Rights & Responsibilities

Respect: You have the right to:

Be given information about your rights and responsibilities prior to receiving services.
Make an informed decision about your care.
Receive care without regard to race, creed, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or financial status.
Know who your care givers are and their qualifications.
Have access to interpreters, special devices and other communication aids if needed.
Be informed before admission of VNA charges, sources of reimbursement, billing procedures and your financial obligations for charges not covered by insurance.
Be free from abuse, neglect or exploitation from VNA caregivers.
Maintain the privacy, confidentiality and security of your personal health information.
Have your property treated with respect.

Self-Determination: You have the right to:

Participate in the planning of your care.
Have complete and current information about your diagnosis, treatment, risks, alternatives and prognosis in understandable language.
Refuse all or part of your treatment within the confines of the law.
Receive information and support in creating advance directives (living will and durable power of attorney for health care).

Quality Care: You have the right to:

Receive a response to a request for services in a timely manner.
Know how to reach us 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Obtain appropriate and professional care within established standards of care.
Have effective assessment and management of pain.
Receive a prompt and orderly transfer to another organization or level of care at your request or if the agency cannot meet your need.
Be informed of the VNA’s complaint procedure and be able to voice grievances and suggest changes without fear of coercion, discrimination, reprisal or unreasonable interruption of service.
Appeal a notice of reduction or discontinuation of services or a denial of admission.

Other Patient Rights: You have the right to:

Be informed before receiving any experimental treatment or becoming involved in clinical research.
Have access to information about the VNA’s mission, licensing, credentialing, accreditation and annual report.
Review and obtain copies of reports of state and federal surveys upon request to the Division of Licensing and Protection.
Be informed of financial benefit to the VNA, if any, if and when you are referred to another organization.
File a formal complaint with the Division of Licensing and Protection and if dissatisfied with the resolution, be able to ask the Commissioner to reconsider the decision.
Have any of these rights exercised by an individual who has the legal authority to act on your behalf when you lack the capacity to exercise those rights.

Client Responsibilities

It is expected that you will:

Provide complete and accurate information on current and past health status, hospitalizations, medications, allergies, and other pertinent information.
Notify the VNA of changes in your condition or symptoms, changes in physician orders, hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
Notify the VNA of changes in advance directives.
Notify the VNA of any changes in restrictions on release of information.
Let the staff know if you do not understand information given to you.
Participate in developing your plan of care, following the plan of care and letting the staff know when you disagree with the plan of care.
Provide a safe and respectful environment in which the staff can provide care.
Provide up-to-date information regarding legal name and health insurance information.
Be responsible for paying bills not covered by insurance unless there is a prior agreement with the VNA that charges will be discounted or waived.

Non-Discrimination Notice

The VNA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, handicap or age in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs or activities. This statement is in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Acts Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 197 and Regulations of the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the Acts, Title 45 Code of the Federal Regulations Part 80, 84 and 91.

In case of questions concerning this policy or to file a complaint, please contact the Human Resources Manager at 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446 or by phone at (802) 658-1900.

Complaints & Concerns

It is our goal to provide you with the best possible care - care that meets and exceeds your expectations. If at any time we are not meeting your needs in terms of safe, efficient, effective care or excellent customer service, we would like to hear from you. Those concerns can be addressed by:

Talking directly with your caregiver.
Discussing the problem with your VNA case manager (the RN or PT with overall responsibility for your care) in person or by calling (802) 658-1900.
Contacting a VNA team manager or clinical director at (802) 658-1900.
Reporting your concerns to State of Vermont, Division of Licensing and Protection, Adult Protective Services and Home Health Hotline at (800) 564-1612, the Vermont Office of Health Care Ombudsman at (800) 917-7787 or the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (for Choices for Care Clients) at (800) 889-2047.
The Joint Commission, our accrediting agency, at (800) 994-6610.

Staff & Volunteer Compliments

We also invite you to let us know if one of our staff has provided you with exceptional care or service. Our staff always enjoys hearing that they are making a difference in the lives of our patients and clients. We encourage you to let the staff know when you are happy with their care and if you feel so inspired you can call us at 658-1900 and we can let their manager know as well.