Patient Rights & Responsibilities

The goal of Student Health Services is to provide all patients with high-quality health care in a manner that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of the individual.

Patients are treated with respect, consideration, and dignity. Your rights include:

  • Patients are provided with appropriate privacy at check-in and treatment areas.

  • Interpretation services are available when needed to communicate health information clearly.

  • To the degree that it is known, patients are provided with information concerning their diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and prognosis. When it is medically inadvisable to give such information to a patient, the information is provided to a person designated by the patient or to a legally authorized person.

  • Patients can participate in decisions involving their health care except when such participation is contraindicated for medical reasons.

Before receiving care, patients are informed of their rights. Information is available to patients and staff regarding:

  • Patient rights, including those specified above.
  • Grievances: Patients may voice grievances regarding treatment or care, by contacting Director

    Darylnet Lyttle at (757) 683- 3132 or by sending an e-mail to dlyttle@odu.edu.

  • Feedback: Patients may provide feedback including compliments and concerns by completing suggestion box forms at Student Health Services or calling the Director, Medical Director, or Clinical Supervisor at (757) 683-3132. Patients also have the opportunity to provide feedback through the online Student Satisfaction Survey after each visit.

  • The right to change providers if other qualified providers are available.

  • Advance Directives, as required by prevailing laws and regulations.

Before receiving care, patients are informed of their responsibility to:

  • Provide complete and accurate information to the best of their ability about their health, any medications taken, including over-the-counter products and dietary supplements, and any allergies or sensitivities.

  • Follow the agreed-upon treatment plan prescribed by their provider and participate in their care.

  • Provide a responsible adult to provide transportation home if indicated by their health care provider on discharge instructions after a procedure.

  • Accept personal financial responsibility for any charges.

  • Behave respectfully toward all health care professionals and staff, as well as other patients and visitors.

Information about the organization is available to patients including:

  • Services available and the credentials of health care providers.

  • Provisions for after-hours and emergency care.

  • Fees for services and payment policies.

Advance Directives

An advance directive is a written statement of a person's wishes regarding medical treatment that is created to ensure that those wishes are carried out if the person is unable to communicate them to a doctor. Below are two resources for Virginia residents.