Patient Rights & Responsibilities

As a patient of The Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, you have the right to receive information in advance of the date of the procedure.

Patient’s Bill of Rights

Every patient has the right to be treated as an individual with his/her rights respected. The facility and medical staff have adopted the following list of patient’s rights:

  • Reasonable response to your requests and needs for treatment or service, within the Surgery Center’s capacity, its stated mission, and applicable law and regulation.
  • Considerate and respectful care, including the consideration of the psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural variables that influence the perceptions of illness. The comfort and dignity of all patients is optimized to the best of ability while delivering care.
  • Become informed of his or he rights as a patient and participate in care and in advance of, or when discontinuing, the provision of care. The patient may appoint a representative to receive this information should he or she so desire.
  • Exercise these rights and have reasonable access to care without discrimination or regard to age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, cultural, economic, educational, or religious background or the source of payment for care.
  • Considerate and respectful care, provided in a safe environment, free from all forms of abuse, neglect, harassment, and/or exploitation.
  • Access protective and advocacy services or have these services accessed on the patient’s behalf.
  • Appropriate assessment and management of pain.
  • Remain free from seclusion or restraints of any form that are not medically/behaviorally necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.
  • Knowledge of the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating his/her care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and healthcare providers who will see him/her.
  • Receive information from his/her physician about his/her illness, course of treatment, outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes), and his/her prospects for recovery in terms that he/she can understand.
  • Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as he/she may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse the course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in the treatment, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each, and the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
  • Participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care and actively participate in decisions regarding his/her medical care. To the extent permitted by law, this includes the right to request and/or refuse treatment.
  • Formulate advance directives regarding his or her healthcare, and to have Surgery Center staff and practitioners who provide care in the Surgery Center comply with these directives (to the extent provided by state laws and regulations).
  • Have a family member, significant other, or representative of his/her choice notified promptly of admission and designate visitors, non-visitors at their choosing to include same sex partners, family, or designee support person(s).
  • Have personal physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the Surgery Center.
  • Full consideration of privacy concerning his/her medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination, and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. The patient has the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual involved in his or her healthcare.
  • Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to his/her care and his/her stay in the Surgery Center. His/her written permission will be obtained before his/her medical records can be made available to anyone not directly concerned with his/her care.
  • Receive information in a manner that he/she understands. Communications with the patient will be effective and provided in a manner that facilitates understanding by the patient. Written information provided will be appropriate to the age, understanding and, as appropriate, the language of the patient. As appropriate, communications specific to the vision, speech, hearing cognitive and language-impaired patient will be appropriate to the impairment.
  • Access information contained in his or her medical record within a reasonable time frame (usually within 48 hours of the request).
  • Reasonable responses to any reasonable request he/she may make for service.
  • Leave the Surgery Center even against the advice of his/her physician.
  • Reasonable continuity of care.
  • Be advised of the Surgery Center grievance process, should he or she wish to communicate a concern regarding the quality of the care he or she receives or if he or she feels the determined discharge date is premature. Notification of the grievance process includes: whom to contact to file a grievance, and that he or she will be provided with a written notice of the grievance determination that contains the name of the Surgery Center contact person, the steps taken on his or her behalf to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance, and the grievance completion date.
  • Be advised if Surgery Center/personal physician proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his/her care or treatment. The patient has the right to refuse to participate in such research projects. Refusal to participate or discontinuation of participation will not compromise the patient’s right to access care, treatment, or services.
  • Full support and respect of all patient rights should the patient choose to participate in research, investigation, and/or clinical trials. This includes the patient’s right to a full informed consent process as it relates to the research, investigation, and/or clinical trial. All information provided to subjects will be contained in the medical record or research file, along with the consent form(s).
  • Be informed by his/her physician or a delegate of his/her physician of the continuing healthcare requirements following his/her discharge from the Surgery Center.
  • Examine and receive an explanation of his/her bill regardless of source of payment.
  • Know which Surgery Center rules and policies apply to his/her conduct while a patient.
  • Designate a representative to make decisions to exercise the patient’s right to participate in the development of care and to make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of the patient.
  • All Surgery Center personnel, medical staff members, and contracted agency personnel performing patient care activities shall observe these patients’ rights.

Patient Responsibilities

  • To provide accurate and complete information concerning his/her present complaints, past illnesses, Surgery Centerizations, medications, and other matters relating to his/her health.
  • Reporting perceived risks in his or her care and unexpected changes in his/her condition to the responsible practitioner.
  • Asking questions about the patient’s condition, treatments, procedures, laboratory, and other diagnostic tests.
  • Asking questions when they do not understand what they have been told about the patient’s care or what they are expected to do.
  • Immediately reporting any concerns or errors they may observe.
  • Following the plan of care established by his/her physician, including the instructions of nurses and other health professionals as they carry out the physician’s orders.
  • Accepting the consequences of failing to follow the recommended course of treatment or using other treatments.
  • Keeping appointments and for notifying the Surgery Center or physician when he/she is unable to do so.
  • His/her actions should he/she refuse treatment or not follow his/her physician’s orders.
  • Assuring the financial obligations of his/her care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
  • Respecting the Surgery Center property and that of other persons.
  • Following Surgery Center policies and procedures, rules, and regulations concerning patient care and conduct.
  • Being considerate of the rights of other patients and Facility personnel.

Filing a Complaint

As a patient of this Facility, you have a right to express a complaint or formal grievance about the care and services received, and to receive resolution to that complaint or grievance in a timely manner. We ask that you first communicate your concerns to the staff or supervisor directly involved in your care, if possible, so that we can work to resolve the issue during your stay. Concerns may also be directed to any of the following facility contacts, our accrediting organization, or State and Federal agencies:

Facility Contacts

Lisa Davis, CPC, Administrator
Michelle Corner, BSN, Director of Nursing
9200 Calumet Avenue, Suite S200
Munster, IN 46321

(219)-961-9621

State of Indiana

Indiana Attorney General’s Office
(800) 382-5516

indianaattorneygeneral.secure.force.com/

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman
1-800-MEDICARE or (800) 633-4227
www.cms.gov/center/ombudsman.asp
Email: Feedback@aaahc.org

Policy on Advance Directives

We are required by Federal law to provide the patient, patient representative or surrogate written information concerning its policies on advance directives, including a description of applicable State health and safety laws and if requested, official State advance directive forms. We also must inform the patient, patient representative or surrogate of your right to make informed decisions regarding the patient’s care. 42 C.F.R. § 416.50 (c).

There are several types of advance directives; the two most common forms are living wills and durable power of attorney designation. All patients have the right to participate in their own healthcare decisions and to make advance directives or execute Powers of Attorney that authorize others to make decisions on their behalf based on the patients expressed wishes.

This Facility will honor the intent of the advance directive to the extent permitted by law, and subject to the limitations on the basis of conscience. This Facility performs elective procedures that generally enhance or improve the patient’s quality of life, therefore; in the event of a medical emergency, it is the policy of this Facility to initiate resuscitative measures and transfer the patient to the hospital for further evaluation. When permitted by State law. At the hospital, further treatments or withdrawal of treatment measures may be exercised in accordance with your Advance Directive or Power of Attorney. If you do not agree with this policy please address this issue with your physician prior to the procedure. This policy applies to all patients having a procedure performed at this facility.

Physician Financial Ownership

We are required by Federal law to notify you that physicians have financial interests or ownership in this ASC. We are required by 42 C.F.R. § 416.50 to disclose this financial interest or ownership in writing prior to the surgical procedure.

A list of physicians who have financial interest in this ASC is below:

  1. Dr. Sunil Dedhia
  2. Dr. Jack Gelman
  3. Dr. Nitin Khanna
  4. Dr. Dwight Tyndall
  5. Dr. Shridhar Ventrapragada
  6. Dr. Craig Best

If you need a translator, please let us know and one will be provided for you. If you have someone who can translate confidential, medical and financial information for you, please make arrangements to have them accompany you on the day of your procedure.

For additional information about HIPAA’s Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information, please visit:
http://www.hhs.gov/.