Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient you have certain rights and responsibilities. We recognize that a respectful relationship between the healthcare provider and the patient is the foundation of proper medical care. 

Patients Have the Right To:

• Receive humane care and treatment, with respect and consideration
• Privacy and confidentiality when seeking or receiving care except for life threatening conditions or situations
• Confidentiality of your health records
• Be informed of and to exercise the option to refuse to participate in any research aspect of your care without compromising access to medical care and treatment
• Receive accurate information concerning diagnosis, treatment, risks involved, and prognosis of an illness or health related condition
• Ask about reasonable alternatives to care
• A second professional opinion regarding one's health care and treatment
• Participate actively in decisions regarding one's health care and treatment
• Accessible information regarding the scope and availability of services
• Be informed about any legal reporting requirements regarding any aspect of screening or care

Patients Have The Responsibility To:

• Provide complete information about one's illness/problem, to enable proper evaluation and treatment
• Ask questions so that an understanding of the condition or problems is ensured
• Show respect to health personnel and other patients
• Re-schedule/cancel an appointment so that another person may be given that time slot
• Provide the practice with any updates or changes in demographic information including address, phone number, and email address
• Provide the practice with any updates or changes in insurance information including secondary insurance coverage
• Pay bills or file health claims in a timely manner
• Use prescriptions or medical devices for oneself only
• Inform the practitioner(s) if one's condition worsens or an unexpected reaction occurs from a medication

If you believe that your rights as a patient have been violated, you should call the matter to our attention and may do so by sending a letter outlining your concerns or complaint to the attention of:

Practice Manager
Carolina Pediatrics of Wilmington, PA
715 Medical Center Drive
Wilmington, NC 28401

You will not be penalized or otherwise retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Individual Rights

You Have Certain Rights Under The Federal Privacy Standards. These Include:

• The right to request restrictions on the use and disclosure of your protected health information
• The right to receive confidential communications concerning your medical condition and treatment
• The right to inspect and copy your protected health information
  The right to amend or submit corrections to your protected health information
• The right to receive an accounting of how and to whom your protected health information has been disclosed
• The right to receive a printed copy of this notice

Carolina Pediatrics of Wilmington, P.A. Duties:

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice of privacy practices.
 

We also are required to abide by the privacy policies and practices that are outlined in this notice.

Right to Revise Privacy Practices

As permitted by law, we reserve the right to amend or modify our privacy policies and practices. These changes in our policies and practices may be required by changes in federal and state laws and regulations. Upon request, we will provide you with the most recently revised notice on any office visit. The revised policies and practices will be applied to all protected health information we maintain.

Right of Minors to Consent to Treatment

Under North Carolina law, minors, with or without the consent of a parent or guardian, have the ability to consent to services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of certain illnesses including: venereal disease and other diseases that must be reported to the State; pregnancy; abuse of controlled substances or alcohol; and emotional disturbance.

Requests to Inspect Protected Health Information

You may generally inspect a copy of the protected health information that we maintain. As permitted by federal regulation, we require that requests to inspect or copy protected health information be submitted in writing. You may obtain a form to request access to your records by contacting the Administrative Assistant, Privacy Officer or the Deputy Privacy Officer at Carolina Pediatrics. Your request will be reviewed and will generally be approved unless there are legal or medical reasons to deny the request.

Complaints

If you would like to submit a comment or complaint about our privacy practices, you can do so by sending a letter outlining your concerns to:

HIPPA Privacy Officer Carolina Pediatrics of Wilmington, P.A.
715 Medical Center Drive
Wilmington, NC 28401

If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you should call the matter to our attention by sending a letter describing the cause of your concern to the same address.
 

You will not be penalized or otherwise retaliated against for filing a complaint. Carolina Pediatrics of Wilmington is committed to protecting the confidentiality of your health information.