Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Federal and state law provide for specific patient rights. At Luna Primary Care we recognize our responsibility to respect these rights as well as to inform you of them regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran’s status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, political affiliation or place of residence. The following summarizes both federal law and the Massachusetts Patients' Bill of Rights.
YOUR RIGHTS AS A PATIENT
- You have the right to obtain the name and specialty of the provider or other person responsible for your care.
- You have the right to confidentiality of all records and communications concerning your medical history and treatment, as provided by law.
- You have the right to a prompt response to all reasonable requests.
- You have the right to request and receive an explanation of the relationship, if any, between this healthcare facility, your doctor, and any other healthcare facility or educational institution, as it relates to your care.
- You have the right to request and receive information about financial assistance and free healthcare.
- You have the right to obtain a copy of any rules or regulations that may apply to your conduct as a patient.
- You have the right to:
- Inspect your medical records.
- Request an amendment to your records.
- Receive an accounting of disclosures of your personal health information.
- For a reasonable fee, obtain a copy of your records.
- You have the right to receive a copy of your medical records free of charge if the request supports a claim or appeal under any provisions of the Social Security Act or a federal/state financial needs-based benefit program.
- You have the right to refuse to be observed, examined, or treated by students or other staff without jeopardizing your access to care.
- You have the right to refuse to participate as a research subject or in any care or examination conducted for educational or informational purposes rather than therapeutic purposes.
- You have the right to personal dignity and privacy during medical treatment and other care, as reasonably possible.
- You have the right to have your cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences respected.
- You have the right to request pastoral and other spiritual services.
- You have the right to prompt life-saving treatment without discrimination based on economic status or source of payment.
- If you are a female rape victim, you have the right to:
- Be offered emergency contraception.
- Receive written information about emergency contraception.
- You have the right to informed consent, as provided by law.
- If suffering from breast cancer, you have the right to receive complete information about all medically viable alternative treatments.
- If you are a maternity patient, you have the right to receive information about the hospital's cesarean section rates and related statistics.
- You have the right to request and receive an itemized explanation of your medical bill.
- You have the right to:
- Be informed of your health status.
- Be involved in care planning and treatment decisions.
- Request or refuse treatment (not construed as a mechanism to demand unnecessary or inappropriate treatment).
- You have the right to formulate advance directives and have staff and practitioners comply with these directives.
- You have the right to have a family member, representative of your choice, and your physician promptly notified of your hospital admission.
- You have the right to access support services or protective services and to be free from all forms of abuse and harassment.
- You have the right to be free from seclusion and restraints unless they are medically necessary and not used as a form of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.
- You have the right to provide consent before any recording or filming of your care is made for purposes other than identification, diagnosis, or treatment.
- You have the right to be informed about outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes.
- You have the right to effective communication, including access to interpreters and information in a manner you can understand.
- You have the right to effective management of pain and related symptoms.
- You have the right to file a grievance and may contact appropriate personnel for assistance.
Luna Primary Care
Phone: 781-288-5862
Email: Contact@LunaPrimaryCare.org
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification
Complaint Intake Unit
67 Forest Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
Phone: 800-462-5540 or 617-753-8150
Fax: 617-753-8165
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 509F
HHH Building, Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-800-368-1019
TDD: 1-800-537-7697
Your Responsibilities as a Patient or Family Member
By taking an active role in your own healthcare, you can help your caregivers best meet your needs. We ask you and your family to share the following responsibilities:
- Let us know your expectations about hospitalization and/or treatment.
- Pay close attention to the care you are receiving, ensuring you are getting the correct treatments and medications.
- Ask questions and make sure you understand any instructions so you can safely care for yourself after leaving the medical office.
- Be open and honest with us about your health history, including all medications you are taking and any legal or illegal substances you use.
- Inform us about any situation at home or work that may affect your ability to care for yourself so we can direct you to helpful resources.
- Let us know if you cannot follow a prescribed care plan or if something does not seem to be going well, so we can work together to develop the right plan for you.
- Follow Luna's Primary Care rules and regulations.
- Speak and act in a respectful and safe manner.
- Be considerate of Luna's Primary Care staff, property, other patients, and their property.
- Accept outcomes if you and your family choose not to follow the care, treatment, and service plan.
- Meet any financial obligations agreed to with Luna Primary Care.