Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Covenant Medical Group is committed to partnering with you in maintaining your good health.
As a patient, you have the right to:
- Exercise these rights without regard to gender, sexual orientation or cultural, economic, educational or religious background.
- Receive information about our medical group, its services, and health care providers.
- Be treated with professionalism, respect, courtesy and dignity.
- Have all matters considered with privacy and confidentiality.
- Participate in decisions about healthcare and treatments, as well as receive adequate information about your diagnosis and proposed treatment plan from your healthcare provider.
- A candid discussion of appropriate or medically necessary treatment option for your condition, regardless of cost or benefit coverage.
- Refuse any procedure or treatment if you so desire and be told what effect this may have on your health.
- Be informed of abnormal test results in a timely manner.
- Obtain a second opinion by another Covenant Medical Group provider.
- Have access to acute medical care twenty-four (24) hours a day, through emergency room coverage, every day of the year if you have a life threatening medical condition.
- Have the physician whom you visit focus his or her best efforts on your behalf in order to make a diagnosis and develop a proposed treatment plan based on the information available at the time of the visit.
- Receive complete information about our fees upon request.
- Right to voice complaints or appeals about the medical group or the care provided.
- Knowledge that Covenant Medical Group specifically does not reward practitioners or other individuals conducting utilization review for issuing denials of coverage, service or decisions that result in under-utilization.
- Have the right to submit to the provider an amendment to the medical record if upon review the patient believes any item or statement is incorrect or incomplete.
- Right to be represented by parent, guardians, designated family members or other conservators for those who are unable to fully participate in their treatment decisions.
As a patient, you have the responsibility to:
- Provide your healthcare provider with complete and accurate information.
- Follow the treatment plan agreed upon by you and your physician, and notify him/her of any significant changes in your condition.
- Recognize that your primary care physician will provide the care he or she is trained to provide prior to seeking consultation with a specialist.
- Know the benefits, limitations and exclusions of your insurance coverage.
- Pay for services rendered, including co-payments and deductibles.
- Understand that before specialty care may be obtained, you must receive a referral from your primary care physician, if required by your insurance company.
- Give adequate notice of delay or cancelation of scheduled appointments.
- Contact your primary care physician or a substitute anytime for perceived urgent medical needs or questions.
- Know how to access healthcare services for routine, urgent and emergency situations. An emergency is a serious condition requiring immediate intervention. An urgent condition could either lead to a potentially harmful outcome if not treated or requires immediate attention (within 24 hours) due to the severity of the symptoms. A non-urgent condition included a limited physical exam or follow-up of acute or chronic medical or surgical conditions.
- To designate a family member(s) or other conservator(s) if you are unable to participate in treatment decisions.