Catawba Valley Medical Center strives to protect the rights of each patient.

Access to Care: Patients have the right to impartial access to medically indicated treatment, services, and care and can expect to have emergency procedures implemented without delay. Patients have the right to assistive devices or animals.

Respect: Patients have the right to considerate and respectful care given by competent personnel.

Dignity: Patients have the right to be treated with dignity.

Privacy and Confidentiality: Patients have the right to expect that any discussion and all written communications, pertaining to their care be treated as confidential.

Personal Safety: Patients have the right to expect reasonable safety precautions be taken, in terms of practices and the environment in which care is provided. Patients have the right to be free from restraints that are not medically necessary.

Identity: Patients have the right to know the identity, professional status and professional relationships of those providing services, including knowing who is primarily responsible for their care.

Information: Patients have the right to be informed about the outcomes of their care.

Communication: Patients have the right to verbal and written communications and access to people that are authorized to act on the patient’s behalf to assert or protect their rights. When the patient does not understand the predominant language of the community or is hearing impaired, access to an interpreter will be provided.

Visitation: Patients have the right to receive the visitors whom he or she designates. All visitors will enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences and a “support person” may be identified by the patient.

Consent: Patients have the right to informed participation in decisions involving their health care, treatment and services.

Consultation: Patients have the right to consult with a specialist.

Participation in the Plan of Care: Patients have the right to participate in the development, implementation and revision of his/her plan of care, and to have family and their own physician promptly notified of his/her admission to the hospital. Patients may refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and are informed of the medical consequences of such refusal.

Knowledge of Continuing Care Needs: Patients may not be transferred to other facilities unless they have received complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the transfer is acceptable to the patient and the other facility.

Comfort: Patients have the right to quick response directed to optimize pain management.

Financial Explanation: Patients have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation of their total bill.

Hospital Rules and Regulations: Patients have the right to access to the hospital rules and regulations applicable to their conduct as a patient.

Resolution of Complaints/Grievances: Our goal at CVMC is provide each patient and family with a satisfying experience. If for some reason your complaints are not resolved while you are a patient, you may ask to speak with the Nurse Manager or you can contact the Patient Advocate at (828) 326-3720. If concerns remain, you may file a formal, written or verbal grievance. Grievances may be filed with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Joint Commission, or the Carolina Center for Medical Excellence. Contact information for each is provided below.

All departments at Catawba Valley Medical Center are licensed and regulated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Himan Services, Division of Health Service Regulation. The state agency is responsible for the enfourcement of rules applicable to hospitals. If a patient and/or patient's designee wished, the agency may be contacted:

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Health Service Regulation
Acute and Home Care Branch
2717 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-2711
Phone: 919.855.4500 or 1.800.624.3004

The Disability Rights of North Carolina has the power to investigate complaints at any 24-hour behavioral health facility in the state. To contact Disability Rights of North Carolina, please call 1-877-235-4210 or email info@disabilityrightsnc.org.

All departments at Catawba Valley Medical Center are accredited by The Joint Commission, whose mission is to monitor healthcare organizations’ compliance with patient quality and safety of care standards. If a patient and/or patient’s designee wishes, The Joint Commission may be contacted at 800.994.6610 or patientsafetyreport@jointcommission.org.

Medicare patients have the right to submit a complaint regarding quality of care, disagreement with a coverage decision or appeal a perceived premature discharge to Kepro, The Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Kepro may be contacted at 888.317.0751 or via TTY at 855.843.4776.

If you would like a more detailed description of these patient rights, please ask your nurse, healthcare provider or call 828.326.3720.

CATAWBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

CATAWBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER (CVMC) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. CVMC does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

CVMC:

• Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
  • Qualified sign language interpreters
  • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)
• 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 Administrator on Duty at 828.326.3720.

If you believe that CVMC has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, you can file a grievance with: CVMC Civil Rights Coordinator, 828.732.7303 or civilrights@cvmc.us. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the CVMC Civil Rights Coordinator is available to help 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, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1.800.368.1019, 800.537.7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.