Patient Bill of Rights

As a Southern California Hospital at Van Nuys patient, you have the right to:

1. Considerate and respectful care, and to be made comfortable
2. Have a family member (or other representative of your choosing) and your own physician notified promptly of your admission
3. Know the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care
4. Receive information about your health status, diagnosis, prognosis, and course of treatment in terms you can understand
5. Make decisions regarding medical care and receive as much information about any proposed treatment as needed to give informed consent
6. Request or refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law
7. Be advised if the hospital or your personal physician proposes to engage in or perform experimentation or research affecting your care
8. Receive reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service
9. Appropriate assessment and management of your pain, and information about pain relief measures
10. Formulate advance directives regarding decisions at the end of life
11. Have personal privacy respected; privacy curtains are used in semi-private rooms
12. Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care
13. Receive care in a safe setting, free from mental, physical, sexual, or verbal abuse
14. Be free from chemical or physical restraints and/or seclusion
15. Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments
16. Be informed by the physician of continuing healthcare requirements and discharge options
17. Know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while a patient
18. Designate and exclude visitors of your choosing (subject to reasonable restrictions)
19. Have your wishes considered regarding visitors when you lack decision-making capacity
20. Examine and receive an explanation of the hospital’s bill within a reasonable timeframe
21. Exercise these rights without regard to sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, or religion
22. Know the reasons for your transfer either within or outside the facility
23. Be informed of the source of facility reimbursement for your services
24. File a grievance with the hospital by contacting us at (818) 787-1511
25. File a complaint with the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), 142 E. Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60611 — info@hfap.org
26. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health, Orange County District Office, 681 S. Parker Street, Suite 200, Orange, CA 92868 — (800) 228-5234

Additional Oversight

The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 — (800) 994-6610