Hospice Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Our Patients have the right to exercise his or her rights as a patient of hospice to:

• Have his other property and person treated with respect
• Voice grievances regarding treatment or care that are (or fails to be) furnished and the lack of respect for property by anyone who is furnishing services on behalf of the hospice and to not be subjected to discrimination or reprisal for exercising his or her rights
• Receive effective pain management and symptom control from the hospice for conditions related to the terminal illness
• Be involved in developing his or her hospice plan of care
• Refuse care or treatment
• Choose his or her attending physician
• Have a confidential record. Access to or release of patient information and clinical records is permitted in accordance with 4SCFR parts 160 and 164
• Be free from mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, and misappropriation of patient property
• Receive information about the services covered under the hospice benefit
• Receive information about the scope of services that the hospice will provide and specific limitations on those services.
• Be advised that the Hospice Organization complies with Subpart I of 42 CFR 489 and receives a copy of the organization's written policies and procedures regarding advance directives, including a description of an individual's right under applicable state law and how such rights are implemented by the organization
• Receive written information describing the organization's grievance procedure which includes the contact information, contact phone number, hours of operation, and mechanism(s) for communicating problems
• Receive an investigation by the organization of complaints made by the patient or the patient's family or guardian regarding treatment or care and the organization will document the existence of the complaint and the resolution of the complaint
• Receive information addressing any beneficial relationship between the organization and referring entities
• To be advised of the toll-free hospice agency hotline for the Health and Human Services Commission and the purpose of the hotline to receive complaints or questions about the organization including the right to lodge complaints concerning the implementation of advance directives requirements. The Health and Human Services Commission Hotline Number is 877-686-0027. The number is operated 24/7 to receive complaints or questions about local Hospice Agencies. In case of no answer, please leave a message.

When leaving a message, please:

• State and spell your name
• Provide a daytime phone number, with an area code
• Briefly tell the agency about your complaint
• Complaints may also be registered in writing by email
• To be informed of the toll-free abuse hot-line 877-686-0027, used to report abuse, neglect,  exploitation, or reportable conduct
• To be informed of the Accrediting Organization's phone number and hours of operation

The patient has a right the expect that hospice will:

• Protect and promote the patient's right to exercise the rights
• Ensure that all alleged violations involving mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, and misappropriation of patient property by anyone furnishing services on behalf of the hospice, are reported immediately by hospice employees and contracted staff to the hospice administrator
• Immediately investigate all alleged violations involving anyone furnishing services on behalf of the hospice and immediately take action to prevent further potential violations while the alleged violation is being verified
• Take appropriate corrective action by state law if the alleged violation is verified by the hospice administration or an outside body having jurisdiction, such as the State survey agency or local law enforcement agency

The rights of the patient are executed by the patient or designee as follows:

• If a patient has been adjudged incompetent in wider state law by a court of proper jurisdiction, the rights of the patient are exercised by the person appointed pursuant to state law to act on the patient's behalf
• If a state court has not adjudged a patient incompetent, any legal representative designated by the patient in accordance with state law may exercise the patient's rights to the extent allowed by state law