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NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Your Patient Rights

Your rights as a hospital patient

At NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, we respect the rights of all patients, which are guaranteed by state and federal laws.

It is the policy of NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, culture, disability, age, sex, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, source of payment, or any other characteristic protected by law, in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities. NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. § 18116) and its implementing regulations at 45 C.F.R. pt. 92, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Director of Patient Services Administration, has been designated the Section 1557 Coordinator, to coordinate the efforts of New York-Presbyterian Hospital to comply with Section 1557.

For additional information, you can review Your Rights as a Hospital Patient in New York State at health.ny.gov/publications/1449 or in NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist's Patient and Visitor Guide.

Planning ahead

At NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, we want every patient to understand his or her right to accept or refuse medical treatment. We encourage patients to plan ahead and provide "advance directives" in accordance with state law. "Advance directives" are verbal or written instructions made by you that tell the hospital what treatment you would like to receive should you be too sick to tell hospital staff yourself. The "directives" could include: 

  • Health care proxy (you give permission to a trusted friend or family member to make medical decisions for you should you be too sick to make decisions yourself) 
  • Do not resuscitate order (you give permission to Hospital staff to not revive you should your breathing or heartbeat stop) 
  • Living will (you provide the Hospital with written directions requesting certain medical treatments) 

For religious or personal reasons, if you choose not to issue any "advance directives," the hospital will honor your right. If you become incapable of making decisions, your medical treatment will be determined by your next of kin and your doctors.

Ethics Committee

NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital has an interdisciplinary Bioethics Committee that considers all ethics issues arising in the care of patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. The members of the Bioethics Committee include physicians, nurses, administrators, social workers, trustees, chaplains, community representatives and, when necessary, an ethicist. The Committee has three principal functions:

  • Education - The Committee develops programs to educate health care providers and patients concerning ethics issues arising in patient care.
  • Policy Recommendations - The Committee reviews, discusses and recommends necessary changes to existing policy and, where indicated, initiates, discusses and drafts new policy recommendations concerning ethics issues arising in patient care.
  • Case Consultation - The Committee acts in an advisory capacity to identify ethics/legal issues, establishing the ethics/legal framework of case discussions, facilitating communication among interested parties and providing the forum for mediating disputes including, but not limited to, Do Not Resuscitate Orders and Health Care Proxies.

LGBTQ rights

At NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital we are committed to supporting our LGBTQ patients and staff both on our campus and in the community. For additional guidance on how to be open with your doctor, your rights as an LGBTQ patient and more, visit NYC's LGBTQ Health page.

Privacy notice

NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital is committed to providing the highest quality patient care and to acting with absolute integrity at all times. Your privacy is important to us. To learn more about how medical information about you, as a NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital patient, may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to your information, please review our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Privacy Notice: English | Chinese | Korean | Russian | Spanish

Contact us

Privacy Office
525 East 68th Street, Mailbox 10
New York, NY 10021
Telephone: (347) 931-4177 - Mobile
E-mail: [email protected]

Tara DiDonato
Director of Patient Services Administration
505 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-780-3375

Medical records

To obtain a copy of medical records, please contact NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Health Information Management (718) 780-5474 or (718) 780-3381

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