As a patient you have the right to:
1. Impartial access to available medically indicated treatment, regardless of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or sources of payment for care.
2. Considerate and respectful care.
3. Know the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
4. Receive information about your illness, the course of treatment and prospects for recovery in terms that you can understand.
5. Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse their course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically
significant risks involved in this treatment, alternative courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
6. Pain management.
7. Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
8. Refuse care, treatment, and services.
9. Written information, if you are an adult patient, about your right to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment including foregoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment or withholding resuscitative services.
10. Leave the hospital even against the advice of physicians, except when limited by law.
11. Form advance directives and appoint a person to make health care decisions on their behalf, to the extent permitted by law. The person selected to make the decisions for the patient may be the patient’s guardian, next of kin, or legally authorized responsible person. The legally authorized representative shall have the same rights as the patient if a physician finds the patient to be incompetent and medically incapable of understanding or providing an informed consent to proposed treatments or procedures.
12. Have all Patient Rights apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
13. Full consideration of privacy concerning the medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
14. Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and your stay in the hospital. Written permission shall be obtained before your medical records may be made available to anyone not directly concerned with the case.
15. Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of an appointment as well as the identity of persons providing their care.
16. Advised if hospital/personal physician 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.
17. Be informed on continuing health care requirements following discharge.
18. Expect reasonable safety in areas controlled by hospital staff.
19. Be free from physical or mental abuse and corporal punishment.
20. Be free from restraints or seclusion of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. Restraint or seclusion may only be imposed to ensure the immediate physical safety of the patient, staff member, or others and must be discontinued at the earliest possible time.
21. Examine and receive an explanation of the bill regardless of source of payment.
22. Know which hospital rules and policies apply to patients’ conduct while a patient.
23. A copy of the contents of your their medical record, to the extent permitted by law. LAC+USC Medical Center charges a per page fee for copies of medical records. Patients have the right to duplicate their records after signing a Release of Information form. You also have the right to expect confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to their medical care and must give written permission if records are to be made available to anyone not directly concerned with your care.
24. Designate visitors of your choosing, if you have has decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood or marriage.
25. Have your cultural, psychological, spiritual, and personal beliefs and preferences respected.
26. Have the hospital accommodate your desire for pastoral and other spiritual services.
27. Address grievances concerning these rights or any other policy or procedure of the hospital agency or government body having jurisdiction over this facility.
28. File complaints or grievances. Complaints are handled by the Customer Service Department.
Patients have the right to schedule an interview with a licensing or credentialing agency listed below:
Division of Accreditation Operations
Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Fax: (630) 792-5636
complaint@jointcommission.org
Institute for Medical Quality
221 Main Street, Suite 210
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 882-5151
liacopi@img.org
Dept. of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Blvd. Mail Stop S2-12-25
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850
Phone: (800) 633-4227
California Dept. of Public Health
Licensing and Certification Division
Information Hotline: (800) 236-9747
Patient Safety Hotline
County of Los Angeles - Health Service Administration
(213) 989-SAFE (7233) or (800) 611-4365
As a patient at LAC+USC Medical Center, you have the responsibilities for:
1. Providing, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to your health. You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in your condition to the responsible health care provider.
2. Making known whether you understand contemplated courses of action and what is expected of you.
3. Your actions if treatment is refused or if instructions of the physician are not followed.
4. Following the treatment plan recommended by the health care provider primarily responsible for your care. This includes following instructions of allied health staff as they carry out the plan of care and implement the physician’s orders, and as they enforce applicable hospital rules and regulations.
5. Being considerate for the rights of other patients and hospital personnel and for assisting in the control of noise, smoking and the number of visitors. Patients are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the hospital.
6. Following hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
7. Assuring that financial obligations of health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
SOURCE: Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations and the Joint Commission
Family and friends are an important part of the patient care experience and we encourage you to have family and friends visit you during your stay at LAC+USC Medical Center. The hospital’s general visiting hours are 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., although some unit visiting hours may vary, as listed below. Visitors are limited to two at any one time, unless specific exceptions are authorized by the patient’s provider.
LAC+USC Medical Center is a smoke-free campus for the health and wellness of our patients, staff, and visitors. Smoking is prohibited on the campus, including parking lots.
General Adult Medical-Surgical Wards
Daily visiting hours for the General Adult Medical-Surgical, Step-Down, and Post-Partum Units are 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. daily. Exceptions may be granted on an individual basis at the discretion of the Charge Nurse or Nurse Manager on the Unit. Children under the age of 12 years old are permitted to visit patients in these units, but must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
Intensive Care Units
Visiting with patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is encouraged. Visitors may visit at any time, but visits are limited to 10 minutes per hour, unless approved otherwise. Visitors may be asked to leave during shift changes. Children under the age of 12 years may visit patients in the ICU at the request of the patient and if they are supervised by an adult.
Visitors may be asked to leave the unit during medical emergencies or procedures involving any patient in the Unit, and/or during clinical rounds or if having visitors will negatively affect the patient’s care. Please check with the ICU staff before entering a patient’s room to make sure the patient is stable to receive visitors.
Pediatric Wards
Parents are encouraged to stay with their hospitalized child and are urged to participate in the care activities under the direction of and at the discretion of the patient’s nurse. Visiting hours for Pediatric inpatients are 24 hours a day for parents and grandparents. One parent or guardian may stay overnight. For all other visitors, visiting is from 10:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
All visitors to Pediatric patients must be approved by the patient’s parents or guardian. The patient’s parent or guardian may identify other visitors who may stay overnight with the patient, as long as that person is over 21 years old and prior arrangements have been made with the nurse. Visitors or siblings under the age of 18 may not stay at the bedside overnight.
Infection Prevention
The safety of patients is our top priority. Visitors should take precautions to prevent the transmission of infection by following these steps:
- Visitors who are sick are encouraged to stay home;
- Visitors should clean their hands when entering the hospital by washing them or using hand sanitizer gel. Hand sanitizer wipes are located in the lobby;
- Wash hands or use hand sanitizer gel prior to and after patient contact;
- Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Childcare Center
The CARES Childcare Center offers free child care services for children ages 0 to 11 years for patients’ children or patient’s families children. The center is open Monday through Friday during the day and it provides complete infant and toddler care, age appropriate hands-on activities, nutritious meals and snacks and psychological support. A visitor’s pass and additional documentation are required upon registration. Please contact the center at (323) 409-6940 for additional information and details.
Patient Confidentiality
Privacy and confidentiality of our patients’ medical information is of paramount importance. Upon admission, you will be given a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes how we handle your personal information. You may request additional measures of confidentiality. If you prefer that your name not be released to people who ask for you by name, you may ask us to delete your name from the hospital directory by informing your nurse or doctor.
Patient Meals
The hospital’s nutrition department is dedicated to serving you healthy and delicious meals. A Nutrition Services representative is available upon request to discuss your food preferences or nutrition concerns during your hospital stay. If you wish to receive food from home, ask your doctor to write a medical order. Visitors must notify your nurse when bringing food from home to ensure that is appropriate for your hospital dietary needs.
Social Work Services
Our Clinical Social Workers are available to help you with the various social and emotional problems that may occur as a result of your hospital stay. They can provide crisis intervention, counseling, education, advocacy and information on community resources. They can also help you cope with grief and loss. Our Medical Case Workers are available to assist you with planning your discharge from the hospital, including providing you with community referrals for placement and other social services. For questions, please contact the Department of Clinical Social Work at (323) 409-5253, Monday-Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
