A new admissions policy being piloted at NCH will isolate community physicians from patients. Under this new policy, patients will lose the freedom they now have to choose a trusted specialist, hospital-based physician, or primary care provider during sometimes unavoidable hospitalization. The physician the hospital assigns to the patient will not have access to outpatient records, nor will the patient’s primary care physician be allowed to document input on the patient’s hospitalization treatment plan.
As a strong advocate for patient choice and patient rights, CCMS has launched a campaign to educate the community on the NCH admissions policy changes, and to issue a call to action for patients, whose right to choose a trusted physician is being jeopardized, and for physicians, who will be restricted from caring for their own patients. Visit the new CCMS webpage, ccmsonline.org/patientchoice, to learn more about this issue.
GET INVOLVED: Urge leaders at NCH to reconsider their proposed admissions policy:
- Sign a community petition and share with your patients, friends, family and colleagues: Printable version (may be signed by one person or multiple persons, then fax/email/deliver to CCMS); Digital Version at Change.org
- Write a letter to the editor at Naples Daily News, and encourage your patients, friends, etc. to do so as well.
- Share your concerns with CCMS about maintaining patients’ right to choose their physician. CCMS will share your concerns with the leaders at NCH.
- Contribute to the Community Education Campaign which informs the community on the patient’s right to choose their course of medical treatment though a doctor whom they know and trust.