Patient Rights

St. Margaret’s Center for Holistic Health and Wellness places a high priority on dignity and respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual, patient safety and quality health care. We consider you a partner in your behavioral health care. When you are well informed, participate in treatment decisions and communicate openly with your provider and other health professionals, you help make your care as effective as possible. While you are a patient at St. Margaret’s Center for Holistic Health and Wellness, your
rights include the following:

You can expect:

• Your rights shall be protected in accordance with Chapter 2 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code [405 ILCS 5].
• Treatment and service evaluation and referral as needed or requested. If we cannot meet these needs, we will arrange a referral. You can expect your behavioral health care teamto explain:
• Information about why a referral is needed, including the risks,
• benefits and alternatives
• Available options with in lieu of a referral
• Coordination with the receiving provider of the referral
• Personal dignity and regard for your psychosocial, spiritual and cultural beliefs.
• St. Margaret’s Center for Holistic Health and Wellness is a community of caregivers who welcome, respect and serve with dignity all people without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation or HIV status.
• To be able to exercise cultural and spiritual beliefs and practices that do not interfere with the well-being of others or your treatment plan.
• Appropriate continuity of care and referrals. You have the right to be informed of realistic care alternatives and needed follow-up care after discharge.
• Foreign language or sign language interpretation so that you can access the care and information needed to participate in your care.
• Information about any relationship of St. Margaret’s Center for Holistic Health and Wellness to other healthcare and social service organization, as it is related to your care.
• The right to nondiscriminatory access to services as specified in the American’s with Disabilities Act.
• A safe and welcoming setting, free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• Services to be provided in the least restrictive environment available.
• The right to have disabilities accommodated as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Human Rights Act.
• You have the right to receive behavioral health care services regardless of inability to pay for services or lack of a permanent address.

You Have the Right to Make Decisions About Your Care

You can expect your health care team to explain:

• Information needed to give informed consent. This includes proposed treatment, services, risks and benefits, in a language you can understand.
• The right to refuse treatment or any specific treatment procedure and a right to be informed of the consequences resulting from such refusal.
• The right not to have services reduced, denied, suspended or terminated for exercising any rights.
• Information about advance directives and help to prepare a psychiatric advance directive or power of healthcare attorney (as requested).
• Any proposed research affecting your care or treatment. You have the right to refuse to participate in such research. If you do refuse, this will not affect your access to continued care.

You Have the Right to Privacy & Confidentiality

You can expect:

• Your right to confidentiality shall be governed by the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
• Behavioral health professionals and other members of your treatment team to protect your privacy as much as possible.
• That treatment records are confidential unless you give permission to release information, or reporting is required or permitted by law. When the Center for Holistic Health and Wellness releases records, such as to insurers, it emphasizes that the records are confidential.
• The right to give or withhold informed consent regarding treatment.
• Confidentiality of HIV/AIDS status and testing and anonymous testing.

You Have the Right to Present Grievances About Your Care

St. Margaret’s Center for Holistic Health & Wellness provides the opportunity for all patients to express their concerns about the quality of care received. St. Margaret’s Health has established a process for the prompt investigation and resolution of patient grievances. To file a grievance, express concerns or make
suggestions, the patient, or their representative, may contact the Patient Representative in person, or by phone or TTY (hearing impaired use only).
Phone: (800) 547-0466
TTY: (800) 547-0466

You can expect:

• The right, or your guardian’s right, to present grievances up to, and including, your provider’s Executive Director or comparable position. You or your guardian will be informed of how your grievances will be handled at the provider level. A record of, and the response to, those grievances shall be maintained by
  the provider. The Executive Director’s decision on the grievance shall constitute a final administrative decision (except when the decisions are reviewable by the provider’s governing board, in which case, the governing board’s decision is the final authority at the provider level).
• If you are not satisfied with the response you receive to your grievance, you have a right to a review by the Grievance Committee. A Patient Representative will convene the Grievance Committee within 15 business days. All findings/recommendations will be sent to Quality Council.
• You have the right to contact your public payer or its designee and to be informed of the public payer’s process for reviewing grievances.
• The right to contact HFS or its designee and to be informed by HFS or its designee of your healthcare benefit and the process for reviewing grievances. A copy of how Illinois Medicaid MCO Enrollees can file Grievance or Appeal is provided.