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MEMBER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
GHI Members

Rights And Responsibilities

Understanding your rights and responsibilities as a GHI member can help you and us make the most of your GHI membership. Below, we have listed what you can expect of us, as well as what we expect from you.

Your Rights

This section explains your rights as a GHI member. If for any reason, you do not understand these rights or how to interpret them, GHI and its participating physicians will provide you with assistance.

• The right to access covered services without discrimination, including discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or source of payment.
• The right to participate with physicians in making decisions about your health care.
• The right to a non-smoking environment.
• The right to receive considerate and respectful care in a clean and safe environment.
• The right to receive, upon request, a list of the physicians and other health care providers in the GHI participating provider network.
• The right to change your physician.
• The right to be assured that GHI participating health care providers have the qualifications stated in GHI Professional Standards, established by the GHI credentialing committee, which are available upon request.
• The right to know the names, positions and functions of any participating provider’s staff and to refuse their treatment, examination or observation.
• The right to obtain from your physician, during practice hours, comprehensive information about your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, regardless of cost or benefit coverage, in language you can understand. When it is not medically advisable to give such information to you, or when the member is a minor or is incompetent, the information will be made available to a person who has been designated to act on that person’s behalf.
• The right to receive from your physician the information necessary to allow you to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure or treatment and to refuse to participate in, or be a patient for, medical research. In deciding whether to participate, you have the right to a full explanation.
• The right to refuse treatment, to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of refusing it.
• The right to have all lab reports, X-rays, specialists’ reports and other medical records completed and placed in your chart so they may be available to your physician at the time of consultation.
• The right to be informed about all medication given to you, as well as the reasons for prescribing the medication and its expected effects.
• The right to receive, from your provider, all information you need to give informed consent for an order not to resuscitate. You also have the right to designate an individual to give this consent if you are too ill to do so.
• The right to request a second opinion from a GHI participating physician.
• The right to privacy concerning your medical care. This means, among other things, that no person who is not directly involved in your care may be present without your permission during any portion of your discussion, consultation, examination or treatment.
• The right to expect that all communications, records and other information about your care or personal condition will be kept confidential, except if disclosure of that information is required or permitted by law or authorized by you.
• The right to request that copies of your complete medical records be forwarded to a physician or hospital of your choice at your expense. However, information may be withheld from you if, in the physician’s judgment, release of the information could harm you or another person. Additionally, a parent or guardian may be denied access to medical records or information relating to a minor’s pregnancy, abortion, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases if the minor’s consent is not obtained.
• The right to have a person of your choice accompany you in any meeting or discussion with medical or administrative personnel.
• The right to consult by appointment, during business hours, with responsible administrative officials at GHI and your participating physician’s office to make specific recommendations for the improvement of the delivery of health services.
• The right to file an appeal or external review related to a determination about care and services rendered. For additional information on filing an appeal, see Filing a Grievance or Appeal in your Member Handbook and/or call GHI’s Customer Service Department at 1-212-501-4444 in New York City, or 1-800-624-2414 in other areas. TTY/TTD: 1-212-721-4962.
• IMPORTANT: State and federal laws give adults in New York State the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, including life-sustaining treatment, in the event of catastrophic illness or injury.
• The right to receive information about our organization, our services and our provider network and about member rights and responsibilities.
• The right to make recommendations regarding GHI’s member rights and responsibilities policies.

Your Responsibilities

Now we come to the section about your responsibilities. It is important to us that you also become familiar with this section because doing so will make it easier to provide you with access to the best health care possible.

• The responsibility to provide GHI and its participating physicians and other providers with accurate and relevant information about your medical history and health so that appropriate treatment and care can be rendered.
• The responsibility to keep scheduled appointments or cancel them, giving as much notice as possible in accordance with the provider’s guidelines for -cancellation notification.
• The responsibility to update your GHI record with accurate personal data, including changes in name, address, phone number, additional health insurance carriers and an increase or decrease in dependents within 30 days of the change.
• The responsibility to treat with consideration and courtesy all GHI personnel and the personnel of any hospital or health facility to which you are referred.
• The responsibility to be actively involved in your own health care by seeking and obtaining information, by discussing treatment options with your physician and by making informed decisions about your health care.
• The responsibility to follow plans and instructions for care that you have agreed to with your practitioner.
• The responsibility to understand your health problems and participate in developing mutually agreed upon treatment goals, to the degree possible.
• The responsibility to understand GHI’s benefits, policies and procedures as outlined in your Contract or Certificate of Coverage and handbook, including policies related to prior approval for all services that require such approval.
• The responsibility to pay copayments, if applicable, at the time services are rendered.
• The responsibility to abide by the policies and procedures of your participating physician’s office.