obligations of your healthcare are met as promptly as possible. Landmark Hospital provides discounts and financial assistance for patients who qualify. For more information, contact the Landmark Hospital Business Office at 573-331-8400.
Advance Directives
Healthcare Decisions for Your Future
People everywhere are being faced with decisions about issues such as life support, nutrition and resuscitation efforts for themselves and family members. Landmark Hospital knows the importance of such issues. We would like to provide you with some information to help answer questions you might have.
Advance Directives - Stating Your Wishes in Writing
A recent United States Supreme Court ruling (Cruzan) stated all people can refuse medical treatment. This includes life-prolonging procedures. This ruling also gives you the right to name someone else to make these decisions for you, if you cannot make them for yourself. An advance directive is a paper, such as a living will or durable power of attorney, for healthcare. This allows you to let others know what you would want if you could not speak for yourself. If properly enacted, your advance directive should be honored in any state according to that state’s law and Medical Center policy.
Understanding Advance Directives
Living Will
A living will is a signed, dated and witnessed paper. It can be used to state what you would want done, or not done, should you become terminally ill or permanently unconscious.
Your living will may not cover everything. Your living will probably does not allow you to name an agent. There is clearly a benefit to being as specific as possible when making an advance directive.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney names the person who can make healthcare decisions for you. This person is sometimes called an agent. This paper should have detailed instructions on what types of treatment you want or do not want in the case that you are unable to make your own decisions. General power of attorney refers to business and money matters. A durable power of attorney for healthcare covers medical issues. You may choose to name separate agents for business and healthcare decisions and use separate documents to do so.
Naming an Agent
You should name someone who knows your wishes and whom you trust to act according to your wishes. You may name a family member, but you do not have to. You might choose your spouse, an adult child or a friend. Talk with your agent about your wishes in detail and confirm that he or she agrees to act according to your wishes.
When a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions Goes Into Effect
A durable power of attorney becomes effective only when you are no longer able to make your own decisions, such as if you are seriously ill, injured, or terminally ill and in a temporary or permanent unconscious state.
Discussing Your Advance Directive
It is up to you to let your agent(s), doctors, family members, clergy and significant others know you have an advance directive. You should give them a copy and discuss the details of your advance directive with them. Carrying Out the Wishes Stated in an Advance Directive Healthcare providers and your agent must honor your wishes, so long as the directions you have made comply with state law and Medical Center policy. If a provider refuses to honor your wishes, they must help you transfer to someone who will honor your advance directive. Your family cannot make changes to the advance directive. Only your agent has legal authority to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. However, your agent may wish to obtain more information from your family to assist him/her in making those decisions.
Changing or Revoking Advance Directives
Your advance directive is effective until the time of your death or until you revoke it. You should review your advance directive periodically. Each time that you do this, date andinitial it in the margins of your documents. This will indicate that your directions are current. An advance directive can be revoked orally; however, it is better to sign and date a written revocation and destroy all previous copies of the document. Organ or Tissue Donations in an Advance Directive You may express your wishes for organ or tissue donations in an advance directive. If you plan on donating organs or tissues you should complete the back section of your driver’s license. You should also discuss organ/tissue donation with family members.
Code Status
Should you or a loved one become very ill, the doctor or nurse will approach you about a "code status," or what efforts should be made to revive someone should their heart stop beating or if they stop breathing. The following are definitions of common terms the nurse and doctor may use when discussing a code status.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
An emergency procedure consisting of artificial breathing and compressing on the chest. This is performed in an attempt to revive a patient who has gone into cardiac arrest (no heartbeat) or respiratory arrest (no breathing).
Life Support Treatment
Medical treatment which helps to maintain life, without which the person could possibly die. Example: Drugs to support blood pressure; the use of a breathing machine (ventilator).
Code Blue or Full Code
An emergency response in which CPR is applied in an effort to restore breathing and/or heartbeat. This may result in the use of a ventilator and/or drugs if the code blue is successful.
Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)
In the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest, CPR will not be performed. If you decide your loved one has a DNAR status, they will continue to receive medical and nursing care to maintain life. However, if their heart should stop or they should quit breathing, efforts would not be taken to revive them.
Compassionate Care
Neither CPR nor aggressive life support measures will be done. The patient will receive supportive care from the medical and nursing staff. Drugs will still be given to relieve pain and control signs and symptoms of their disease. The patient will be watched closely so changes will be noticed.