Healthcare Standards and Rights
From The Kodiak Republic Wiki
Section One - Hospital Transparency [1]
Definitions
Hospital: A hospital is defined as any organization operating with the specific purpose of providing primarily inpatient medical care and nursing, as well as outpatient services not covered by any healthcare office.
Healthcare Office: healthcare office is any organization operating with the specific purpose of providing outpatient general or specialist medical care and nursing.
Price Transparency
- 1.1 - Any hospital must publish a publicly-accessible document outlining the services offered by the hospital or within the hospital. This list must be updated monthly or whenever the price of a service is altered.
- 1.1.1 - Acceptable mediums include: signage in full display at the entrance to the location, documents on display at the entrance to the location, documents published online in an easily accessible place, and any combination of the above. Items must be displayed in plain language and reasonably understandable.
- 1.2 - Prior to any procedure to which the patient must consent, the hospital must inform the patient of the cost of the procedure, to which the patient must agree prior to the procedure.
- 1.2.1 - Any procedure to which the patient agrees must be charged to the patient at no more than the rate agreed upon by the patient.
- 1.2.2 - Any procedure that is of an emergency nature, to which the patient cannot legally agree due to extenuating or life-threatening circumstances, will be exempt from this rule. Any such procedure must conform to the published price. Any such procedure must be deemed necessary by the attending doctor.
- 1.2.3 - Should the patient be an individual unable to legally consent, a parent, legal guardian, or medical proxy must consent.
- 1.3 - The provider must confirm the increase of any price with the patient or, in the case that the patient is unable to respond or legally consent, their medical proxy, guardian, or parent. The provider may reduce the final price of the procedure and must inform the patient of such a reduction.
Healthcare Office Transparency
- 1.4 - Any healthcare office must publish a publicly-accessible document outlining the services offered by the healthcare office. This list must be updated monthly or whenever the price of a service is altered.
- 1.4.1 Acceptable mediums include: signage in full display at the entrance to the location, documents on display at the entrance to the location, documents published online in an easily accessible place, and any combination of the above. Items must be displayed in plain language and reasonably understandable.
- 1.5 Prior to any procedure to which the patient must consent, the healthcare offices must inform the patient of the cost of the procedure, to which the patient must agree prior to the procedure.
- 1.5.1 Any procedure to which the patient agrees must be charged to the patient at no more than the rate agreed upon by the patient.
- 1.5.2 Any base visiting fees charged by the healthcare office are not included in the price of procedures, but may not exceed fifty (50) florins per visit. This fee must be published and communicated to the patient prior to any procedure taking place.
Enforcement
- 1.6 - The Public Health Service (PHS) shall be tasked with the enforcement of all public health standards and all health-related statues under Title 2 of the Kodiak Law Code.
- 1.7 - Any hospital found in violation of any of these statutes shall be fined no less than one million florins and an additional penalty of ten thousand florins for every day in which that hospital is found to be out of compliance with any of these statutes. Additionally, any patient who is charged fraudulently under the provisions of this act shall have their entire payment remediated. Any hospital found to be defrauding any patient shall be fined fifty thousand florins for each patient.
- 1.8 - Any healthcare office found in violation of any of these statutes shall be fined no less than ten thousand florins and an additional penalty of one thousand florins for every day in which that healthcare office is found to be out of compliance with any of these statutes. Additionally, any patient who is charged fraudulently under the provisions of this act shall have their entire payment remediated. Any hospital found defrauding any patient shall be fined five thousand florins for each patient.
- 1.9 - Any hospital or healthcare office found to be out of compliance for more than 30 days during any 365 calendar days shall be prohibited from admitting new patients for procedures or overnight stays and any relevant licenses to operate will be revoked permanently for that organization.
Section Two - Medical Euthanasia [2]
Definitions
Medical Euthanasia: Medical euthanasia is the act by which a licensed physician provides life-ending medication or procedures for a patient.
Terminal Illness: A terminal illness is any illness which cannot be cured or adequately treated and that illness is expected to result in the death of the patient or that illness is expected to cause undue pain and suffering.
Legalisation of Medical Euthanasia
- 2.1 - Medical euthanasia shall be permitted in any case of terminal illness when requested by the patient.
- 2.1.1 - Any patient requesting medical euthanasia must be deemed of sound mind and capable of making an informed decision.
- 2.1.2 - No patient under the age of eighteen may consent to medical euthanasia without the additional consent of their legal parent or guardian.
- 2.1.3 - All medical euthanasia must be requested by the patient and may not be requested by medical proxy.
- 2.1.4 - A patient may authorize an advanced directive, detailing their consent for euthanasia should they fall under a terminal illness or fatal injury and be unable to authorize consent as outlined in 2.1.1.
- 2.2 - Medical euthanasia must be approved by the patient's primary care physician.
- 2.2.1 - The patient must be properly informed as to the process, cost, and consequences of the procedure prior to the execution thereof.
- 2.3 - Medical euthanasia must be executed in a humane, painless, and respectful manner and according to the wishes of the patient.
- 2.4 - The total cost of a medical euthanasia procedure may not exceed 12,000 florins.
Section Three - Organ Donation [3]
Organ Donor Registry
- 3.1 - The Kodiak Registry of Organ Donors (KROD) shall maintain a list of all citizens willing to donate organs, either before or after death.
- 3.2 - While alive, only a lobe of the liver, a kidney, a lobe of the lung, and bone marrow can be donated. All other donations must be postmortem.
- 3.3 - The Registry is opt-in only. Written consent is required to register.
- 3.4 - The Registry is required to create a convenient and available way for citizens to register as organ donors.
- 3.5 - The Registry may not deny citizens the right to donate their organs unless there is a legitimate medical contraindication or the citizen cannot legally give consent.
- 3.6 - Donors may voluntarily withdraw from the Registry at any time, requiring verbal consent.
Receiver Rights
- 3.7 - An organ receiver is defined as any person who receives a donation of organs or tissue from an organ donor.
- 3.8 - The receiver may request for their identity to be revealed to the donor's family.
Family Rights
- 3.9 - This Assembly recognizes that the wishes of the immediate family of a deceased donor may differ from the donor.
- 3.10 - KROD is required to work with the family of the deceased, the family's funeral provider, and a qualified healthcare provider to ensure that the family can recieve a funeral.
- 3.11 - The family may waive their right to a funeral at any time.
- 3.12 - If a funeral cannot be conducted without disrupting the organ donation process, the wishes of the donor will take precedence, and the donation will proceed. If possible, the body shall be returned in a manner fitting of an open casket funeral.
- 3.13 - The family may request to be informed of the final destination of the organs. If the receiver has requested to be revealed under (3.8), KROD is required to inform the receiver and the donor's family, unless KROD has reasonable suspicion that the family intends to misuse the information.