Know your rights as a hospital patient:
It can save your life!

A new law to protect the rights of all Maryland hospital patients went into effect on October 1, 2019. The Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights, which passed the Maryland General Assembly unanimously, was signed into law by Governor Hogan on April 30, 2019.

This important law requires that each hospital patient receive a written copy of the Patient’s Bill of Rights in a manner which they understand. Whether you are admitted to the hospital, in the Emergency Room, or an outpatient, you must be provided with a list of your rights. Hospitals are also required to post the rights in highly visible locations, and they must train their medical personnel annually in those rights.

Every hospital patient has the right to:

1. Receive considerate, respectful, and compassionate care;

2. Be provided care in a safe environment free from all forms of abuse and neglect, including verbal, mental, physical, and sexual abuse;

3. Have a medical screening exam and be provided stabilizing treatment for emergency medical conditions and labor;

4. Be free from restraints and seclusion unless needed for safety;

5. Be told the names and jobs of the health care team members involved in your care if staff safety is not a concern;

6. Have respect shown for your personal values, beliefs and wishes;

7. Be treated without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, religion, language, or ability to pay;

8. Be provided a list of protective and advocacy services when needed;

9. Receive information about hospital and physician charges and ask for an estimate of hospital charges before care is provided, as long as your care is not impeded;

10. Receive information in a manner you understand, which may include:

    a. Sign and foreign language interpreters;

    b. Alternative formats, including large print, braille, audio recordings, and computer files;

    c. Vision, speech, hearing and other temporary aids as needed, without charge;

11. Receive information from the doctor or other health care practitioners about your diagnosis, prognosis, test results, possible outcomes of care, and unanticipated outcomes of care;

12. Access your medical records in accordance with HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices;

13. Be involved in your plan of care;

14. Be screened, assessed, and treated for pain;

15. Refuse care;

16. In accordance with hospital visitation policies, have an individual of your choice remain with you for emotional support during your hospital stay, choose the individuals who may visit you, and change your mind about the individuals who may visit;

17. Appoint an individual of your choice to make health care decisions for you, if you are  unable to do so;

18. Make or change an advance directive;

19. Give informed consent before any nonemergency care is provided, including the benefits and risks of the care, alternatives to the care, and the benefits and risks of the alternatives to the care;

20. Agree or refuse to take part in medical research studies, without the agreement or refusal affecting your care;

21. Allow or refuse to allow pictures of you for purposes other than your care;

22. Expect privacy and confidentiality in care discussions and treatments;

23. Be provided a copy of HIPAA;

24. File a complaint about care and have the complaint reviewed without the complaint affecting the patient’s care.

Is your hospital honoring those rights?

Did they provide you with an accessible and understandable copy of your rights, and post rights in highly visible locations?

If not, please notify the Maryland Department of Health, Office of Health Care Quality at 410-402-8002 and send information to Marylanders for Patient Rights through our Contact page. Please also notify your state legislators. You can find your state legislators with this search tool. We are working to ensure compliance with the new law, the Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights.