Each and every patient at Western Reserve Hospital has:

  • The right to participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care.
  • Or his or her representative (as allowed under state law) has the right to make informed decisions regarding his or her care. The patient’s rights include being informed of his or her health status, being 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 provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary to inappropriate.
  • The right to formulate advance directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives, in accordance with the federal and state Patient Self-Determination Act.
  • The right to have a family member or representative of his or her choice and his or her own physician notified promptly of his or 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 or her clinical records maintained by the facility.
  • The right to access information contained in his or 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 free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff.
  • The right to be fully informed of and to consent or refuse to participate in any unusual, experimental or research project without compromising his or her access to services.
  • The right to know the professional status of any person providing his or her care/services.
  • The right to know the reason for any proposed change in the professional staff responsible for his or her care.
  • The right to know the reasons for his or her transfer either within or outside the hospital.
  • The right to know relationship(s) of the hospital to other persons or organizations participating in the provision of his or her care.
  • The right to access the cost, itemized when possible, of services rendered within a reasonable period of time.
  • The right to be informed of the source of the hospital’s reimbursement for his or her services, and of limitations which may be placed upon his or her care.
  • Informed of the right to have pain treated as effectively as possible.
  • A hospital must have written policies and procedures regarding the visitation rights of patients, including those setting forth any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that the hospital may need to place on such rights and the reasons for the clinical restriction or limitation. A hospital must meet the following requirements:
    • Inform each patient (or support person, where appropriate) of his or her visitation rights, including any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights, when he or she is informed of his or her other rights under this section.
    • Inform each patient (or support person, where appropriate) of the right subject to his or her consent to receive the visitors whom he or she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including same sex domestic partner), another family member or a friend, and his or her right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time.
    • Not restrict limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
    • Ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences.

Additionally: The patient’s family has the right of informed consent of donation of organs and tissues.

  • The right to have care that is considerate and respectful of your personal values, beliefs, age and gender.
  • The right to take part in ethical questions that arise during your care, or a representative of his/her choice.
  • The right to communicate with family, friends and others.
  • The right to be informed about results of care, including those that differ significantly from what was expected.
  • The right to report a complaint to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) at the ODH Complaint Hotline by calling (800) 342-0553.

Western Reserve Hospital Grievance Procedure:

A patient may initiate the grievance or complaint process by calling (330) 971-7115 and reporting the grievance. A patient may also report grievances to an outside peer review organization at:

Livanta LLC BFCC-QIO Program Phone: 1-888-524-9900 • TTY 1-888-985-8775

As a patient at Western Reserve Hospital, you have the responsibility to:

  • Provide correct and complete information about your past and current medical condition, hospitalizations, medications and other matters related to your health status.
  • Request additional information or clarification about anything you do not understand. Follow the treatment plan recommended by your physician and other healthcare professionals. If you choose not to follow your treatment plan, you are responsible.
  • Provide a copy of your written Advance Directive, if you have one.
  • Inform your physician or other caregivers if you anticipate problems following your prescribed treatments.
  • Discuss pain management relating to your illness, including: options for pain relief, potential limitations, side effects of treatment for pain and any concerns. It is your responsibility to ask for pain relief.
  • Assure that the financial obligations for your healthcare are fulfilled as promptly as possible. If a third party is responsible, you can assist by providing complete and correct financial and insurance information.
  • Be considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel, and follow the hospital rules regarding the conduct of patients.

Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act Notice of Non-discrimination

Discrimination is Against the Law

Western Reserve Hospital complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (which includes sex characteristics, including intersex traits; pregnancy or related conditions;  sexual orientation; gender identity, and sex stereotypes). Western Reserve Hospital does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.

Western Reserve Hospital:

  • Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
    • Qualified sign language interpreters
    • Written information in other formats (visual aids, large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)
  • Provides free language services to people and their companions whose primary language is not English, such as:
    • Qualified interpreters
    • Information written in other languages

If you need these services, contact the hospital operator at (330) 971-7000 and request to speak to the Nursing Supervisor. If you believe that Western Reserve Hospital has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with:

Manager, Patient Experience, Western Reserve Hospital 1900 23rd St., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223 P: (330) 971-7115 • Toll Free: (866) 265-4575 • F: (330) 971-7254

You can file a grievance in person, by mail or by fax. If you need help filing a grievance, the Patient Experience Manager is available to help you.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 509F, HHH Building Washington, DC 20201 1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

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Complaint forms are available at https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html