Are there any updates (For Patients), on Involuntary or Retaliatory Terminations and the methods patients can use to protect and defend themselves from these devious, evil, murderous acts committed by staff at dialysis centers?
Who protects and defends the legal, human and civil rights of patients in America?
Is there a list?
There are some resources that advise patients of their rights and responsibilities. Your dialysis clinic should have these posted and should have numbers to call to complain or file a grievance with your ESRD Network and with the State Survey agency in your state. The ESRD Network should be able to help you if you feel like you or someone you care about is at risk of involuntary discharge (IVD). Unless a patient strikes another person (staff or patient) or makes a credible threat to harm someone immediately, the clinic is supposed to do a full interdisciplinary team assessment and try to resolve any issues that assessment uncovers to avoid IVD. The clinic is supposed to reach out to the ESRD Network for ideas of ways to address any issues that could lead to IVD. Unless an immediate credible threat, to discharge a patient the nephrologist and medical director need to sign the discharge and the the clinic needs to provide a 30-day written notice and help to find another clinic. Discharging someone without notice or help to find another clinic is not appropriate as long as the patient hasn’t harmed or threatened harm to another. If a clinic doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do to avoid the discharge and try to help the patient, I’d suggest calling the Network and State Survey agency whose numbers should be posted at the clinic.
This organization has helped people deal with IVD and has attorneys willing to help.