Patient Care Standards
Patient Rights and Responsibilities
We consider our patients’ families our partners in their child’ s care. We encourage respect for the personal preferences and values of each individual. Patients and / or families have rights and responsibilities that are posted throughout the Children’ s Colorado locations, on the intranet, and on childrenscolorado. org.
We respect the rights of patients and those authorized by federal and state laws to make healthcare decisions. When clinical decisions are in conflict and a choice needs to be made, patients, families, and team members can request an ethics consultation with the Ethics Committee 24 / 7 via the hospital operator( 720-777-1234) or One-Call( 720-777-3999).
Admission, Transfer, Discharge / Non-Discrimination
We admit, transfer, and discharge patients based on medical appropriateness. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, sex, color, cultural, economic, and / or educational background, creed, religion, pregnancy, disability( mental and physical), marital status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, insurance status, ability to pay, or other protected classification to the extent required by relevant laws.
Patient Safety
We commit to a culture of safety through our behaviors, initiatives, and programs. We strive to provide our patients, families, team members, visitors, and community with a safe environment in which to heal, work, and visit. We focus on the continuous enhancement of safety and improvement of patient care by the identification, analysis, and reduction of risks.
Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act( EMTALA)
EMTALA is a federal statute that governs the treatment of all individuals and / or transfer of an individual who presents to a dedicated emergency department in a hospital that participates in federal and state healthcare programs, regardless of the individual’ s insurance status or ability to pay.
EMTALA obligates Children’ s Colorado to conduct a Medical Screening Exam( MSE) on all patients who present to an emergency department to assess whether an Emergency Medical Condition( EMC) exists. If a patient is determined to have an EMC, EMTALA requires Children’ s Colorado to stabilize the patient and treat the EMC( e. g., a pregnant woman in labor or an adult experiencing a Code Blue event). If Children’ s Colorado is unable to stabilize a patient within its capability, or if the patient requests, an appropriate transfer to another facility will be implemented.
Informed Consent
We adhere to our General and Informed Consent policy that defines who can legally provide and authorize consent and outlines the informed consent process. Our policy provides clarification of procedures that require informed consent in compliance with Colorado Consent Law and other various regulatory and accrediting bodies.
Decision Making / Advance Directives
We involve patients and families in healthcare decisions and make medically appropriate recommendations. We discuss all treatment options including benefits and risks associated with each to ensure informed decision making. We facilitate discussions to understand patients’ and families’ goals of care.
We respect the rights of patients authorized by federal and state law to complete an Advanced Directive. Advance Directives ensure that patient’ s wishes are communicated when treatment decisions need to be made. The Department of Clinical Social Work or Risk Management can assist with education and completion of Advance Directives( 720-777-6975).
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