An RNHCI must protect and promote each patient's rights.

(a) Standard: Notice of rights. The RNHCI must do the following:

(1) Inform each patient of his or her rights in advance of furnishing patient care.

(2) Have a process for prompt resolution of grievances, including a specific person within the facility whom a patient may contact to file a grievance. In addition, the facility must provide patients with information about the facility's process as well as with contact information for appropriate State and Federal resources.

(b) Standard: Exercise of rights. The patient has the right to:

(1) Be informed of his or her rights and to participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care.

(2) Make decisions regarding his or her care, including transfer and discharge from the RNHCI. (See §403.736 for discharge and transfer requirements.)

(3) Formulate advance directives and expect staff who furnish care in the RNHCI to comply with those directives, in accordance with part 489, subpart I of this chapter. For purposes of conforming with the requirement in §489.102 that there be documentation in the patient's medical records concerning advanced directives, the patient care records of a beneficiary in an RNHCI are equivalent to medical records held by other providers.

(c) Standard: Privacy and safety. The patient has the right to the following:

(1) Personal privacy.

(2) Care in a safe setting.

(3) Freedom from verbal, psychological, and physical abuse, and misappropriation of property.

(4) Freedom from the use of restraints.

(5) Freedom from involuntary seclusion.

(d) Standard: Confidentiality of patient records. For any patient care records or election information it maintains on patients, the RNHCI must establish procedures to do the following:

(1) Safeguard the privacy of any information that identifies a particular patient. Information from, or copies of, records may be released only to authorized individuals, and the RNHCI must ensure that unauthorized individuals cannot gain access to or alter patient records. Original patient care records must be released only in accordance with Federal or State laws, court orders, or subpoenas.

(2) Maintain the records and information in an accurate and timely manner.

(3) Ensure timely access by patients to the records and other information that pertains to that patient.

(4) Abide by all Federal and State laws regarding confidentiality and disclosure for patient care records and election information.