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Thank you for choosing Michigan Medicine for your health care needs. As a patient receiving care at Michigan Medicine, we want you to know the rights you have as a patient early in your care. These rights include, among others, respectful and considerate treatment, involvement in making decisions about your care, privacy of your health information, and designating the individuals who can visit you or be involved in your care. Michigan Medicine is a diverse place that endorses a culture of equity and inclusion. In order to reinforce these values, we do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, or abusive behavior. Michigan Medicine does not assign staff to patients on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status of either the patient or staff. A patient’s preference based on stereotyped characterizations shall not be honored. However, accommodations may be made for legitimate bodily privacy concerns. Michigan Medicine honors patients and families as the center of care.
Access to Respectful Care
Healthcare providers listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care. You will receive necessary care regardless of your:
- race
- sex, gender identity and gender expression
- color
- religion or creed
- national origin or ancestry
- age
- marital status
- sexual orientation
- disability
- height or weight
- veteran status
Patient Rights
As a patient at Michigan Medicine, you have the right to:
- Receive reasonable accommodations if you are a person with special needs.
- Receive reasonable accommodations for your religious practices.
- Receive considerate and respectful care in a smoke-free environment.
- Give or refuse consent for recordings, photographs, films or other images to be produced, unless it is for identification, diagnosis or treatment.
- Speak alone with anyone you wish while in the hospitals or health centers unless your health care provider determines it is not in your best medical interest.
- Accept or refuse visits from anyone you choose unless the visitor's presence compromises yours or others' rights, safety or health. This includes family members, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner) or any other type of visitor. You have the right to withdraw (cancel) a consent to visitation at any time. If the patient is a minor, it is the parents or legal guardians who have this right.
- Receive proper assessment and management of pain.
- Be free from restraint of any form or seclusion that is not medically necessary.
- Be free from coercion (intimidation), unwarranted discipline or retaliation by staff.
- Be free from mental, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, neglect and exploitation. Visit our Patient Concerns page to learn more about our approach to sexual misconduct and for contact information for our Patient Relations team. For more detailed information, visit the University of Michigan Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct website, where you can make a report on the Reporting to the University page.
- Speak or meet with clergy of your choice.
- Access protective and advocacy services.
- Request an Ethics Committee consultation for guidance on health care decision making. To make a request, contact the hospital paging operator at 734-936-4000 and ask for the Ethics Consultant on call for the Adult Ethics Committee or Pediatric Ethics Committee.
- Request a Healthcare Equity Consult Service consultation if you feel your inpatient care has been impacted by discrimination or bias. To make a request, contact the hospital paging operator at 734-936-4000 and ask to page the Healthcare Equity Consult Service, pager 38571. The Healthcare Equity Consult Service is available Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm to respond to your concerns.
- Privacy
Involvement in Care Decisions
Michigan Medicine patients and families are encouraged to participate in the care and the decision-making at the level with which they are comfortable. As such, patients can:
- Have a family member or other representative and your own physician notified of your admission to the hospital.
- Receive information about your diagnosis, health status, condition, treatment, prognosis and unanticipated outcomes of care.
- Know who is taking care of you and their professional titles.
- Receive education about safe use of medications, medical equipment, potential food-drug interactions and counseling on nutrition and modified diets.
- Be involved in the planning, completion and review of your plan of care, including pain management and your plan of care for after you leave Michigan Medicine.
- Receive the information needed to consent to a treatment, including the potential risks and benefits of that treatment.
- Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law. It is our responsibility to discuss with you the possible results of your refusal.
- Participate in health care decisions and have hospital staff provide you with information on advance directives and comply with your wishes in accordance with the law.
- Request treatment. However, your right to make decisions about health care does not mean you can demand treatment or services that are not medically necessary or appropriate.
- Receive information about research procedures that we suggest as part of your care. You have the right to refuse to participate in research without risking your access to continuing care.
Your Medical Records
Our healthcare providers communicate and share information with patients and families in ways that are supportive and useful. In addition, you can:
- See your medical record at a time suitable for both you and the staff. After discharge you may request and obtain a copy of your medical record for a reasonable fee. To request a copy of your medical record, call the Release of Information Unit at 734-936-5490.
- Request changes to your protected health information (PHI). You have the right to ask that your information not be given out. To make this request, contact the Release of Information Unit at (734) 936-5490.
- Expect confidentiality, privacy and security of your records, both personal and medical. We may use or disclose PHI without your permission as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, for example, to coordinate your care or submit a claim to your insurance company.
- Have a variety of other rights related to your medical records that are explained in Michigan Medicine Notice of Privacy Practices. You may obtain a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices by contacting the Privacy Director at 866-990-0111.
Concern About Care or Service
Michigan Medicine values collaboration among patients, family members and providers. We listen to our patients and families to let us know how we can improve. It is our aim to provide our patients and families with health care information in a manner and form that you can understand. We want you to be safe and receive the best medical care that we can provide. We also want to hear from you about what went well, or what could have been improved about your care while at Michigan Medicine. We encourage our patients and families to:
- Express any concerns you may have regarding your care or service. We encourage you to inform your health care team of any specific needs you have and to communicate concerns or compliments to the individuals or department involved.
- Speak up to identify uncomfortable situations or confusion about the care provided or planned, or if you have any safety concerns. Legal guardians and visitors also have this right.
- File a formal written or verbal complaint with the Patient Relations & Clinical Risk if your health care providers cannot promptly resolve your concerns. You can reach the Patient Relations & Clinical Risks team by phone at 734-936-4330 or 877- 285-7788 toll-free. You may also write to us at 300 North Ingalls Street, Room 8A06, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5478 or visit our Patient Concerns web page for more information.
- File a complaint with any of the following organizations regardless of whether your concern is resolved to your satisfaction by Michigan Medicine:
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Community and Health Systems, P.O. Box 30664, Lansing, MI 48909, 800-882-6006 (toll-free).
- Livanta, Medicare Quality of Care Complaints [Region 5: OH, IN, IL, MI, MN,WI], 10820 Guilford Rd. Ste. 202, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-1105, 888-524-9900 (toll free).
- The Joint Commission, Office of Quality and Patient Safety, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, 800-994-6610 (toll-free) or visit www.jointcommission.org
Concerns About Billing or Your Ability to Pay
- You can request an explanation about all items on your bill. If you have a question about billing, insurance or financial assistance, call 855-855-0863.
Patient Responsibilities
As a patient, you have the responsibility to:
- Follow the rules involving patient care and conduct. These include Michigan Medicine visitation and no smoking policies.
- Provide us with a complete and accurate medical history. This history includes all prescribed and over-the-counter medications you are taking.
- Tell us about all treatments and interventions you are receiving.
- Follow the suggestions and advice your health care providers prescribe in a course of treatment. If your refusal of treatment prevents us from providing appropriate care according to ethical and professional standards, we may need to end our relationship with you after giving you reasonable notice.
- Leave valuables at home and bring only necessary items for the hospital stay. The hospital is not responsible for any lost or stolen valuables.
- Be considerate of the rights of other patients and Michigan Medicine personnel and property.
- Provide information about difficulties you may have regarding your health care that we may not be aware of.
- Tell us if you clearly understand your plan of care and the things you are asked to do.
- Make appointments and arrive on time. You must call in advance when you cannot keep a scheduled appointment.
- Meet any financial obligations agreed to with the hospitals and health centers. This includes providing us with correct information about your sources of payment and ability to pay your bill.
