When you seek treatment at a US hospital or other medical facility, you’re expected to receive respectful, compassionate, and quality care. The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Patient’s Bill of Rights, now called the Patient Care Partnership, is a set of guidelines that help Americans control their healthcare experience.
First adopted in 1973 and later updated in 1992 and 2003, the AHA encourages patients to participate in their healthcare actively. It also ensures that patients are treated in a safe, clean hospital. It’s also why you can expect a respectful and honest conversation with your doctor about your diagnosis, what options you may have for treatment, and what to anticipate from recovery and results.
Discover 4 ways you can exert your AHA Patient’s Bill of Rights when seeking medical treatment.
What to Know About the AHA Patient’s Bill of Rights
Open communication, diversity sensitivity, respectful collaboration between doctor and patient, and willingness to explore alternative options are all vital to adequate medical care.
The AHA Patient’s Bill of Rights is designed to foster understanding between patients and their care providers. That’s why the Patient’s Bill of Rights is an essential set of guidelines designed to ensure top-quality healthcare ethics and provide optimal care.
US hospitals, doctors, and staff must enable patients to make decisions about treatments and many other aspects during their stay. When working with patients, medical institutions must also demonstrate cultural, gender, racial, religious, linguistic, age, and disability-related sensitivity.
This means you can ask for preventative health screenings, have coverage for adult dependents up to age 26, stretch your premium dollars further, and feel confident that your insurance provider can’t turn you down for a preexisting condition.
The AHA seeks to provide this Patient’s Bill of Rights in terms that patients and family members can understand.
4 Ways to Exert Your AHA Patient’s Bill of Rights
1. Get Clear Information About Your Diagnosis
Due to the AHA’s partnership between hospitals and patients, you can take charge of your health story and experience.
As a patient, you also have the right to ask your doctor to explain your diagnosis and prognosis in understandable terms and have staff explain medical records.
2. Ask About Treatment Options and Alternatives
As a patient, the AHA Bill of Rights puts you in the driver’s seat when figuring out what treatment option is best for you. You can also ask about recovery time, benefits and risks of a procedure, and if there are any other kinds of treatment options.
You also have the right to refuse to participate in a research trial or decline treatment.
Keep in mind that in emergencies, when the patient cannot make treatment decisions, the patient will receive expedient care as the situation requires.
3. Expect Privacy and Confidentiality
Under the AHA guidelines, you can safely expect that your medical records remain confidential. Staff must respect your privacy and maintain secure confidentiality regarding your medical records and history, including diagnosis, treatment, and care.
Hospitals must already follow the 1996 Health Insurance Portability; Accountability Act (HIPAA) which protects and ensures that a patient’s sensitive medical information is not shared without the patient’s express consent.
4. Request Upfront and Long-Term Treatment Costs
Identifying a procedure’s costs and insurance coverage is a big part of deciding an avenue of treatment. For some people, the cost might prove prohibitive. That’s why the AHA Bill of Rights is essential in helping hospitals remain transparent about costs.
In practical terms, you have the right to request a breakdown of expenses or overall cost for a procedure. Unless you need emergency surgery and there is no time to assess cost, the hospital must provide any known costs, policies, and payment options to patients upon request.
