As a Patient, Your Child has Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient, your child has rights and responsibilities.

This page covers your child’s rights and responsibilities in detail.

Some of your child’s rights, or your rights as the guardian of your child, include:

Healthcare that is proper and caring
Information about your child’s condition
Help relieving any pain he/she may have
Privacy
Information about taking care of your child once you leave the hospital
An explanation of your hospital bill

As a Riley at IU Health patient, parent or guardian, you have the following responsibilities:

Following hospital rules
Telling the doctor about your child’s condition and medical history
Following the doctor’s advice about treatment
Paying your hospital bill (or letting hospital staff know if you need assistance paying your bill)

Indiana University Health fosters human dignity and preserves the rights of each patient. As a patient of Indiana University Health, your child (or a representative, when appropriate) has the right:

To be informed of patient rights in advance of care being provided or discontinued.
To considerate, respectful and compassionate care which encompasses an understanding of cultural diversity.
To be informed about his/her condition and treatment in understandable terms.
To receive information from your child’s physician as necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure or treatment.
To participate in the development and implementation of his/her plan of care, and to request or refuse treatment.
To be completely informed if transfer to another hospital becomes necessary.
To expect every consideration for his/her personal privacy in an environment that preserves dignity and contributes to a positive self-image.
To receive care in a safe setting.
To know the identity and professional status of his/her caregivers and physicians.
To expect all communications and records pertaining to his/her care will be treated as confidential, and to access information contained in his/her clinical records within a reasonable timeframe.
To be free from physical restraints, seclusion or medicines that are not medically necessary (e.g., ordered for medical emergencies).
To expect timely and appropriate assessment and treatment of physical pain and emotional or spiritual discomfort.
To obtain information as to the relationship of this hospital to other healthcare and educational institutions.
To receive adequate information to consent to or decline participation in clinical research.
To expect continuity of care and to be informed of home healthcare requirements prior to discharge.
To receive an explanation of your child’s bill.
To know his/her responsibilities as a patient.
To expect equal medical treatment regardless of race, creed, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation or gender.
To have a family member or representative of your choice and your child’s physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the hospital.
To have advance directives that express your child’s choices about future care.
To be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.

As the parent/guardian of a patient of Indiana University Health, you have the responsibility:

To provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications and other matters relating to your child’s health. It is important that you also report any changes in your child’s condition to your child’s doctor or nurse.
To tell your doctor or nurse whether you clearly understand your child’s medical treatment and what is expected of him/her as a patient.
To follow the treatment plan recommended by your child’s doctor to the best of your ability. This may include following the instructions of your child’s nurses and other healthcare personnel as they carry out your child’s doctor’s plan of care.
To assume the consequences of your actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow your child’s physician’s instructions.
To assure that the financial obligations of your child’s healthcare are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
To follow hospital rules and regulations relating to patient care and conduct.
To be considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel in the control of noise, smoking and the number of visitors, and to be respectful of the property of other persons and the hospital.

If you have a complaint, comment or question about your child’s care or a hospital service, tell your doctor or the nurse leader for your unit. Telling hospital team members about your concerns will not affect your child’s future care.

The hospital has a process in place to provide a timely response to your complaint or grievance and has a duty to respond in a way that you can understand. You may share your complaint or grievance in writing, by phone or in person.

Contact

Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health
Patient Advocate
T 317.944.6637

Indiana State Department of Health
Complaints
2 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
T 800.246.8909 (toll free)

Additionally, you may contact The Joint Commission at 800.994.6610 (toll free) or online at jointcommission.org to register a complaint.

With questions or concerns about laboratory services, you can contact the laboratory director at 317.491.6631.

You may also contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at 877.267.2323 (toll free), ext. 63531, or visit the CMS website at cms.hhs.gov.

If you do not understand the rights and responsibilities explained in this book, or if you have questions, please ask your child’s nurse or contact a patient advocate