Patient Rights

As a patient at Capital Health, you have the following rights under New Jersey Statute N.J.S.A 26:2H-12.8:
  • The right to considerate and respectful care consistent with sound nursing and medical practices, which include being informed of the name and licensure status of a student nurse or facility staff member who examines, observes or treats you; the right to expect and receive appropriate assessment, management and treatment of pain as an integral component of your care;
  • The right to be informed of the name of the physician responsible for coordinating your care;
  • The right to obtain from your physician complete, current information concerning your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms you can understand. When it is not medically advisable to give this information to you, it shall be made available to another person designated by you on your behalf;
  • The right to receive from your physician information necessary for you to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure or treatment, except for those emergency situations not requiring an informed consent. This information includes the specific procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved, and the possible duration of incapacitation, if any, as well as an explanation of the significance of your informed consent. You will be advised of any medically significant alternatives for care or treatment, however, this does not include experimental treatments that are not yet accepted by the medical establishment;
  • The right to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequences of this act;
  • The right to privacy consistent with providing adequate medical care to you. This does not include discussion of your case or examination by appropriate healthcare personnel;
  • The right to privacy and confidentiality of all records pertaining to your treatment, except as otherwise provided by law or third party payment contract, and the right to access to those records, including receipt of a copy at reasonable cost, upon request, unless your physician states in writing that your access is not medically advisable;
  • The right to expect that the hospital will respond to your request for services, including the services of an interpreter;
  • The right to be informed by your physician of any continuing healthcare requirements which may follow discharge and to receive assistance from your physician and appropriate hospital staff in arranging for your required follow-up care after discharge;
  • The right to be informed by the hospital to transfer you to another facility prior to the transfer of any alternatives which may exist;
  • The right to be informed, upon request, of other healthcare and educational institutions that the hospital has authorized to participate in your treatment;
  • The right to be advised if the hospital plans to participate or perform human research or experimentation, and the right to refuse to participate in these projects;
  • The right to examine and receive an explanation of your bill, regardless of source of payment, and to receive information or be advised on the availability of sources of financial assistance to help pay for your care;
  • The right to expect reasonable continuity of care;
  • The right to be advised of the hospital rules and regulations that apply to your conduct as a patient;
  • The right to treatment without discrimination of race, age, religion, sex, national origin, or source of payment; and
  • The right to contract directly with a New Jersey licensed registered professional nurse of the patient’s choosing for private professional nursing care during your hospitalization. A contracted registered professional nurse must adhere to hospital policies and procedures in regard to treatment protocols and policies and procedures as long as those policies and procedures are the same for private duty and regularly employed nurses. The registered professional nurse shall not be considered an agent or employee of the hospital for purposes of any financial liabilities, including, but not limited to, State or federal employee taxes, worker’s compensation payments or coverage for professional liability.
The hospital, upon your request for private professional nursing care, will provide you with a list of local nonprofit professional nurses association registries that refer nurses for private professional nursing care.

Information About Doctors At Capital Health

Some Physicians and other health care providers who participate in your care, including but not limited to, for example, emergency room physicians, surgeons, radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, pediatricians, and consultants are private practitioners are not employees or agents of Capital Health.

Physicians who practice at Capital Health must meet certain educational and experience requirements; however, Capital Health is not responsible for the specific care provided to you by that physician. If you wish to change your physician, ask to speak with a nurse manager.

Not all physicians or consultants that provide services to you either as an outpatient or inpatient participate with all insurance plans. You may receive a bill from your physicians that is separate for the hospitals bill. Please contact your insurance company to find out if these physicians are covered by your insurance plan. If you have questions regarding a physician bill, please contact the physician’s billing office.

Patient Satisfaction at Capital Health

Our goal at Capital Health is to provide excellent healthcare and excellent customer service. To do so, we need to know what you think we are doing well...and what we could do better. This means we depend on our patients to keep us informed. We need your feedback and we value your opinion.
We are continuously working to improve every aspect of our patient care to better serve the community. Receiving your feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, helps us to improve. To this extent, we have developed easy ways to obtain valuable feedback, including:
  • You can voice any concern to nurses or any other hospital staff members.
  • You can contact our Patient Advocates directly at:
    Capital Health Regional Medical Center (609) 394-6336
    Mercer Campus (609) 394-4280
  • As an inpatient you may receive a Customer Satisfaction Survey at your home once you have been discharged. This survey provides us with a wealth of information. Please complete and return the survey in the self-addressed, stamped envelope that accompanies the survey.
    Outpatients will receive a Customer Satisfaction Survey for completion after their visit. The completed survey can be immediately returned to staff or sent to the hospital in the selfaddressed, stamped envelope.
    You may also communicate your concerns/grievances in writing.
Please address your letter to:
Capital Health
Department of Patient Satisfaction
446 Bellevue Avenue
Trenton, New Jersey 08618

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is responsible for enforcing hospital-licensing regulations. You can contact them at:

New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services
Acute Care Survey Oversight
P.O. Box 360
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
1-800-792-9770

Thank you for letting us know about your experience at Capital Health. Together, we will continue to work toward delivering outstanding healthcare.