Confidentiality and Your Privacy: Patients' Rights and Responsibilities
Medical confidentiality is assured for all care and services at the Student Wellness Center, except where the safety of the students or others is at risk, or as required by law, such as mandated reporting of certain infectious diseases and abuse.
All patient information is held in strict confidence according to
HIPAA and
FERPA guidelines. No detailed information will be transmitted to others without the student's written consent or direction, except as noted above. A confidential medical record is established and maintained for every patient. Records will be released only with a student's signed consent.
Patients' Rights and Responsibilities
Patients have the right to:
- Be treated with consideration, respect, and dignity that does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, disability, handicap, national origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, gender, or veteran status.
- Have consideration shown to the psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural variables that influence their perception of illness and care.
- Privacy and confidentially with regard to treatment and medical records.
- Information regarding fees for services, the nature of the charges and the methods of payment.
- Receive copies or review their medical records with a health care provider. Original medical records remain the property of Student Wellness Center.
- Be educated regarding course of treatment, and to know risks, side effects or complementary care treatments.
- Refuse treatment any medical care or treatment.
- Bring any dissatisfaction to the attention of the college nurse.
Patients have the responsibility to:
- Provide accurate and complete information about current and past illness, medications, and other matters pertaining to their health.
- Give details of illness or complaint in a direct and straightforward manner.
- Communicate concerns openly and actively participate in their own care.
- Arrive as scheduled for appointments, and to cancel in advance of appointments they cannot keep.
- Ask for clarification whenever information or instructions are not understood.
- Provide both positive and negative feedback to the health provider responsible for care.
- Treat Student Wellness Center personnel in a respectful manner.
Excuse Note Policy
The Student Wellness Center utilizes a no-note policy. We do not issue medical excuse notes for academic deficiencies. In the event of illness or injury that is expected to result in significant academic disruption, the student is advised to contact his or her professor(s) as soon as possible to notify them of the anticipated delinquency. Whether the disruption is a missed test, late assignment, or absence from class, early notification of the professor is very important.
Why We Do This
An ill student is the only one that is able to determine if they are too ill to fulfill expected academic responsibility. The student must honestly decide whether or not they can do their work and take responsibility for this.
Furthermore, the academic relationship between student and professor must remain in the classroom. The health care professionals at the wellness center are not able to function as independent - and omniscient - arbitrators regarding whether a student feels too ill to do their work.
An additional consideration is appropriate utilization of limited healthcare resources. A student should not be required to seek medical care solely for the purpose of obtaining a sick note. We recognize that there are extenuating and unusual circumstances that may occur and those will be handled on a case by case basis.
