The Waterford Surgical Center (WSC) wants you to have the best possible care as prescribed or recommended by those who are treating you. We want you to know what your rights are as a patient, as well as what your obligations are to yourself, your physician and the outpatient surgical center. We encourage you to talk openly with those involved with your care.

You have the right to:

• Know the name the physician, nurse, and staff members responsible for your care.
• Be told by your primary physician, in language you understand, your diagnosis, the treatment prescribed for you, the prognosis of your illness, and any instructions required for follow-up care.
• Talk openly with your physician.
• Know the reason for any necessary tests and treatments and the persons who will give them to you.
• Know the general nature and inherent risk of any procedure or treatment prescribed for you.
• Change your mind about any procedure for which you have given your consent.
• Refuse to sign a consent form if you feel everything has not been explained to your satisfaction.
• Delete any part of the consent form that you do not want applied to your care except those which are necessary for the completion of the scheduled procedure.
• Refuse treatment and be informed of the consequences of the action.
• Limit those persons who visit you.
• Expect your personal privacy to be respected.
• Expect all communications and other records pertaining to your care, including the source of payment, to be kept confidential.
• Request a consultation or second opinion from another physician.
• Change physicians, hospitals or surgical centers.
• Examine your surgery center bill and receive an explanation of it.
• Have fair access to the medical resources of surgical center indicated for your care without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sec, handicap, or source of payment.
• Refuse to participate in research projects.

You, in turn, have the responsibility to:

• Know and follow hospital regulations.
• Cooperate and follow the care prescribed or recommended for you by your physician, nurses, or allied health personnel.
• Notify your physician or nurse manager if you do not understand your diagnosis, treatment or prognosis.
• Inform the nurse manager and your family when you feel you are receiving too many outside visitors.
• Accept your financial obligations associated with your care.
• Advise your nurse manager, physician, or patient representative of any dissatisfaction you may have in regard to your care at the surgical center.
• Be considerate of the rights of other patients and personnel and assist in the control of noise, smoking, and the number of visitors you receive.

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

It is our policy, regardless of the contents of any Advance Directive, that if an adverse event occurs during treatment at the ASC (ambulatory surgery center), we will initiate resuscitative or stabilizing measures and transfer the patient to an acute care hospital for further evaluation.

Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

Click here to download the document.