While you are a patient at Santa Cruz Medical Foundation, you have the right to:

1. Exercise these rights without regard to gender, disability, diagnosis, economic status, educational background, race, color, ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation or marital status, or the source of payment for care.
2. Be informed of your rights, in advance of providing or discontinuing care, whenever possible.
3. Know the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating the care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and non-physicians who will see you.
4. Considerate and respectful care that safeguards cultural, psychosocial and spiritual values.
5. Receive care in a safe setting.
6. Be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
7. Receive information about your health status, course of treatment, prospects for recovery and outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcome)in terms you can understand. Participate actively in decisions regarding medical care including development and implementation of your care plan, including the right to refuse treatment.
8. Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse this course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in this treatment, the likelihood of achieving the desired results, alternate courses of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
9. Formulate advance directives and have staff and practitioners who provide care comply with these directives or be informed if Santa Cruz Medical Foundation is unable to honor your advance directive wishes.
10. Identify a surrogate decision maker who can make health care decisions for you if you are unable and have all the patients' rights apply to the this person or others who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on your behalf.
11. Personal privacy.
12. Full consideration of privacy concerning the medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and shall be conducted discreetly. You have the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
13. Confidential treatment of all communication, recordings/films and records. As may be required by law, written permission shall be obtained from you before your medical records and/or diagnostic studies are made available to outside parties.
14. Access information contained in your medical record within a reasonable time frame.
15. Request an amendment to and receive an accounting of disclosures regarding your health information.
16. Reasonable responses to any reasonable requests made for service.
17. Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance, the time and location of appointment as well as the identity of persons providing the care.
18. Appropriate assessment and management of pain.
19. If you suffer from severe chronic intractable pain, you may request or reject the use of any or all modalities to relieve your pain, including the use of opiate medication. Your doctor may refuse to prescribe you opiate medication, but if so, must inform you that there are physicians who specialize in the treatment of severe chronic intractable pain including methods that include the use of opiates.
20. Have complaints/concerns voiced by you or your representative addressed in a respectful manner, as soon as possible.
21. File a grievance. If you want to file a grievance with Santa Cruz Medical Foundation, you may do so by writing or by calling Santa Cruz Medical Foundation, 2025 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, telephone: 831-423-4111.

The Quality Management Committee will review each grievance and provide you with a written response within 30 days. The written response will contain the name of a person to contact at Santa Cruz Medical Foundation, the steps taken to investigate the grievance, the results of the grievance process, and the date of completion of the grievance process.