A patient shall not be deprived of any constitutional or civil rights solely because of admission to this facility. In addition to the Rights of Patients listed in the Rhode Island Mental Health Law, every Butler Hospital patient, (and, in case of minors, parents or guardians as appropriate) shall have the following rights:
Clinical Care
- The right to receive care, treatment, and services regardless of your age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, culture, language, disability, marital status, education, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, income, or who will pay your bill.
- The right upon request to be furnished with the name of the physician responsible for coordinating his/her care.
- The right to obtain from the practitioner responsible for coordinating his/her care complete and current information concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
- The right upon request to be furnished with the name of the physician or other person responsible for conducting any specific test or other medical procedure performed by the hospital in connection with the patient's treatment.
- The right to reasonably informed participation in decisions involving his/her health care.
- The right to refuse any treatment by the hospital to the extent permitted by law.
- The right to participate in the development and implementation of his/her plan of care.
- The patient shall have the right to the appropriate assessment and management of pain.
Privacy and Confidentiality
- The right to refuse to talk with or see anyone not officially connected with the hospital or directly involved with his/her care.
- The right to privacy and confidentiality shall extend to all records pertaining to the patient's treatment including the source of payment for treatment except as otherwise provided by law. Medical records pertaining to a patient's diagnosis or treatment for alcohol or drug abuse maintained by this hospital are protected from disclosure by federal statutes and regulations governing the confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records.
- The right to have his/her medical record read only by individuals directly involved in his/her treatment or in the monitoring of its quality and by other individuals only on his/her written authorization except as provided by law.
Grievances
The right to initiate a complaint or grievance. To initiate a complaint about the quality of care or other matters, the patient or patient's representative or family member should direct a verbal or written statement to the attending physician, nurse manager, unit chief, medical director, associate medical director, or hospital president. All complaints will be addressed within ten business days. When not resolved agreeable to both parties, face to face or via telephone, the hospital will provide the patient with written notification of its decision that contains the name of the hospital contact person, the steps taken on behalf of the patient to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance process, and the date of completion.
Restraints and Seclusion
The right to be free from seclusion and restraints, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. When alternatives are not successful, the techniques of restraint and seclusion will be utilized in a respectful and dignified manner. Seclusion and restraint will be used in emergency situations if needed to ensure the patient's or others' physical safety and less restrictive intervention have been determined to be ineffective.
