§ 23-17.16-5. Rights of home care patients/clients.
Each home care patient/client has the following rights:
(1) To receive services without regard to race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation,
age, disability, or source of payment.
(2) To receive safe, appropriate and high quality care and services in a timely manner
with consideration, dignity, respect and privacy.
(3) To accept or refuse care and to be informed of the consequences of that action.
(4) To be free from mental or physical abuse, physical punishment, neglect, damage to
or theft of property, or exploitation of any kind.
(5) To have his or her property treated with respect.
(6) To exercise his or her rights as a patient/client of the home nursing-care provider
or home-care provider agency. When the patient/client is unable to exercise his or
her rights, an agent or legal guardian may exercise the patient's/client's rights.
(7) To be informed, in advance, about the care to be furnished (and not to be furnished),
the plan of care, and of any changes in the care to be furnished before the change
is made.
(8) To help plan the care and services received or to help change the care and services.
(9) To be advised in advance of the disciplines that will furnish care, the frequency
of visits proposed to be furnished, and the names and qualifications of all individuals
providing care.
(10) To receive information necessary to make decisions about care (or to have a family
member receive that information, as appropriate) and to have access to their records.
(11) To receive information and counseling about advanced directives such as the living
will and durable power of attorney for health care, to formulate advanced directives,
and to receive written information about the policy of the home nursing care provider
or home care provider agency on client advanced directives and state COMFORT ONE protocol.
(12) To have his or her personal and clinical records treated and maintained in a confidential
manner and to be advised by the agency of its policies and procedures regarding disclosure
of clinical records.
(13) To be advised, before care is initiated, if the provider is a full participating provider
in the patient's/client's healthcare plan, the cost of services, the extent to which
payment for the home nursing-care provider or home-care provider agency services may
be expected from insurance, government and other sources, and the extent to which
payment may be required from the patient/client and the charges they will be required
to pay.
(14) To be informed of the home nursing-care provider or home-care provider agency's billing
procedures and the patient/client payment responsibilities.
(15) To be informed of the home nursing-care provider or home-care provider agency's ownership
and control.
(16) To be informed of any experimental research or investigational activities and the
right to refuse them.
(17) To voice grievances (or to have the patient's/client's family or guardian voice grievances
on the patient's/client's behalf if the patient/client is unable to do so) regarding
treatment or care that is (or fails to be) furnished, or regarding the lack of respect
for property by anyone who is furnishing services on behalf of the home nursing-care
provider or home-care provider agency; to be advised on how to voice grievances; and
not to be subjected to discrimination or reprisal for doing so.
(18) To have the patient's/client's complaints investigated, or complaints made by the
patient's/client's family or guardian, regarding treatment or care that is (or fails
to be) furnished, or regarding the lack of respect for the patient/client or the patient's/client's
property by anyone furnishing services on behalf of the home nursing-care provider
or home-care provider agency, and the home nursing-care provider or home-care provider
agency must document both the existence of the complaint and the resolution of the
complaint.
(19) To be informed, in writing, of his or her rights to appeal a determination or decision
made by the home nursing-care provider or home-care provider agency with regard to
eligibility for service, the types or levels of service in the care plan, a termination
or change in service, or if the patient/client feels that his or her rights under
this chapter have been violated.
(20) To be advised, in writing, of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the state
ombudsperson, the attorney general's Medicaid fraud control unit, the state licensing
agency and the availability of the state toll-free home health hotline, the hours
of its operation, and that the purpose of the hotline is to receive complaints or
questions about local home nursing-care providers or home-care providers.
(21) The patient/client shall have the right to receive information concerning hospice
care, including the benefits of hospice care, the cost, and how to enroll in hospice
care.