Patient Rights and Responsibilities

To help you get the most out of your stay at St.Vincent Women’s Hospital, we encourage you to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as a patient.

Patient and Client Rights

To request and receive medically appropriate treatment and services within the hospital's capacity and mission. St.Vincent is a Catholic institution that operates under the mission of the Daughters of Charity and the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
To receive care that respects your individual cultural, spiritual and social values, regardless of race, color, creed, nationality, age, gender, disability or source of payment.
To receive respectful, considerate, compassionate care that manages your pain as well as possible, and promotes your dignity, privacy, safety and comfort.
To receive physical and spiritual support during times of illness and through the dying process.
To expect that efforts will be made to provide you with the best of care during and after your hospitalization, including appropriate arrangements for durable medical equipment, home care or other alternatives to hospitalization.
To be clearly informed of the nature of your illness and treatment options, including potential risks, benefits, alternatives and costs.
To participate fully in your healthcare decisions. To know the identity of your caregiver. To request a second opinion or change physicians.
To accept or refuse recommended tests or treatments, to the extent the law permits. To refuse to sign a consent form if there is anything you don't understand or agree to. To change your mind about any procedure to which you have consented. To be informed of the medical consequences of refusing tests or treatments.
To be informed of any proposed research or experimental treatment that may be considered in your care, and to consent or refuse to participate in this treatment.
To formulate Advance Directives. To expect that your advance directives will be honored when ethically possible. For more information see section on Advance Directives. To expect that appropriate decision-makers will be sought in case you lack decision-making ability and have no Advance Directive.
To access a hospital ethicist or ethics committee if you have ethical issues concerning your care. Ask your care provider to contact either the chaplain or a hospital ethicist to participate in the resolution of those issues.
To be assured that medical and personal information will be handled in a confidential manner. To have access to the information in your medical record. It's up to you whether we release any information at all, other than that required by your physicians and insurance company. Your caregivers can explain this option.
To be informed of the procedure you can follow to file complaints with your healthcare provider. Complaints with St.Vincent can be lodged by calling (317) 338-3391. You also have the right to know about the disposition of such complaints.
To voice your grievances without fear of discrimination or reprisal for having done so.
To request and receive information regarding your bill, including payments, insurance status and explanation of charges. To receive information regarding financial assistance and help in determining financial needs.
To be advised of the telephone number, address and hours of operation of the state's healthcare hotline, which receives questions and complaints about health care providers, including questions about implementation of advance directive requirements.
- Hours are 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Phone number is 1-800-227-6334
- Address is:
  Indiana State Department of Health
  2 North Meridian Street
  Indianapolis, IN 46204

Patient and Client Responsibilities

To provide all necessary personal and family health information.
To participate as best you can in making decisions about your medical treatment and carry out the plan of care agreed upon by you and your caregivers.
To ask questions of your physician or other caregivers when you do not understand any information or instructions.
To inform your physician or other care providers if you do not understand your diagnosis or treatment or if you desire a transfer of care to another physician, caregiver or facility.
To be considerate of others receiving or providing care.
To observe facility policies and procedures, including those on smoking, noise and visitors.
To accept your financial obligations associated with your care, and request financial assistance if needed.
To be reasonable in requests for medical treatment and other services.
To advise your caregivers of any dissatisfaction you may have.

Medicare Patient Rights

You have the right to receive all the hospital care that is necessary for the proper diagnosis and treatment of your illness or injury. According to federal law, your discharge date must be determined solely by your medical needs, not by "Diagnosis-Related Groups" (DRGs) or Medicare payments.
You have the right to be fully informed about decisions affecting your Medicare coverage and payment for your hospital stay and for any post-hospital services.
You have the right to request a review by a Peer Review Organization (PRO) of any written Notice of Non-Coverage that you receive from the hospital stating that Medicare will no longer pay for hospital care. Peer Review Organizations are groups of doctors who are paid by the federal government to review medical necessity, appropriate¬ness and quality of hospital treatment furnished to Medicare patients. The phone number and address of the PRO in your area is:
- Health Care Excel
  Post Office Box # 3713
  2901 Ohio Blvd.
  Terre Haute, Indiana 47803
  (812) 234-1499 or 1-800-288-1499

For more information on these rights and responsibilities, ask any St.Vincent staff member.