Children's Hospital, New Orleans - Patients’ Rights & Responsibilities

Your Rights:

Non-discriminatory treatment regardless of race, creed, sex, disability or national origin.
The right to give or refuse consent for certain medical and/or surgical procedures and treatments for your child within the limits of state law.
The right to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
The authority to seek appropriate care for your child, including additional consultations or second opinions.
Information concerning your child’s condition that is current and easy to understand, and the right to know who each of your child’s caregivers are.
Respect and dignity from all members of the hospital staff, as well as confidentiality and privacy concerning your child’s care.
Access to religious counsel of your choice.
The right, if medically stable, to be transferred to another facility upon request after you have obtained an accepting physician at the other facility.
Clear discharge plans and instructions.
The right to formulate advance directives relative to your child’s treatment and to have hospital personnel and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with those directives.
The right to be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, disciplinary convenience or retaliation by staff.
The right to receive care in a safe setting.

Your Responsibilities:

To be available when medical staff needs to talk about your child’s care and make important decisions.
To tell us how we can reach you when not at the hospital. Please leave a telephone number with your nurse.
To ask questions concerning your child’s care.
To follow all hospital rules including:

Respect hospital and other patients’ property.
Remain quiet.
Obey visiting hours.
Smoke only in designated areas.
Strictly obey the hospital’s overnight visitor policy.

To provide your own transportation to and from the hospital.
To obtain your own meals.
To pay the hospital bill if insurance or medical coverage is not applicable.

Children’s Hospital is committed to providing quality healthcare. If you have a complaint or suggestion, please contact a Guest Services Representative at extension 4444. Presenting a complaint will not adversely affect your child’s care.

The Ethics Committee is an advisory committee which serves as a resource to deal with ethical questions related to health care and/or interprofessional relationships. All members of the hospital community including the patient and his/her family have access to the committee. To access the committee, call Social Services at extension 4367.