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Patient Rights & Responsibilities

As a PPMW patient, you have important rights and responsibilities.

Patients have the right to:

  • Obtain quality services, delivered in a manner respecting personal privacy and individual dignity regardless of race, color, disability, religion, national origin or sexual orientation; 
  • Seek gynecological, sexual and or mental health services and to receive them at a reasonable cost; 
  • Receive medically correct information in terminology that the patient understands so that the patient can make informed choices about his/her health care; 
  • Consent freely to health choices as well as the right to refuse services after receiving medically accurate information; 
  • Receive an explanation of the service fees, if requested before services are rendered; 
  • Receive medically accurate answers to questions about the patient's health care in terminology that she or he understands; 
  • Receive explanations of the purpose, meaning and results of tests and procedures performed
  • Have the patients' records and the information that they contain, be maintained confidentially in compliance with HIPAA; 
  • Receive instruction about medication, devices and or care after procedures received as well as how to contact a health care provider after hours in the event of an urgent matter; and 
  • Be referred to needed medical services Planned Parenthood does not provide. 
  • Be free from neglect; exploitation; and verbal, mental, physical, and sexual abuse. 
  • Be free from discrimination against race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or diagnosis neglect; exploitation; and verbal, mental, physical and sexual abuse. 

 

Patients have the responsibility to:

  • Give complete and accurate information about the patient's health history to the Planned Parenthood staff and accurate contact information for follow-up of abnormal lab results or for billing; 
  • Notify center of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC where care was received if instructions for care cannot be followed or if a problem related to the care received should occur
  • Ask questions about his/her health care that he/she does not understand: 
  • Give suggestions, complaints or comments regarding services to the Center Manager; 
  • Pay the fee or co-pay before leaving the center; and 
  • Keep appointments that the patient makes or notify the center 24 hours in advance to cancel.