Your Rights as a Patient

You Have a Right to Quality Healthcare

At Loretto Hospital, our goal is to make your visit as pleasant as possible. We recognize and are committed to your individual rights as a patient. Patients, or their designated representative, are involved in decisions regarding the care that we deliver to the extent this is practical and possible. We seek to inform you about options to care and risks associated with the care you seek. We will constantly try to understand and respect your objectives for care. We hope the mutual understanding of these rights and responsibilities will contribute to the best possible patient care and satisfaction. By understanding your rights and responsibilities, you can help us, help you.

Patients’ Rights & Responsibilities

As a patient at Loretto Hospital, you have the right to:

Reasonable access to care
Care that is considerate and respectful of your personal values and beliefs
Know the identity and professional status of individuals providing care to you
Privacy, confidentiality and security
Visitation
An environment that is respectful, courteous, and preserves your dignity
Be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect and exploitation
Expect confidentiality regarding your records, condition and treatment, to have access to your medical records in keeping with hospital policy, and to have them explained to you
Be informed regarding the nature of your condition, proposed treatment, procedures and prognosis in terms and in the manner you understand
Participate actively in decisions regarding your medical care
Know about alternative methods of treatment, their risks and advantages
Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and be informed of the medical consequences of such action
Have your pain assessed and treated appropriately
Refuse participation in any treatment considered to be experimental in nature
Obtain information as to any relationship between the hospital and other healthcare and/or educational institutions
You have the right to know the nature of the professional relationships between individuals who are treating you
Formulate and receive treatment based on your advanced directives
Examine and receive an explanation of your bill regardless of the source of payment to the extent permitted by law
Receive information regarding your continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital
Information about the hospital’s process for the initiation, review and resolution of patient grievances. To file a complaint or grievance that cannot be immediately resolved, contact the Patient Experience Officer through the operator or by phone at 773.854.5064.
Be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or as a means of punishment, coercion, retaliation, discipline, or for the convenience of staff. (Restraints will only be used after other efforts have been exhausted).

As a patient at Loretto Hospital, you have the responsibility to:

Provide accurate and complete information, to the best of your knowledge, concerning your present and past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other information relating to your health
Ask questions if you do not clearly understand information and instructions about your treatment and care
Follow the instructions and treatment plan coordinated by your physician
Be considerate and respectful to our caregivers, other patients, and visitors to the hospital
Present to the hospital a copy of your Living Will or Power of Attorney for Healthcare so that your Advanced Directives can be honored
Be responsible for your own actions if you refuse treatment or refuse to follow your treatment instructions
Cooperate in your discharge planning
Report changes in your condition to those responsible for your care
Honor the confidentiality and privacy of other patients
Follow hospital rules and regulations
Ensure that payment for your care is made promptly and in full. This means understanding your insurance coverage and its limits, and any added responsibilities you may have.
Comply with this policy by respecting patient's rights and reinforcing patient's responsibilities

Patient Rights & Responsibilities in English

Derechos y responsabilidades de los pacientes in Espanol

Loretto Hospital Notice of Privacy Practices

This notice describes how we may use and disclose protected health information about you. Protected health information means any health information that could be used to identify you. In this notice, we refer to all of that protected health information as “PHI.” This notice also describes your rights and our duties with respect to your PHI. In addition, it tells you how to complain to us if you believe we have violated your privacy rights.

We are committed to the protection of PHI in accordance with applicable laws and accreditation standards regarding patient privacy. Your PHI is personal. A record of the care and services you receive at our facility is needed to provide you with quality care and to comply with legal requirements. The law requires us to make sure that your PHI is kept private. The law also requires us to provide a copy of this notice which explains our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and to follow the terms of this notice currently in effect.

You may read Loretto Hospital’s full Notice of Privacy Practices below:

Patient Complaint

If you have questions or concerns about Loretto Hospital’s quality of care or safety, please call or text 312.859.6959 or email tanesha.daniels@lorettohspital.org.

Illinois Hospital Report Card Act

As an Illinois consumer, you have a right to access information about the quality of health care provided in the State of Illinois. In response to the “Hospital Report Card Act” (HRCA), Loretto Hospital is hereby notifying the public of its right to access information on quality and safety data, nurse staffing, patient satisfaction and costs of services at hospitals and surgery centers in Illinois. This information can be obtained upon written request by contacting the Chief Nursing Officer at 773.854.5305.

Click here to learn more about the Illinois Hospital Report Card Act.

Right to An Interpreter

Health care facilities have a responsibility under federal law to be accessible to deaf and hard of hearing, as well as non-English speaking individuals. The Loretto Hospital values the diversity of its patient base. In order to meet the widespread need of the Austin and surrounding communities, and to support our patients and their families, upon request we provide foreign and sign language interpreters as well as other auxiliary aids to patients. These services are provided at no additional cost to our patients.