Patient Bill of Rights: Your Rights During a Hospital Stay
Every hospital patient has fundamental rights that protect their dignity, safety, and autonomy. Understanding your patient rights empowers you to advocate for yourself and ensure you receive appropriate care.
Core Patient Rights
Right to Information
- Receive information about your diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis in terms you can understand
- Know the names and roles of everyone involved in your care
- Receive information about hospital rules, regulations, and charges
- Access your complete medical records
Right to Make Decisions
- Accept or refuse any treatment, medication, or procedure
- Participate in developing your care plan
- Give informed consent before any procedure
- Create advance directives (living will, healthcare power of attorney)
- Seek a second opinion
Right to Privacy and Confidentiality
- Have your medical records kept confidential under HIPAA
- Privacy during examinations and treatments
- Decide who may visit you
- Have personal health information shared only with your consent or as required by law
Right to Respectful Care
- Be treated with courtesy, respect, and dignity at all times
- Be free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity
- Be free from all forms of abuse, neglect, and harassment
- Receive care in a safe setting
Right to Emergency Care
- Under EMTALA, receive emergency screening and stabilization regardless of ability to pay
- Cannot be turned away from an emergency department for financial reasons
Your Right to Complain
- File a complaint or grievance with the hospital without fear of retaliation
- Receive a timely response to your complaint
- File a complaint with your state health department
- File a complaint with The Joint Commission (if the hospital is accredited)
- File a complaint with CMS if you're a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary
Financial Rights
- Receive a clear explanation of your bill
- Request an itemized statement of charges
- Be informed about financial assistance programs
- Receive a good faith estimate of costs before scheduled services
- Protection from surprise billing under the No Surprises Act
Responsibilities as a Patient
Along with rights, patients also have responsibilities:
- Provide accurate and complete health information
- Follow the treatment plan you've agreed to
- Treat hospital staff and other patients with respect
- Ask questions when you don't understand
- Meet financial obligations
How to Exercise Your Rights
- Ask for a copy of the hospital's patient rights document at admission
- Designate a healthcare advocate who can speak on your behalf
- Document any concerns during your stay
- Contact the hospital's patient advocate or ombudsman with issues
Data sourced from CMS. Visit Medicare Care Compare or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice.
Important
This article explains how hospital quality data works and is for general information only. It is not medical advice and must not be used to decide whether to seek, delay or refuse care — that is a decision for you and a clinician who knows your situation.
CMS quality measures describe care delivered during earlier reporting periods and are refreshed roughly quarterly. A hospital's staffing, services and performance can change well before the published numbers do.
hospiguide.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to CMS, Medicare, or any U.S. government agency, and publishes no ratings of its own.
Before acting on anything here, verify current details at Medicare.gov Care Compare or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.
HospiGuide.org Editorial Team
Our editorial team explains U.S. hospital quality data using official CMS datasets and government publications. We are not medical professionals, we do not recommend hospitals, and we accept no payment for coverage. Every factual claim is checked against a CMS or federal source. Read our editorial policy.
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