Patient/Client Rights

Clients as consumers receiving audiology or speech-language pathology services have:

1. THE RIGHT to be treated with dignity and respect;
2. THE RIGHT that services be provided without regard to race or ethnicity, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability;
3. THE RIGHT to know the name and professional qualifications of the person or persons providing services;
4. THE RIGHT to personal privacy and confidentiality of information to the extent permitted by law;
5. THE RIGHT to know, in advance, the fees for services, regardless of the method of payment;
6. THE RIGHT to receive a clear explanation of evaluation results, to be informed of potential or lack of potential for improvement, and to express their choices of goals and methods of service delivery;
7. THE RIGHT to accept or reject services to the extent permitted by law;
8. THE RIGHT that services be provided in a timely and competent manner, which includes referral to other appropriate professionals when necessary;
9. THE RIGHT to present concerns about services and to be informed of procedures for seeking their resolution;
10. THE RIGHT to accept or reject participation in teaching, research, or promotional activities;
11. THE RIGHT, to the extent permitted by law, to review information contained in their records, to receive explanation of record entries upon request, and to request correction of inaccurate records;
12. THE RIGHT to adequate notice of and reasons for discontinuation of services; an explanation of these reasons, in person, upon request; and referral to other providers if so requested.

These rights belong to the person or persons needing services. For sound legal or medical reasons, a family member, guardian, or legal representative may exercise these rights on the person's behalf.

Reference:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (1994). Protection of Rights of People Receiving Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology Services [Technical Report]. Available from http://www.asha.org/docs/html/tr1994-00252.html