Patient Rights Attorney Seattle
A serious illness can disrupt your life in a multitude of ways. You may be dealing with staggering medical bills, loss of wages, and physical and emotional pain. During this difficult time, it is important to focus on your recovery, but it is equally as important to be aware of the rights you have in a healthcare facility. Fortunately, many state and federal laws provide patients with important rights and protections. These rights include informed consent, privacy, and more.
Informed consent is the process by which a physician educates a patient about a specific procedure or treatment and its benefits, risks, and alternatives. Ideally, this should occur before the procedure is performed. However, it is often not done in all cases. Additionally, patients must be informed about other options that are available to them, including any possible side effects of the alternative procedures. If a patient does not understand the information they are being given, it is the health care provider’s responsibility to seek assistance from another source so that the patient can make an informed decision about their healthcare.
Patients also have a right to privacy, and they have the right to have their medical records kept private unless there is a valid reason to disclose them. For example, if the patient’s physician has diagnosed them with a disease that is transmissible through blood, the doctor may not share this information with others without the patient’s permission.
In addition to these important Patient Rights Attorney Seattle, a patient has the right to dignity and respect from their doctors and other health care professionals. This includes respect for religious beliefs, such as those that prohibit blood transfusions. It is the patient’s responsibility to notify their health care professional if they have any such beliefs, and they have a right to refuse treatments that go against these beliefs.
When a patient has a dispute with their healthcare insurance company, it is often important to consult with a knowledgeable attorney to ensure they have all of the facts and are being treated fairly. An experienced attorney can demand prompt compliance with the proper appeals procedures, negotiate with the insurer, and even file a lawsuit if necessary.
If you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligence of a healthcare provider, the personal injury lawyers at Tinker Law Firm can help. Contact us today to learn how we can help you get the compensation you deserve. We serve victims throughout the greater Seattle area.