Patient Rights & Responsibilities

As a health care consumer, you have important patient rights to ensure that you receive the health care you deserve.

Throughout UC San Diego Health System, patient rights are respected without regard to:

• Age
• Gender
• Cultural
• Economic
• Educational
• Religious background
• Source of payment

These rights also apply to any person who may have the legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on the patient’s behalf.

Patient rights and responsibilities are posted in public areas within UC San Diego hospitals and clinics.

Patient’s rights policy booklets are available in the Admissions and Registration Departments at both UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and UC San Diego Thornton Hospital.

Confidentiality

Although UCSD has always had privacy and patient confidentiality standards in place to limit unauthorized access or disclosure to personal health information, a federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides you with additional safeguards for ensuring that your health information is protected.

HIPAA also requires UC San Diego Health System to provide you with a Notice of Privacy Practices, which explains how medical information may be used and disclosed. It also explains your rights related to your medical information.

All new patients are provided a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices and will be asked to sign a form indicating they have read and reviewed this notice.