As a patient at NMC Health, you have the right for you, or when appropriate your designated representative, to receive a notice of your rights in advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient care when possible. You have the right to:

• Full information, in layman’s terms, concerning diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, including information about alternative treatments, possible complications, and unanticipated outcomes of care
• Refuse drugs or procedures to the extent permitted by statute and a practitioner shall inform you of the medical consequences of the refusal
• An interpreter (where possible), should you require communication assistance.
• Impartial access to treatment, regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age or handicap
• Exercise these rights while receiving care or treatment in the hospital. You may have a surrogate (e.g., parent, legal guardian, person with medical durable power of attorney) exercise your rights if you are incapable of doing so, without coercion, discrimination or retaliation
• Participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care
• A representative (as allowed by state law) who has the right to make informed decisions regarding your care. This includes being informed of your health status, being involved in your care planning and treatment and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services that are deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate
• Formulate advance directives and to have the hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives
• If your advanced directive calls for a course of action that violates NMC Health’s mission or ethical beliefs, all reasonable steps will be taken to transfer your care to another health facility where your advanced directive can be followed
• Have a family member or representative of your choice and your own physician notified promptly of your admission to NMC Health
• Personal privacy
• Receive care in a safe setting
• Be free from all forms of abuse and harassment
• The confidentiality of your clinical records
• Access information contained in your clinical records within a reasonable time frame. NMC Health must not frustrate any legitimate efforts by you or your representative to gain access to your own medical records, and must actively seek to meet these requests as quickly as the record-keeping system permits
• Be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff
• Be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental or research project without compromising access to services
• Know the professional status of any person providing your care and services
• Respectful care given by competent personnel
• Know the reasons for any proposed changes in the professional staff responsible for your care
• Know the reason for your transfer either within or outside of NMC Health
• Know the relationship of NMC Health to other persons or entities participating in the provision of your care
• Make health care decisions and treatment decisions reflecting your wishes and to request a change in physician or transfer to another health facility due to religious or other reasons
• Access the cost, itemized when possible, of services rendered within a reasonable period of time
• Be informed of the source of NMC Health’s reimbursement for your services and of any limitations which may be placed on your care
• Be informed of the right to have pain treated as effectively as possible
• Your family has the right of informed consent for the donation of organs and tissues in the event of your death
• Be informed of visitation guidelines including:
  • Friends and family may visit when patients grant visitors
  • All visitors under the age of 12 must be in the care of an adult at all times
  • Persons who feel sick should not visit patients
  • Sometimes, the hospital may restrict or limit visitors due to the patient’s condition
  • Certain circumstances may arise that could provide a basis for the facility to impose restrictions or limitations on visitors
• Receive or have your designated representative and/or support persons receive a written Notice of Visitation Rights

Comments and Grievances

The NMC Health staff and doctors are interested in your comments about your care. If you have a concern about care or the information you are receiving, tell us about it in one of several ways:

• Tell your doctor, nurse or caregiver. He or she may be able to correct the situation immediately. In some cases, he or she may seek assistance from a supervisor, manager or administrator
• Contact the NMC Health Risk Manager.
  • By phone: (316) 804-6035 or toll free at (800) 811-3183, Ext. 1215.
  • By fax: (316) 804-6080, Attn: Risk Manager
• If you prefer, you may call or write either of the following:
  • Livanta LLC, BFCC-QIO Program
    10820 Guilford Road, Suite 202
    Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-1105
    1-888-755-5580 or TTY 1-888-985-9295
  • The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, Complaint Hotline
    1000 SW Jackson, Suite 330
    Topeka, KS 66612
    (800) 842-0078

Non-Discrimination Procedure

NMC Health complies with applicable Federal civil rights and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender or sexual orientation.  NMC Health does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, including discrimination based on:

• An individual’s sex
• Pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions
• Gender identity
• Sex stereotyping

NMC Health provides free aids to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

• Qualified sign language interpreters
• Information written in other languages or formats

NMC Health provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:

• Qualified interpreters
• Information written in other languages

If you need these services, contact the Section 1557 Grievance Coordinator.

If you believe that NMC Health has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or sex, you may file a grievance with

Section 1557 Grievance Coordinator
600 Medical Center Drive
PO Box 308
Newton, KS 67114

Phone: (316) 804-6035 or (800) 811-3183, Ext. 1215, Fax: (316) 804-6080

Email: Section1557GrievanceCoordinator@mynmchealth.org

You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the Section 1557 Grievance Coordinator is available to you.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through The Office for Civil rights Complaint Portal or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue
SW Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, DC 20201
(800) 368-1019 or (800) 537-7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available here.