Patient Rights

As a patient of MCI, it is important to know you have a right to be treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect.

You have the right to know about your illness, outcomes of your care, and the right to take part in the decisions that affect your health and well being. This includes the right to talk with different doctors, to say no to any particular test or treatment, and to talk about end-of-life decisions. You have the right to get this information in a manner you will understand and to have your family involved in making decisions.

You have a right to know your diagnosis and the plan for treating it. This includes talking about procedures and tests and the expected result or medical outlook for the future. You have the right to learn the outcome of the procedures or treatment.

You have the right to be as free of pain as possible during your hospital stay, during a test, or during a treatment. You, your family, and the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff will help you to make and understand a plan to manage your pain. We will check with you about how well you are feeling and change the plan to control your pain, as needed.

You have the right to know the name of the doctors and others who are taking care of you. We encourage you to ask questions of them.

You have the right to be treated with respect, to be called by your proper name without too much informality, and to be safe while in the hospital environment. Your background and your spiritual and personal values, beliefs, and preferences should be respected. You have the right to expect a reasonable response to your requests for help.

You have the right to reasonable privacy. You may expect to talk with your doctors, nurses, social workers or other health care professionals in private, and know that the information you give will be shared only with those people who need it to do their job.

You have the right to know the information in your medical record. Your medical records are private. Certain conditions, such as cancer, cases of some infectious diseases, work related contact with poisons or other dangerous materials, and cases of child abuse, must be reported, even without your permission. In some cases involving concern about the care you receive, the medical centre may disclose information in medical records to its own lawyers and agents.

If you are unhappy with your care, you have the right to express this with your doctor, nurse, The Australian Government Department of Health & Aging Central Office telephone enquiries

You have the right to be told fully about any research study in which you are asked to take part. This discussion should occur before you agree to enter the study. If you are under the age of 18, your parent or guardian must give permission before any tests or treatments can be carried out in the course of the research study. You have the right to refuse to take part in a research study. If you refuse to take part, it will not effect receiving treatment here in the future.

You will receive, before leaving the hospital or clinic, clear instructions about what you must do at home and how you and your family can help your recovery and ongoing health care. You have the right to completely understand your instructions.

You have the right to leave the hospital, even if your doctor advises against it, unless you have certain infectious diseases that could affect the health of others, or if you are not able to provide for your own or other people’s safety as defined by law. If you decide to leave against your doctor’s advice, it will not affect your ability to obtain needed treatment here in the future. If you decide to leave against your doctor’s advice, you must sign a form saying the Medical Centre is not responsible for any harm that comes to you as a result.

In order to reduce concerns about paying your bill, you will be told of services available to help in paying for your care. You have the right to look at and receive an explanation of your bills.