Body
Unit Policy
Title
Campus Health: Patient Rights and Responsibilities
RI-01
Introduction
Purpose
The RI-01 Patient Rights and Responsibilities policy outlines the rights that Campus Health is committed to upholding for all patients — such as privacy, non-discriminatory access, and respectful treatment — as well as the responsibilities patients are expected to fulfill in their own care. Its broader purpose is to ensure patients are informed of both what they can expect from Campus Health and what is expected of them.
Scope
This policy applies to all patients receiving care, treatment, or services at Campus Health.
Policy
Campus Health recognizes that all people have unique health care needs and affirms to focus on individual needs through provision of services in a considerate, dignified, and respectful manner. We empower patients by increasing awareness of these rights and responsibilities by visibly posting them within each area of the facility. It is in recognition of these standards that Campus Health works to uphold the following rights and responsibilities:
Patient Rights:
- The right to an inclusive and welcoming environment that preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
- The right to have consideration of psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural variables that influence perception of illness. Campus Health offers non-discriminate access to its programs and services without influence of age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, sex, veteran's status, sexual orientation, or other protected classes.
- The right to expect that Campus Health staff, within their professional capacity, the organizational mission, and applicable laws and regulation, will provide a reasonable response to request for care, treatment, and service.
- The right to considerate and respectful treatment that is free from mental, physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
- The right to privacy and confidentiality. The right to receipt of adequate health information, including the name and credentials of the health care professional(s) delivering care, treatment, and services.
- The right to approve or refuse the release of information from their medical record except when release is required by law and to have access to the information contained in the record within the limits of the law.
- The right to information regarding diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, costs, and prognosis to enable participation in decision-making regarding care. This includes the right to assistance in preparing an advance directive. When it is medically inadvisable to give such information, the information is provided to a person designated by the individual or to a legally authorized person.
- The right to receive copies of and examine your clinical record and billing record.
- The right to refuse to participate in research studies.
- The right for interpretation or translation services during medical care, treatment, and services.
- The right to choose a health care professional, change a health care professional as well as the right to request a second opinion or referral.
- The right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
- The right to refuse care, treatment, and services in accordance with the law and the regulation.
- The right to access protective and advocacy services.
- The right to voice concerns about care and safety and information about the complaint resolution process.
- The right to contact the Joint Commission to file a Quality Incident Report at jointcommission.org if the concerns cannot be resolved through the organization.
- The right to contact the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Central Offices, Division of Laboratory Services (CLIA) for concerns about laboratory operation at 410-786-3531 or at 1-877-267-2323 (toll free) extension 63531.
- The right to contact the Nursing Director about a discrimination concern of care and services rendered at Campus Health at 919-966-6600.
Patient Responsibilities:
All patients at Campus Health also have certain responsibilities.
- The responsibility to provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about current and past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters pertaining to your health.
- The responsibility to acknowledge the treatment plan recommended by your health care professional and to express concerns regarding your ability to comply.
- The responsibility for consequences of actions should treatment, care or services be refused or if the choice is made not to comply with the health care professional's instructions.
- The responsibility to arrive as scheduled for appointments and to cancel, in advance, appointments that cannot be kept.
- The responsibility to clarify any questions or concerns about the scope of basic services offered, the costs of such services, and the necessity for medical insurance.
- The responsibility to bring forward suggestions or concerns on care and safety about Campus Health programs or staff. This responsibility includes the right to open communication and assurance of continued access to care.
- The responsibility to work cooperatively with the health care providers regarding pain assessment and therapeutic management.
- The responsibility to fulfill any financial obligation for care, services, and treatment rendered at the Campus Health.
- The responsibility to show consideration towards the organization, staff, and other recipients of service as well as the property of the aforementioned parties.
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Melody Gibson, Health Information Manager
Telephone: 919-966-6557
Email: mgibson@email.unc.edu
Publication Details
Issuing Officer: Ken Pittman, Executive Director of Campus Health
Effective Date: October 1999
Last Review Date: May 2026
Next Review Date: May 2029