Your Patient Rights and Responsibilities

The exercise of Patient’s Rights provides for:

As a patient, you are afforded impartial access to available and medically necessary treatment and accommodations regardless of sex, race, color, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, military status, ethnicity, ability to pay, or handicap. West Suburban Medical Center and its facilities subscribe to the following Patient Rights and Responsibilities.

  • Exercise of his/her rights as a patient while receiving care or treatment in the facility without coercion, discrimination, or retaliation;
  • Having a surrogate (parent, legal guardian, person with healthcare power of attorney) exercise the patient’s rights when the patient is incapable of doing so, without coercion, discrimination or retaliation;
  • The process to inform each patient or, when appropriate, the patient’s representative (as allowed under State law) of the patient’s rights in advance of providing or discontinuing patient care whenever possible;
  • The right to be fully informed in advance of care or treatment and to participate in the development and implementation of his/her plan of care;
  • The right to make informed decisions regarding his/her care, be informed of his/her health status and be involved in care planning and treatment, and being able to request or refuse treatment (this right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provisions of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate);
  • The right to consent to or refuse treatment after being adequately informed of the benefits and risks of and alternatives to treatment;
  • The right to formulate and exercise Advance Directives in accordance with Federal and State Patient Self-Determination Act(s) and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these Directives;
  • The right to have a family member or representative of his/her choice and his/her own physician notified promptly of his/her admission to the hospital;
  • The right to personal privacy;
  • The right to receive care in a safe setting;
  • The right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment;
  • The right to confidentiality of his/her clinical records;
  • The right to access information contained in his/her clinical records within a reasonable time frame (the hospital must not frustrate the legitimate efforts of individuals to gain access to their own medical records and must actively seek to meet these requests as quickly as its record keeping system permits);
  • The right to be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental, or research project without compromising his/her access to services;
  • The right to know the professional status of any person providing his/her care/services;
  • The right to know the reasons for any proposed change in the Professional Staff responsible for his/her care;
  • The right to know the reasons for his/her transfer either within or outside the facility;
  • The right to know the relationship(s) of the facility to persons or organizations
    participating in the provision of his/her care;
  • The right to access to the cost, itemized when possible, of services rendered within a reasonable period of time;
  • The right to be informed of the source of the facility’s reimbursement for his/her services and of any limitations which may be placed upon his/her care;
  • The right to be free from restraint or seclusion, of any form, imposed as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff (restraint or seclusion may only be imposed to ensure the immediate physical safety of the patient, a staff member, or others and must be discontinued at the earliest possible time);
  • The right to be free from physical or mental abuse and corporal punishment;
  • The right to have pain treated as effectively as possible;
  • The patient’s or legal representative’s right to informed consent regarding organ and/or tissue donation;
  • The right to communicate complaints or grievances regarding his/ her care to his/her physician, nurse, patient care team member, consumer advocate, or hospital administration.

The hospital has a Senior Executive Assistant who can be reached by telephone at (708) 763-6700. We hope you will give us an opportunity to resolve any issues you may have. A written complaint can be made to the Senior Executive Assistant at West Suburban Medical Center, 3 Erie Court, Oak Park, IL, 60302.

Complaints may also be communicated directly to the Illinois Department of Public Health at (800) 252-4343 or The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org, by fax at (630) 792-5636, or by mail to Office of Quality & Patient Safety, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL, 60181, or KEPRO, a Quality Improvement Organization, at (855) 408-8557.

The patient has the responsibility to:

  • Take an active role in his/her medical treatment
  • Give information on past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and any other information relating to his/her health;
  • Inform staff of his/her wishes regarding end of life decisions (i.e., Advance Directives);
  • Ask questions if instructions and information are not understood;
  • Follow instructions and advice offered by staff;
  • Report changes in his/her condition to those responsible for his/her care;
  • Be considerate and respectful of the rights of other patients and staff;
  • Honor the confidentiality and privacy of other patients;
  • Follow rules outlined by the department in which being treated;
  • Cooperate in planning his/her discharge;

The patient also has the responsibility to:

  • Pay his/her bill for services received as soon as possible;
  • Speak with the Financial Counselor or other West Suburban Medical Center representative about financial counseling and assistance if unable to pay his/her bill; and
  • Apply for financial assistance offered through West Suburban Medical Center.