Patient rights

Advocate Sherman Hospital encourages respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual. You are entitled to these rights regardless of your sex, race, cultural, sexual orientation or gender identity, economic, educational, or religious background or the source of payment for your healthcare. All your rights as a healthcare consumer also apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make healthcare decisions regarding your healthcare.

Read our Notice of Nondiscrimination to learn about your rights under the Affordable Care Act. The document includes information on free language assistance and auxiliary aids and services as well as filing a grievance and/or complaint.

Advocate Sherman Hospital and the medical staff have adopted the following statement of Patient Rights. As a patient of Advocate Sherman Hospital, your rights include the following (a complete list of Patient Rights are including in the patient guidebook available in each patient room at Advocate Sherman Hospital).

  • You have the right to receive impartial and exercise these rights to treatments without regard to sex, culture, economic, educational, religious background or the source of payment for care.
  • You have the right to considerate and respectful care.
  • You have the right to have knowledge of the name of the physician who has primary responsibility for coordinating your care and the names and professional relationships of other physicians and healthcare providers who will see you as a patient.
  • You have the right to receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as you many need in order to give informed consent or to refuse the course of the treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in the treatment, alternate course of treatment or non-treatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name of the person who will carry out the procedure of treatment.
  • You have the right to participate actively in decisions regarding your medical care. To the extent permitted by law, this includes the right to refuse treatment, including life-sustaining treatment.
  • You have the right to full consideration to privacy concerning your medical care program. Care discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discretely. You have the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
  • You have the right to confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to your care and your stay in the hospital. Your written permission will be obtained before your medical records can be made available to anyone other than your immediate care providers.
  • You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
  • You have the right to know which hospital rules and policies apply to your conduct while you are a patient.
  • You have the right to examine and receive an explanation of your bill regardless of source of payment.

Equal visitation policy

Patients have the right to:

  • A support person of their choice to remain with them during their hospital stay
  • Receive or deny visitors as designated by the patient or their representative, including but not limited to a spouse, domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), family member, friend or legal representative
  • Withdraw or deny consent to all or specific visitors at any time during their stay