Patient Information

The Patient Has the Right to:

1. Treatment without regard to race; sex; age; national origin; cultural, economic, educational or religious background; or the source of payment of their care.
2. Considerate and respectful care.
3. The knowledge of the name of the surgeon who has primary responsibility for coordinating their care and the names and professional relationships of other practitioners who will see them.
4. Receive information from their surgeon about their illness, their course of treatment and their prospects for recovery in terms that they can understand. When it is medically inadvisable to give such information, it will be provided to a person designated by the patient or to a legally authorized person.
5. Receive the necessary information about any proposed treatment or procedure in order to give informed consent or to refuse this course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of all the procedures(s) or treatment(s), the medically significant risk(s) involved in each, and the name of the person who would carry out the treatment(s) or procedure(s).
6. Participate actively in decision-making regarding their medical care, to the extent that is permitted by law.
7. Refuse treatment.
8. Full consideration of privacy concerning their medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential, and shall be conducted discreetly. The patient has the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
9. Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to their care. Their written permission shall be gained before these medical records are made available to anyone not concerned with their care.
10. Reasonable responses to any reasonable request that they make for services.
11. Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointment(s), as well as the practitioner providing the care.
12. Be advised if the surgeon proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting their care or treatment. The patient has the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.
13. Be informed by their surgeon, or their designee, of their continuing health care requirements.
14. Examine and receive an explanation of their bill regardless of the source of payment.
15. Have all patients’ rights explained to the person who has legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of the patient.
16. Express any grievances or suggestions verbally or in writing.
17. All patients receiving anesthesia services or conscious sedation (all but straight local anesthesia) will be asked if there are advance directives that center should be aware of, but it is clearly explained to the patient that the Fullerton Surgical Center does not honor advance directives as an ambulatory surgery center, and all efforts will be made to resuscitate them for transfer to an acute care facility where the advance directives will be followed.
18. Change their provider if other qualified providers are available.

As a Patient, You Are Responsible for:

1. The Fullerton Surgical Center expects that a patient will provide accurate and complete information about matters relating to their health history in order for the patient to receive effective medical treatment.
2. A patient is responsible for reporting whether they clearly comprehend a contemplated course of action and what is expected of them.
3. The Fullerton Surgical Center expects that the patient will cooperate with all Fullerton Surgical Center personnel and ask questions if directions and/or procedures are not clearly understood.
4. A patient is expected to be considerate of other patients and Fullerton Surgical Center personnel, and to observe the no-smoking policy of the surgery center. A patient is also expected to be respectful of the property of other persons and the property of the Fullerton Surgical Center.
5. The patient is expected to help the physicians, nurses and allied medical personnel in their efforts to care for the patient by following their instructions and medical orders.
6. It is understood that a patient assumes the financial responsibility of paying for all services rendered, whether though third-party payers (their insurance company) or by being personally responsible for the payment for any services that are not covered by their insurance policies.
7. It is expected that the patient will not take any drugs that have not been prescribed by their attending physician and administered by the Fullerton Surgical Center.

If you have any questions regarding your rights or responsibilities, please discuss your concerns with us. If you have any complaints or grievances regarding how these rights were or were not administered, you may speak to the Executive Director, and the management team will conduct an investigation into your issue.

The Executive Director may be reached at 714-870-8300, or you can mail your concerns to:

Administrator
Fullerton Surgical Center
2240 N. Harbor Blvd., Suite 100
Fullerton, CA 92835

You may also register complaints with the AAAHC:

AAAHC
5250 Old Orchard Rd., Suite 200
Skokie, IL 60077
Telephone: (847) 853-6060

California Department of Health Services
Health Facilities Division
714-834-7700

Medicare: Office of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman, www.cms.hhs.gov/center/ombudsman.asp