Patient Rights & Responsibilities

At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson), we respect your rights as a patient and recognize that you are an individual with unique health care needs. We want you to know what your rights are as a patient, as well as what your obligations are to yourself, to your physician, to other patients, and to MD Anderson.

We encourage a partnership between you and your health care team at the cancer center. Your role as a member of this team is to exercise your rights and to take responsibility by asking for clarification of things you do not understand.

You Have the Right To:

1. Considerate and Respectful Care

We respect your right to:

• Expect quality treatment, commitment to your safety and continuity of care.
• Be treated with dignity. Your care will not be affected by your race, religion, beliefs, cultural values, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, or financial status.
• Ask all personnel involved in your care to introduce themselves, state their role in your care, and explain what they are going to do for you.
• Designate visitors, including family, relatives, loved ones, friends, and others.

2. Information About Your Treatment

Your health care team will describe your proposed treatment to you. You can expect the team to explain:

• Your condition and proposed treatment,
• Benefits and risks of the proposed treatment,
• The alternatives to the proposed treatment and the benefits and risks of each alternative,
• Your role in your care,
• The knowledge and skills you will need,
• The prognosis, and
• What to expect during recuperation.

You will be fully informed about the outcome of your care and treatment, including unanticipated outcomes. You may designate individuals who may (or may not) receive information about your treatment and care.

It is your right to be informed of any experimental, research, educational, or training activities that may be involved in your treatment. You will be asked if you wish to participate in these activities, and you have the right to refuse to participate.

M. D. Anderson provides language assistance such as interpreters, translators, and other services free of charge. The Language Assistance department may be reached at (713) 792-7930.

3. Participate in Decisions About Your Care

We respect and support your right to:

• Agree to treatment with your informed consent, which consists of a full explanation of your disease by your physician, including the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment and any alternative treatment options.
• Refuse a diagnostic procedure or treatment.
• Appropriate assessment and management of your pain.

It is your right to decide whether you wish to be treated and, if so, by which method of treatment. If you elect to refuse treatment you will be informed of the medical consequences of your decision.

If you are a minor, your parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) will be involved in all of your treatment planning decisions.

If you are unable to exercise these rights, MD Anderson Cancer Center will extend these same rights to your designated representative(s).

4. Medical Power of Attorney and Other Advance Directives

You have the right to complete a Medical Power of Attorney, which allows you to legally designate one or more people to make medical decisions for you if you are temporarily or permanently incapable of making decisions for yourself.

You also have the right to complete a Living Will (Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates). This document allows you to establish instructions concerning your medical care in case you are unable to communicate your wishes at some point in the future.

If you are in the hospital, you or your legally designated representative may request the withholding of resuscitative services or the initiation or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.

If you are an outpatient, you or your legally designated representative may also request that your physician prepare an Out-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate order for you, if appropriate.

If you need information or assistance in completing a Medical Power of Attorney or other advance directive, call Social Work at (713) 792-6195.

5. Ethical Decisions

We understand that you, your family, or designated representative(s) may be faced with making difficult treatment choices while you are here. We respect your right to make an individual decision that is based on your personal beliefs and values as well as on the available medical information.You, your family, or designated representative(s) will be personally involved in the consideration of all ethical issues involving your care.

To assist you with the decision-making process, we suggest that you consider the following issues:

Do you have all the information you need to make a decision about your care?

In case you are unable to speak for yourself, have you appointed someone to speak on your behalf by executing a Medical Power of Attorney? If not, have you informed us
of whom you want to speak on your behalf?

Various health care professionals at MD Anderson Cancer Center such as social workers, chaplains, nurses, physicians, and patient advocates are available to help you with any concerns you may have. For more information, call MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Clinical Ethics Service at (713) 792-8775.

6. Privacy

The staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center strives to respect the privacy of all patients. Case discussions, examinations, and treatments are confidential and will be conducted discreetly.

In addition, you have the right to:

• Close the curtain around your bed or close the door when you want privacy.
• Designate or limit visitors.
• Request confidential status to protect your identity as a hospitalized patient.
• Request a transfer to another room if you are unreasonably disturbed by another patient and/or visitor. Every effort will be made to accommodate you if another equally suitable room is available.

7. Confidentiality

Patient information is confidential and may not be disclosed to third parties without patient consent, except as in accordance with applicable law. You or your legally designated representative may access your medical record.

8. Pain Management

Effective pain relief is an important part of your care and treatment. The staff at MD Anderson is committed to working with you to establish a goal for relief of your pain and to implementing a plan to achieve that goal.

9. Reasonable Response to Requests and Needs

You have the right to considerate and respectful care. Should you need a service not provided by MD Anderson, you have the right to be assisted in transferring to another health care facility that can provide the needed service.

You also have the right to examine your hospital bill and to have it explained to you.

10. How to File Complaints and/or Grievances

You have the right to make complaints and/or grievances regarding the quality of the care and/or service you receive at MD Anderson. If you have a concern regarding any aspect of your care or service, we encourage you to address the concern with the MD Anderson staff involved.

If you then feel that your concern was not adequately addressed, please contact your patient advocate at (713) 792-7776 via the page operator at (713) 792-7090, or visit the Patient Advocacy Office. After normal business hours, the on-call patient advocate or other appropriate staff can be reached via the page operator at (713) 792-7090.

Once MD Anderson has received a complaint and/or grievance, all reasonable efforts will be made to resolve your complaint and/or grievance as soon as possible. MD Anderson endeavors to resolve patient complaints within 24 hours and patient grievances within seven business days if practicable. If you have any questions about the status of a complaint and/or grievance that you have made to MD Anderson, please contact your patient advocate at (713) 792-7776.

If MD Anderson cannot resolve a concern of yours that is related to patient care or patient safety, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Quality Monitoring for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations by either calling 1-800-994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jcaho.org.

You may also lodge a complaint and/or grievance with the Texas Department of State Health Services directly, regardless of whether you have first lodged your complaint and/or grievance at MD Anderson. Complaints and/or grievances may be filed with the Texas Department of State Health Services at 1100 West 49th St., Austin, Texas 78756-3199, or by calling the Texas Department of State Health Services Complaint Hotline at 1-888-973-0022.

In addition, Medicare beneficiaries may submit complaints regarding quality of care concern(s), coverage decision(s), and premature discharge(s) by contacting the TMF Health Quality Institute, Beneficiary Review Department, Barton Oaks Plaza Two, Suite 200, 901 MoPac Expressway South, Austin, Texas 78745-5799.

MD Anderson values open communication and the presentation of a complaint and/or grievance will in no way compromise your care.

Adapted from the Patient Rights and Organization Ethics section of the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations, 2006.

You Have the Responsibility To:

1. Provide Complete Medical Information

Provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about your present health status and your complete medical history, including illnesses, hospitalizations, medication, advance directives, and other matters related to your health.

2. Ask for Clear Explanations

If the explanation of your diagnosis, treatment, or role in your care is not clear, ask questions until you understand.

3. Make Informed Decisions

Because you are responsible for the decisions you make about your care, we encourage you to gather as much information as you need to make your decisions. The Learning Centers at MD Anderson can provide you with helpful information and can be reached at (713) 745-8063 (Main Building) or (713) 563-8010 (Ambulatory Clinical Building). Once you and your physician have decided on a treatment plan, be sure to advise your physician if you feel unable to follow the plan.

You may be asked to consent in writing to certain tests, procedures, or surgical operations. Ask as many questions as you need to fully understand each document you are asked to sign.

4. Understand

Understand your role in your care. Know about your health problems. If there is anything you do not understand, ask any member of the health care team to explain it to you.

5. Report Changes

Tell your physician about any changes in your health.

6. Accept Financial Obligations

Ensure that your financial obligations are fulfilled as promptly as possible.

7. Respect the Privacy of Others

It is important to be considerate of other patients by observing their right to privacy, limiting your visitors, and maintaining a quiet atmosphere.

8. Treat Hospital Staff, Employees, and Others with Consideration and Respect

Promoting a safe and caring environment is a priority and requires that all persons in the institution treat each other with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, religion, beliefs,cultural values, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, or position.

9. Follow Hospital Rules and Regulations

Patients, families, visitors, and designated representatives must follow the hospital rules and regulations.

Revised 5/13/10