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Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, or as the parent or guardian of a minor patient at the Institute, we want you to know the rights that you have under federal and Massachusetts state law.

Your rights

Respect

You have the right to:

• receive health care that respects your cultural, psychosocial, and personal values and beliefs, including the right to request pastoral and other spiritual services; and
• obtain a copy of any rules or regulations that relate to the conduct of patients, as provided below.

Privacy and confidentiality

You have the right to:

• know that your records and communications are confidential to the extent provided by law; and
• expect privacy during medical treatment and care, within the capacity of the Institute.

Participation

You have the right to:

• refuse to be examined, observed, or treated by students or other Institute staff, without jeopardizing access to psychiatric, psychological, or other medical care;
• refuse to serve as a research subject or receive any care or examination that is primarily for educational or informational purposes, rather than for treatment; and
• participate in any consideration of ethical issues that arise in your care or your child's, such as resolving conflict, withholding resuscitation, forgoing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, or taking part in research studies.

Pain management

You have the right to:

• receive assessment and treatment for physical and psychological pain.

Information and treatment

You have the right to:

• obtain an explanation of any relationship (including financial) the Institute, or your physician, has with another health-care facility or educational institution, to the extent that the relationship relates to your care or your child's;
• receive information regarding financial assistance or free health care;
• obtain the name and specialty of the physician or other health-care providers caring for you or your child;
• have all reasonable requests responded to promptly and adequately within the capacity of the Institute;
• receive enough information to give an informed consent to treatment, to the extent provided by law, including an explanation of your condition or your child's, proposed treatments, and alternative therapies, with their respective benefits and risks;
• make decisions regarding your health care, including the decision to refuse or discontinue treatment, to the extent permitted by law;
• fill out advance care directives, such as a health care proxy form to designate someone to make decisions for you, in the event that you become incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or procedure, or are unable to communicate your wishes regarding your care;
• receive a complete copy of the Massachusetts Patient Rights law (M.G.L. ch. 111 sec. 70E), which is available from Patient/Family Relations, or on the internet at http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/111-70e.htm;
• if you have breast cancer, receive complete information from your physician on alternative treatments which are medically viable;
• have an interpreter or other assistance, as needed and available, when there is a language, communication, or hearing barrier;
• inspect your medical record, or your child's, and receive a copy of it. If you would like a copy, you may be charged a fee unless you demonstrate that your request supports a claim or appeal under any provision of the Social Security Act in any federal or state needs-based benefit program;
• receive prompt, life-saving treatment in an emergency without discrimination or delay based on economic or payment concerns;
• receive a prompt and safe transfer to the care of others when the Institute is unable to meet your request or need for treatment or service. For example, when we are unable to offer give you the type and quality of care, based on available resources, required by your specific condition or disease, or those of your child, we would make sure you could receive care elsewhere;
• receive a copy of an itemized list of charges submitted by the Institute to your insurer or another third party regarding your care or your child's, the amounts covered by the third-party payer, and a copy of the Institute's itemized charges sent to the attending physician; and
• register complaints or grievances, and seek solutions to problems, through the Patient/Family Relations Department. You have the right to file a grievance with the Institute if you have concerns regarding your care and treatment.

Your responsibilities

By taking an active role in your health care, you can help your caregivers meet your needs as a patient or family member. That is why we ask that you and your family share with us certain responsibilities.

We ask that you:

• provide, to the best of your ability, accurate and complete information about your present condition, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters related to your health or your child's, including information about home and/or work that may impact your ability to follow the proposed treatment;
• follow the treatment plan developed with your provider. You should express any concerns about your ability to comply with a proposed course of treatment. You are responsible for the outcomes if you refuse treatment or do not follow your care provider's instructions;
• be considerate of other patients and Institute staff and their property. Abusive, threatening. or inappropriate language or behavior will not be tolerated;
• keep appointments or call us when you are unable to do so;
• be honest about your financial needs so we may connect you to appropriate resources;
• give us any health care proxy or other legal document that may affect your decision-making ability or care, such as a power of attorney or court order; and
• notify us if you object to students or researchers participating in your care.

Please direct your concerns to:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Patient/Family Relations
44 Binney St.
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: (617) 632-3417
(800) 551-7034
TDD: (617) 632-5330
Fax: (617) 632-5805

Brigham and Women's Hospital
Patient/Family Relations
75 Francis St.
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: (617) 732-6636

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Division of Health Care Quality
99 Chauncy St., 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (800) 462-5540
Fax: (617) 753-8165

Board of Registration in Medicine
560 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02118

Phone: (617) 654-9800

Joint Commission of Accreditation of HealthCare Organizations
Office of Quality Monitoring
1 Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

Phone: (800) 994-6610