The Three "N's" of Social Media

Social Media has taken a route into many people's lives as the three "N's". It is becoming Natural, Needed, and a Necessity. Many people have noticed that any online work or communicating through text is now as natural as simply talking. Social media is almost becoming the "needed" version to communicate to other people. As we look at the new cell phones coming out, they are compacted with new gadgets that we would never dream of having in a single phone ten years ago. The very iphone has more to offer than a telephone book, a computer, an ipod, a clock, entertainment, a notebook, and much more combined. Still, there is an app for facebook. Many companies now just do not have websites, they have facebook pages to promote their company. Even Chipotle has its own app. Having a interaction with the public is not just informing people what the company is about through a website like it was before. More personal approaches are taking place to dig deeper into people's interests by using all sorts of social media.
Applications for jobs are being given online. If a person wanted to apply for Starbucks, they have no other option than to apply online. Interviews are now being held through Skype! The new futuristic ways of living life are happening now in this generation. Reaching out to the public in the areas that they are most reachable is the idea of spreading business. Social media is changing and constantly being added too and is headed toward a new way of living. Hospitals even have their own websites. There are doctors who have two facebook pages; one for their professional life and one for their social life. It is scary but realistically true that companies are now looking at facebook when looking to hire new employees. It is now be encouraged that people should caution what is being revealed on their pages. Employers are now looking at all of these aspects in order to get a full understanding of who a future employee may be, the current "status" on a current employee, or may even have a page themselves.
Social media is taking a turn in how the way the world works. Personal information is being so easily obtainable. Having a social life and a professional life are rapidly being conjoined. The funny thing is that people are liking and accepting this new approach. This could be a new revolution of how major companies manage their businesses whether it is through PR or simply community relations.

The Influence of Social Media on Public Relations in the Health care System

First of all, let’s define the role of Public Relations in any organization. PR’s main role is to build and maintain the reputation of an organization. However, with the rapid growth of the Social media in today’s society, I feel that PR sort of losing their power of maintaining the reputation of any organization, especially in the Health care system.

Nothing is hidden anymore. People use social media to share their dissatisfaction and frustration. It seems that they feel that by voicing their opinions, disappointments, and so on , on Facebook for example, their voice is heard somehow. And most of the time, immediate feedback is given by fellow users.

Let’s say for instance, someone experiences a malpractice at a hospital, if this person is a faithful user of FB, chances are he or she will share that on FB; what that does, it immediately raise doubts in the mind of whoever reads about this disagreeable experience. Consequently, the reputation of this hospital is automatically affected.

Another crucial thing is that, people use Social media to find information that are related to their health issues. Not too long ago, a friend on my FB’s list posted that her 1 year old daughter had a cold, before the day was over, there were many comments on her page, each suggesting what she should do to solve the problem.
PR’s personnel, needs to be mindful of the existence of Social Media in today’s society and plan in accordance if they want to be successful in their jobs.

More Patient Users than Hospitals

Social media has become a phenomenon that has integrated into everyday living. Social media sources are being tapped into everyday by thousands of people, and many of these are individuals looking for answers to medical questions. This praticular group has been given the name e-patients and are becoming more and more dependent on social media outlets for a wide variety of health are information.

Having a website is no longer enough for hospitals. The opportunity for facebook and twitter accounts, blog postings by physcians, CEO's, board members, and patients, youTube postings, and podcasts are endless. It doesn't appear however, that the healthcare industry is really infiltrating the social media world. According to healthcareitnews.com, only 1 in 3 hospitals has a social media plan. Maybe that is because they haven't realized the benefits included in such things.

In cases of crisis management, community relations, public affairs and marketing it allows the hospital employees to "speak" directly to the public. Besides being most of the time free, there is no need for a middle man and an opportunity for transparency appears. Also, the message is being put into the hands of the public in a way that is most convinent and comfortable for them. Social media allows the healthcare team to get directly into the homes and lives of the public. As far as marketing and public relations goes, the possibility to be creative and hit a wide variety of audiences is endless. You can use written, video, or oral means of spreading the word.

Social media is changing the way the world finds out information and patients have latched onto this. Healthcare systems do too. The advantages it offers to healthcare systems is endless.

Social media seems to be a new innovation to healthcare

Healthcare marketing has nothing to do with social media in the past; however, technology advancement brings healthcare marketing into a new era. 34% of consumers use social media to search for health information, according to research data from "How American Searches: Health and Wellness".

Today people rely a lot of the internet, and they believe in what they see online. Furthermore, 78% of internet users trust the opinions and recommendations of other people, according to the Nelson Report 2007. Surprisingly, even physicians are using online resources for work.

Through social media, people not only get to get connected with you, but also sell and advocate you and your organization. In order to send the healthcare messages correctly and effectively, several criteria are being emphasized.

First, medical personnel need to learn how to use social media to communicate with the audiences. Little kids nowadays seem to have the inborn talent on using internet, but this talent is not applicable to young adults. Medical personnel need to know what messages are acceptable to send out and what are not.

Second, social media can serve as a way to educate the public. The public wants to know the accurate information regarding the healthcare service, medication, etc, give all the information to them through the net.

Third, it is easier to reach the audiences using the online platforms they are familiar with. We are all creative and adventurous. When it comes to marketing, it is better to start with something people have heard of and trust.

Undoubtedly, there are always both positive and negative sides, especially marketing through social media. You should not choose to do nothing in order to avoid negative feedback or outcome. Make yourself invisible and reachable to the public, this is the most important task.

Washington Adventist Hospital -- Patient's Rights

Patient's Rights & Responsibilities

Washington Adventist Hospital accepts the following principles in its commitment to provide respectful care.

You have the right:

1. To know by name the physician, nurses and staff members responsible for your care.
2. To effective communication.
3. To a reasonable response to requests and needs for treatment or service, within the hospital's capacity, stated mission, and applicable law and regulations.
4. To receive respectful care with consideration of cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and personal values, beliefs and preferences that optimizes comfort and dignity.
5. To receive current, accurate, and understandable information from his or her doctor(s) about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
6. To make decisions involving his or her health care in collaboration with his or her physician.
7. To give informed consent to all procedures and treatment to be rendered, and to have questions answered; and to refuse and/or to discontinue procedures and treatment and to be informed of the consequences of such a decision.
8. To access pastoral care or other spiritual services.
9. To participate (or have a designated representative participate) with the Patient Care Advisory Committee in the consideration of ethical issues that arise regarding his or her care.
10. When the patient is not competent to make decisions, the surrogate decision maker as allowed by law has the right to consent to or refuse care, treatment and services on the patient's behalf.
11. To prepare advance medical directives and appoint a surrogate to make health care decisions on the patient's behalf, to the extent permitted by law.
12. To have reasonable privacy during examination and treatment.
13. To receive the most appropriate and/or effective pain relief.
14. To have communications and records concerning treatment be maintained confidentially, in accordance with legal requirements, unless consent to their release is granted.
15. To have access to all information contained in the medical record.
16. To be informed of any human experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting his or her care or treatment.
17. If a transfer from the hospital becomes necessary, to receive an explanation of the reasons(s) for the transfer and any alternatives to the transfer.
18. To examine the hospital bill and have it explained, regardless of who is responsible for its payment.
19. The patient has the right to have his/her family or surrogate decision maker, as appropriate and as allowed by law, involved in care, treatment and service discussions.

If you or your family member has a concern about patient care or safety at Washington Adventist Hospital please speak to the Charge Nurse on your unit or Patient Relations at x5476. You may also contact the Joint Commission at 1-800-994-6610. You may access their website: www.jointcommission.org and click the link for complaints, or email them directly: complaint@jointcommission.org.

You in turn, have the responsibility:

1. To follow hospital rules and regulations.
2. To give cooperation and to follow the care prescribed or recommended for you by your physician, nurses or allied health personnel.
3. To notify your physician or nurse if you do not understand your diagnosis, treatment or prognosis.
4. To let the nurse and your family know if you feel you are receiving too many outside visitors.
5. To respect the privacy of other patients.
6. To accept your financial obligations associated with your care.
7. To advise your nurse, physician and/or Patient Representative (extension 5476) of any dissatisfaction you may have in regard to your care at the hospital.
8. To be considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel, to assist in the control of noise and to follow the hospital's no-smoking, visitor and other policies.

The first thing that struck me about these patient's rights was the wording for the title. It states, Patients Right AND Responsibilities. Meaning that the patient has a responsibility here and is not only on the receiving end. The next thought I had was on the second point where patients have the right to effective communication. I am now interested in the daily operations of this hospital to know if they realize how difficult it is to essentially be promising effective communication.

It is also interesting to note the fact that the hospital stresses the patients responsibility to inform their caregivers of any dissatisfaction they are feeling during their stay. When reading the point about the financial obligation, I felt it was included to protect the hospital and not so much for the benefit of the patient...which is what patient's rights should be for, correct?

Last, I did not post in on here, but a Spanish translation could also be found on the same page.

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, Loma Linda University Medical Center

Information about patient rights and responsibilities

Loma Linda University Medical Center is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective health care to the communities we serve. We believe that every patient deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and concern. We will provide care regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, or source of payment.

We consider you a partner in your health 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. Loma Linda University Medical Center encourages respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual. It is our goal to assure that your rights as a patient are observed and to act as a partner in your decision making process.

While you are a patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center, you have the right to:

* Communicate with people inside and outside the Medical Center. If you do not speak or understand English, you have the right to have access to an interpreter. If you have a hearing impairment, you should have access to a TDD or an interpreter.
* Receive considerate care that respects your personal value and belief systems.
* Expect that the Medical Center will give you necessary health services to the best of our ability.
* Informed participation in decisions regarding your care.
o Know the names and professional status of individuals providing service to you and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care.
o Receive complete and current information from your physician regarding your diagnosis, recommended treatment, and prognosis in language which is reasonable and understandable.
o Accept or decline treatment to the extent permitted by law after having received clear, concise information from your physician. Be informed of the consequences of refusing treatment. You should not be subjected to any non-emergency procedure without voluntary, competent, and understanding consent on your part or the part of your legally authorized representative.
o Consult with a specialist at your expense and request.
o Receive information about Advance Directives and/or an Advance Health-care Directive, have an Advance Directive, and/or name another individual as agent to make health-care decisions for you if you become incapable of making your own decisions or if you want someone else to make those decisions for you now even though you are still capable--to the extent permitted by law.
* Receive care that respects your psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural values.
* Be allowed personal and informational privacy.
* Be informed of any human experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting your care or treatment.
* Communicate any complaints or concerns that arise in the provision of your care, without threat of discrimination or reprisal.
o A grievance or complaint can be communicated verbally, by phone, or in writing to a staff member, nurse manager, or patient relations at (909) 558-4647. Your complaint will be investigated and the appropriate person(s) will respond to you in a timely manner.
* Participate in any ethical issues that arise in the provision of your care.
o Receive information on ethical issues related to health care.
o Decisions about medical care for yourself or for someone else can be very hard to make alone. Your doctors, nurses, social worker, or chaplain are willing to help. Loma Linda University Medical Center has an Ethics Consultation Service which is made up of medical professionals who are also trained in clinical ethics. They are available seven days a week to come and talk with you and/or your family to help you decide what is best for you. This can be helpful when the people involved do not agree about what should be done. This difference of opinion may be between you and your family, or between you and your doctors. Ethics consultations may be requested by you, your family, your doctor, your nurse, or anyone else involved in your care. Just ask your doctor or nurse to call if you would like the help of an ethics consultant.
* Receive a satisfactory explanation of your statement of charges, regardless of your source of payment.
* Be placed in protective privacy when considered necessary for your personal safety.
* Receive reasonable continuity of care.
* Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage, unless:
o No visitors are allowed.
o Loma Linda University Medical Center reasonably 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 visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
o You have indicated to the health facility staff that you no longer want this person to visit.
* Have your wishes considered for the purposes of determining who may visit if you lack decision-making capacity and to have the method of that consideration disclosed in the hospital policy on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any persons living in the household.
* This visitation section may not be construed to prohibit a health facility from otherwise establishing reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and the number of visitors.

In addition to the rights listed above, the Association for the Care of Children's Health (ACCH) developed a Bill of Rights for children, which includes:

* Care that supports children and their families.
* Care that respects their need to grow, play, and learn.
* Information that they can understand.
* Opportunity to make choices.

You also have certain responsibilities while you are a patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center, including:

* Providing, to the best of your knowledge, an accurate and complete description of your present condition and past medical history, including past illnesses, medications, and hospitalizations.
* Making an effort to understand your health-care needs and asking your physician or other members of the health-care team for information relating to your treatment.
* Reporting any changes in your condition to your physician and indicating whether you understand a suggested course of action.
* Informing those who treat you whether or not you think you can, and want to, permit or decline specific treatment.
* Following the Medical Center's policies which affect patient care and conduct.
* Abiding by local, state, and federal laws.
* Keeping appointments and cooperating with your physicians and others caring for you.
* Meeting your financial commitment to Loma Linda University Medical Center, which has supplied resources to meet your health-care needs, as soon as possible.
* Being considerate of other persons and upholding the rights of all patients as observed by Loma Linda University Medical Center.

If you have any questions or concerns while you are at Loma Linda University Medical Center, please call patient relations at (909) 558-4647 or extension 44647.
Adapted from the California Health and Safety Code, Title 22, Section 70707, the American Hospital Association, A Patient's Bill of Rights 10/21/92, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.


My comments:
This bill of rights covers different aspects of patients’ rights, including their rights of knowing the diagnosis, their rights of privacy and decision-making, their rights of choosing visitors, etc.

The bill of rights seems good, but there are some medical terms in it which the public might not understand. They cannot assume people to know what they know. It will be better if they provide explanation or more information regarding to those terms, e.g. TTD.

I feel like not many people realize the existence of the bill of rights in hospitals. Hospitals should do some more work on this; it is their responsibility to demonstrate the bill of rights to their patients.

American Hospital Association

American Hospital Association
MANAGEMENT ADVISORY
A Patient’s Bill of Rights
A Patient's Bill of Rights was first adopted by theAmerican Hospital Association in 1973.
This revision was approved by the AHA Board of Trustees on October 21, 1992.
Introduction
Effective health care requires collaboration between patients and physicians and other health care professionals. Open and honest communication, respect for personal and professional values, and sensitivity to differences are integral to optimal patient care. As the setting for the provision of health services, hospitals must provide a foundation for understanding and respecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, their families, physicians, and other caregivers. Hospitals must ensure a health care ethic that respects the role of patients in decision making about treatment choices and other aspects of their care. Hospitals must be sensitive to cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, age, gender, and other differences as well as the needs of persons with disabilities.
The American Hospital Association presents A Patient's Bill of Rights with the expectation that it will contribute to more effective patient care and be supported by the hospital on behalf of the institution, its medical staff, employees, and patients. The American Hospital Association encourages health care institutions to tailor this bill of rights to their patient community by translating and/or simplifying the language of this bill of rights as may be necessary to ensure that patients and their families understand their rights and responsibilities.
Bill of Rights
These rights can be exercised on the patient’s behalf by a designated surrogate or proxy decision maker if the patient lacks decision-making capacity, is legally incompetent, or is a minor.
The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care.
The patient has the right to and is encouraged to obtain from physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current, and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Except in emergencies when the patient lacks decision-making capacity and the need for treatment is urgent, the patient is entitled to the opportunity to discuss and request information related to the specific procedures and/or treatments, the risks involved, the possible length of recuperation, and the medically reasonable alternatives and their accompanying risks and benefits.Patients have the right to know the identity of physicians, nurses, and others involved in their care, as well as when those involved are students, residents, or other trainees. The patient also has the right to know the immediate and long-term financial implications of treatment choices, insofar as they are known.
The patient has the right to make decisions about the plan of care prior to and during the course of treatment and to refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy and to be informed of the medical consequences of this action. In case of such refusal, the patient is entitled to other appropriate care and services that the hospital provides or transfer to another hospital. The hospital should notify patients of any policy that might affect patient choice within the institution.
The patient has the right to have an advance directive (such as a living will, health care proxy, or durable power of attorney for health care) concerning treatment or designating a surrogate decision maker with the expectation that the hospital will honor the intent of that directive to the extent permitted by law and hospital policy.Health care institutions must advise patients of their rights under state law and hospital policy to make informed medical choices, ask if the patient has an advance directive, and include that information in patient records. The patient has the right to timely information about hospital policy that may limit its ability to implement fully a legally valid advance directive.
The patient has the right to every consideration of privacy. Case discussion, consultation, examination, and treatment should be conducted so as to protect each patient's privacy.
The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his/her care will be treated as confidential by the hospital, except in cases such as suspected abuse and public health hazards when reporting is permitted or required by law. The patient has the right to expect that the hospital will emphasize the confidentiality of this information when it releases it to any other parties entitled to review information in these records.
The patient has the right to review the records pertaining to his/her medical care and to have the information explained or interpreted as necessary, except when restricted by law.
The patient has the right to expect that, within its capacity and policies, a hospital will make reasonable response to the request of a patient for appropriate and medically indicated care and services. The hospital must provide evaluation, service, and/or referral as indicated by the urgency of the case. When medically appropriate and legally permissible, or when a patient has so requested, a patient may be transferred to another facility. The institution to which the patient is to be transferred must first have accepted the patient for transfer. The patient must also have the benefit of complete information and explanation concerning the need for, risks, benefits, and alternatives to such a transfer.
The patient has the right to ask and be informed of the existence of business relationships among the hospital, educational institutions, other health care providers, or payers that may influence the patient's treatment and care.
The patient has the right to consent to or decline to participate in proposed research studies or human experimentation affecting care and treatment or requiring direct patient involvement, and to have those studies fully explained prior to consent. A patient who declines to participate in research or experimentation is entitled to the most effective care that the hospital can otherwise provide.
The patient has the right to expect reasonable continuity of care when appropriate and to be informed by physicians and other caregivers of available and realistic patient care options when hospital care is no longer appropriate.
The patient has the right to be informed of hospital policies and practices that relate to patient care, treatment, and responsibilities. The patient has the right to be informed of available resources for resolving disputes, grievances, and conflicts, such as ethics committees, patient representatives, or other mechanisms available in the institution. The patient has the right to be informed of the hospital's charges for services and available payment methods.
The collaborative nature of health care requires that patients, or their families/surrogates, participate in their care. The effectiveness of care and patient satisfaction with the course of treatment depend, in part, on the patient fulfilling certain responsibilities. Patients are responsible for providing information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to health status. To participate effectively in decision making, patients must be encouraged to take responsibility for requesting additional information or clarification about their health status or treatment when they do not fully understand information and instructions. Patients are also responsible for ensuring that the health care institution has a copy of their written advance directive if they have one. Patients are responsible for informing their physicians and other caregivers if they anticipate problems in following prescribed treatment.
Patients should also be aware of the hospital's obligation to be reasonably efficient and equitable in providing care to other patients and the community. The hospital's rules and regulations are designed to help the hospital meet this obligation. Patients and their families are responsible for making reasonable accommodations to the needs of the hospital, other patients, medical staff, and hospital employees. Patients are responsible for providing necessary information for insurance claims and for working with the hospital to make payment arrangements, when necessary.
A person's health depends on much more than health care services. Patients are responsible for recognizing the impact of their life-style on their personal health.
Conclusion
Hospitals have many functions to perform, including the enhancement of health status, health promotion, and the prevention and treatment of injury and disease; the immediate and ongoing care and rehabilitation of patients; the education of health professionals, patients, and the community; and research. All these activities must be conducted with an overriding concern for the values and dignity of patients.

My Thoughts:

After skimming through all the rights, I figure that people do not know all the rights they have. I found this article online and thought it would fit because the patient's bill of rights was first adpoted by the American Hospital Association. This was dated only in 1992. I wonder how different patient rights were before 1992 because these rights seem pretty detailed. I personally found it a little easier to read than expected. I am sure that if I wanted to practice these rights, I would want someone who has experience in the hospital to read them with me, however, if it came down to it, I don't think I would be looking in the dictionary for the meaing of every other word. It was pretty straight forward.

Johns Hopkins Hospital Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

We want to encourage you, as a patient at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, to communicate openly with your health care team, participate in your treatment choices, and promote your own safety by being well informed and actively involved in your care. Because we want you to think of yourself as a partner in your care, we want you to know your rights as well as your responsibilities during your stay at our hospital. We invite you and your family to join us as active members of your care team.

Your Rights

You have the right to receive considerate, respectful and compassionate care regardless of your age, gender, race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disabilities.

You have the right to receive care in a safe environment free from all forms of abuse, neglect or harassment.

You have the right to be called by your proper name and to be told the names of the doctors, nurses and other health care team members involved in your care.

You have the right to have a family member or representative of your choice and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.

You have the right to be told by your doctor about your diagnosis and possible prognosis, the benefits and risks of treatment, and expected outcome of treatment, including unanticipated outcomes. You have the right to give written informed consent before any non-emergency procedure begins.

You have the right to have your pain assessed and to be involved in decisions about managing your pain.

You have the right to be free from restraints and seclusion in any form that is not medically required.

You can expect full consideration of your privacy and confidentiality in care discussions, examinations and treatments. You may ask for a chaperone during any type of examination.

You have the right to access protective and advocacy services in cases of abuse or neglect.

The hospital will provide a list of protective and advocacy resources.

You, and family members or friends with your permission, have the right to participate in decisions about your care, treatment and services provided, including the right to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. If you leave the hospital against the advice of your doctor, the hospital and doctors will not be responsible for any medical consequences that may occur.

You have the right to agree or refuse to take part in medical research studies. You may at any time withdraw from a study.

You have the right to sign language or foreign language interpreter services. We will provide an interpreter as needed.

You have the right to make an advance directive, appointing someone to make health care decisions for you if you are unable. If you do not have an advance directive, we can provide you with information and help to complete one.

You have the right to be involved in your discharge plan. You can expect to be told in a timely manner of the need for planning your discharge or transfer to another facility or level of care. Before your discharge, you can expect to receive information about follow-up care that you may need.

You have the right to receive detailed information about your hospital and physician charges.

You can expect that all communications and records about your care are confidential, unless disclosure is allowed by law. You have the right to see or get a copy of your medical records and have the information explained, if needed. You may add information to your medical record by contacting the Medical Records Department. Upon request, you have the right to receive a list of who your personal health information was disclosed to.

If reporters or other members of the media ask to talk to you, you have the right to give your consent about their use of recordings or photographs. You have the right to withdraw consent up until a reasonable time before the recording or photograph is used.

If you or a family member needs to discuss an ethical issue related to your care, a member of the Ethics Service is available on beeper at all times. To reach a member, dial 410- 283-6104. After three beeps, enter your phone number and then the pound sign (#). An Ethics Service member will return your call.

You have the right to pastoral and other spiritual services. Chaplains are available to help you directly or to contact your own clergy. You can reach a chaplain at 410-955-5842 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. At other times, please ask your nurse to contact the chaplain on call.

You have the right to voice your concerns about the care you receive. If you have a problem or complaint, you may talk with your doctor, nurse manager or a department manager. You may also contact the Patient Relations Department at 410-955-2273 or e-mail patientrelations@jhmi.edu.

If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to request a review by the following organizations:

Maryland Department of Health & Hygiene
Office of Health Care Quality, Hospital Complaint Unit, Spring Grove Hospital Center
55 Wade Avenue, Bland Bryant Building,
Catonsville, MD 21228
410- 402-8016 or toll free 1-877-402-8218

Joint Commission Office of Quality Monitoring One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
toll free 1-800-994-6610, or complaint@jointcommission.org

Your Responsibilities

You are expected to provide complete and accurate information, including your full name, address, home telephone number, date of birth, Social Security number, insurance carrier and employer, when it is required.

You should provide the hospital or your doctor with a copy of your advance directive if you have one.

You are expected to provide complete and accurate information about your health and medical history, including present condition, past illnesses, hospital stays, medicines, vitamins, herbal products, and any other matters that pertain to your health, including perceived safety risks.

You are expected to ask questions when you do not understand information or instructions. If you believe you can’t follow through with your treatment plan, you are responsible for telling your doctor. You are responsible for outcomes if you do not follow the care, treatment and services plan.

You are expected to actively participate in your pain management plan and to keep your doctors and nurses informed of the effectiveness of your treatment.

Please leave valuables at home and only bring necessary items for your hospital stay.

You are expected to treat all hospital staff, other patients and visitors with courtesy and respect; abide by all hospital rules and safety regulations; and be mindful of noise levels, privacy and number of visitors.

You are expected to provide complete and accurate information about your health insurance coverage and to pay your bills in a timely manner.

You are expected to keep appointments, be on time for appointments, or to call your health care provider if you cannot keep your appointments.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

After reading many Patient Bill of Rights from various hospitals and finding them unnecessarily dense in language, I wanted to see if I could find one that was plainly written with common everyday wording. I stumbled upon Johns Hopkins. In contrast to other "PBR's" I was able to read this one without having to reread sentences over and over. However, I did not find this information in any other language. Maybe because whoever wrote it thought it was so clear and to the point that they thought even people who don't know english could understand it? Overall, this was the most positive and reassuring PBR in my research.

Methodist Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights:Your Rights

Understanding Charges:

You have the right to know the immediate and long-term financial implications of treatment choices, insofar as they are known, and you have the right to receive within a reasonable period of time, an explanation of the hospital’s statement of charges for services rendered. Upon request you will be provided with an itemized statement to assist in completing and processing your insurance forms.

Your Right to Confidentiality:

You have the right to confidentiality in the handling of your health information except when reporting is required by law.
You have the right to personal privacy as written in the federal regulation, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We will make reasonable efforts to see that its uses, disclosures, and requests for disclosure of Protected Health Information are limited to the minimum amount necessary to accomplish the billing and collection of your account(s).

Your Responsibilities:

Your Responsibility to Provide Complete and Accurate Billing Information
It is important that we are provided with complete health insurance information upon registration. This includes presenting a driver’s license or ID, all insurance cards and authorization forms. This information must be provided each time you are registered.

You are responsible for your physician’s order if you are scheduled for outpatient services. If you do not have an order, please be sure your physician has faxed it to the hospital prior to your arrival. Your order must include a diagnosis.
You are responsible for providing information relating to your plan coverage at the time of admission or registration. Please understand and comply with the requirements of your insurance. Know your benefits, and obtain proper authorization for services when required. The HMO, PPO or Medicaid Managed Care plans may require a referral, prior authorization, or certification prior to services being rendered. If you receive a service that is not covered by your insurance, you may be asked to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice or Letter of Non-Coverage to signify that you have been informed of your payment responsibility.

Your Financial Responsibility:

You have the responsibility to meet your financial obligation to the hospital. That responsibility includes the provision of information necessary for filing insurance claims, and cooperation with the hospital when other payment arrangements are necessary.

You must respond promptly to requests you receive from your insurance. While we will attempt to provide all information and paperwork to your insurance, sometimes they require a response from you to resolve issues related to your account or insurance coverage.

Although the Methodist Hospitals maintain an active follow-up program with all insurance carriers, it is the patient’s responsibility to contact their insurance company to ensure prompt payment of their accounts.
Please make timely payments on your portion of the bill. Payment for your hospital bill is ultimately your responsibility. You may be asked to pay at the time of service or prior to discharge if you have a deductible, co-payment, co-insurance or other self-pay amount.

For your convenience, we accept cash, personal checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard or Discover. Short term interest free payment options are available as well as loans for the longer term payment plans.
Please let us know if you anticipate problems paying your bill. As a not-for-profit organization we are happy to assist those in need. If you are having financial difficulties, please let us know. Financial Services at the hospital can discuss payment alternatives that may be available to you.



My comments on Methodist Hospital ‘Bills of Rights.’

Let me just start by saying that the crafting of the ‘Bills’ disturbs me a bit. In any organization, it’s always best to place focus on client’s satisfaction. The problem that I see in this ‘Bill of Rights’ is that the introductory paragraph emphasizes on ‘charges’ rather than clients best interest. Ninety- five per cent of the’ Bill’ is about the payment that patients ought to make; only five percent of it instructs patients of their rights to confidentiality.

I feel that too much focus is placed on the Hospital financial gain as opposed to patient’s right to get adequate care. After all, this is the ultimate reason why people go to the hospital.

The only thing I like about it is that at the very end of the ‘Bill’, advice is given to those who have financial hardships to let the financial service at the hospital know about it so payment alternative can be looked at.

Honestly, I feel that the Bill of Rights could easily be called ‘Bills of Responsibilities’.

Patients Bill of Rights at Sacred Heart Hospital

Sacred Heart Hospital is a Catholic hospital with a number of locations. Their Patient Bill of Rights contains twenty-eight statements that apply to any and every patient who walks through their doors. The hospitals website makes it very simple to find these rights and they are clearly states. Immediately following the list of rights, however, is a list of six responsibilities of the patient titled Your Responsibilities. It is nice the web-page lists both the patients rights and patients responsibilities in such a easily found location in order to remove confusion. But because one follows immediately after the other and on the same page, you question how much Sacred Heart is trying to help or how much they are backing away from. Although both should be listed and easy to find, possibly they should be presented as two separate issues. The Patients Bill of Rights should be presented on its own. The listing of the patients responsibilities should possibly be presented preceding or following the hospitals rights, if it cannot stand alone.

Although this particular Bill of Rights seems thorough and professional, the language is somewhat technical and uses a vocabulary that may be simple to some, but could be confusing and the reading vocabulary too difficult. It would be possible to simply and more clearly state the rights without losing any meaning. The language assumed you are familiar with being a patient and the lingo attached to patient type circumstances.

The Bill of Rights states procedures, laws, and protocol that you are entitled too. But it ends there and so the patient must figure out what these procedures, laws, and protocol are. For example, right number eight states the patient has the right to the professional standards of the hospital. But what are the professional standards of Sacred Heart and how can I find out about them? It is understandable that they could not put all this information directly into the Patients Bill of Rights, it would simply get too long and bog down the reader. But when a patient is looking through and one right in particular applies to them or they have a question the page should list how they can find more information, be it through a hyperlink or what have you.

The Patients Bill of Rights for Sacred Heart Hospital is well put together and what you would expect to be put out by a professional organization. It is, however, almost overly professional in that it seems to come more from the hospitals point of view than from the patients.

Technology revolution, the sixth human sense; is this possible?

The concept of transforming internet into a sixth human sense sounds very fresh and innovative, which is something most of us have never thought of. The device that can allow the users to project information onto any surface is shown and demonstrated in the video. Personally, I am shocked more than fascinated by it.

This device makes everyone stupid and leads to the absence of privacy. We do not need to get to know people; we just need to look at them and their information will be revealed. We can do whatever we want in the public. Others can tell what you are doing by looking at the surface you are using.

Nevertheless, if we apply this to healthcare communication, this device possibly helps a lot. Healthcare professionals will not be fooled even if their patients are not honest about their health condition. When patients come to healthcare professionals, sometimes they do not know how to explain, meanwhile sometimes they do not want to tell others. This device can definitely enhance the healthcare communication. People do not even have to talk, but the information is shown clearly.

Sounds amazing? or scary?