Patient Rights
When you or your loved one needs medical care, you want the most appropriate and best care available. To achieve this, certain decisions may need to be made. As a patient in a Texas hospital, you have certain legal rights concerning your medical treatment.
Good Faith Estimate
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Click here for more information about the "Good Faith Estimate".
Informed consent
Every adult of sound mind has the right to decide what may be done to his or her body in the course of medical treatment. As a patient, you have the right to be told about the nature of your condition, the general nature of the proposed treatment, the risks of failing to undergo the treatment, and alternate procedures available.
This information helps you make an informed and rational decision about accepting or declining a proposed course of treatment. Your physician will discuss with you the risks associated with medical procedures identified under state law.
Directives to physicians
Texas law allows you to make an advance directive concerning your medical care. That is, you may make your wishes concerning medical treatment known before you actually need such care. One type of directive is authorized under the Texas Natural Death Act and is known as a Directive to Physicians.
View more information about advance care planning.
Durable power of attorney for healthcare
The other type of advance directive is known as a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. This is a document, signed by a competent adult, designating someone as an agent to make healthcare decisions on behalf of that person should that person become unable to make such decisions.
Hospital policies for implementing patients rights
Formal policies have been adopted to ensure that your rights to make medical treatment decisions will be honored to the extent permitted by law. This hospital has adopted policies relating to informed consent, implementation of Directives to Physicians under the Texas Natural Death Act and implementation of treatment decisions made by agents appointed under a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. If you desire further information about any of these policies, contact your nurse or physician.
Release of information
Information about your healthcare is confidential. Medina Regional Hospital recognizes the importance of protecting your privacy and has developed numerous mechanisms to maintain confidentiality. Except as authorized by state law, you have the right to determine what information the hospital may release about you. Unless you request otherwise, your name is added to the hospital's patient roster upon admission. This allows you to receive telephone calls, flowers, mail and visitors. Your religious preference may be provided to ministers of the faith you designate. Unless you request otherwise, the hospital may release directory information, which confirms your presence in the hospital; the nature of your injury, if applicable; your city of residence, sex and age; and a condition report in terms such as "critical," "poor," "fair" or "good."
You have the right to request that no information be released except as authorized by law. If you choose to be a "no information" patient, your presence will not be acknowledged, and you will not receive telephone calls, flowers, etc.
If the patient is a minor, the parent or legal guardian has the authority to make these decisions.
Information regarding your medical history, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis is maintained in your medical record, which is confidential. You have the right to request a copy of this information, and within 15 days of receipt of the request and payment of any fees, the hospital must provide it or explain that the information does not exist or cannot be found.
With certain exceptions specified by law, you have the right to designate to whom your confidential medical record may be released. If you have any questions regarding release of information, please contact the nursing supervisor.
Declaration for mental health treatment
Another type of advance directive is entitled Declaration for Mental Health Treatment. This document allows you to tell the hospital providing mental health services what kinds of mental health treatment you want, in the event you become incapacitated.
A hospital may not discriminate against you because you have or have not signed a mental health advance directive.
This facility does not routinely provide mental health services. However, in accordance with federal law, it is the policy of this facility to provide written information to all adult inpatients on admission regarding their right to formulate a declaration for mental health treatment and the written policies and procedures of this facility respecting the implementation of such rights. People who present to this facility who need inpatient mental health services will be screened to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists, will be provided appropriate stabilizing treatment and then transferred as appropriate to a facility that provides inpatient mental health services.
View our complete patients' rights brochure.