Patient Protection

(A) Rights of Patients. (1) Each mammography facility shall protect patients' rights and shall develop a patients' rights statement ensuring that each patient shall: (a) Be treated with dignity and respect; (b) Be informed, at the time of scheduling the appointment, that the patient should either arrange for the patient’s most recent prior mammogram (images) to be sent to the facility before the appointment, or bring it to the facility at the time of the appointment; (c) Not be denied service or otherwise discriminated against solely because the patient is self-referred; (d) Be provided with an opportunity, upon request, to discuss any radiation safety concerns with the Responsible Physician and/or the Mammography Radiologic Technologist before undergoing a mammography examination at the facility; (e) Be informed, upon request, of the proposed or actual glandular dose of radiation; (f) Receive a written statement describing the test results and, if results suggest other than routine mammographic follow-up, the next steps for the patient to pursue promptly after undergoing a mammogram at the facility; (g) Be informed of the patient's right to discuss the results of the mammogram with the Responsible or Interpreting Physician; (h) Be entitled to inspect and copy the patient’s medical record, upon request, during normal business hours at the facility; (i) Be entitled, upon request, to receive the images; and (j) Be provided with the name and address and telephone number of the Radiation Control Program as the agency to which complaints can be made. (2) Each mammography facility shall have visibly posted a notice which has the heading "NOTICE OF PATIENTS' RIGHTS" and which contain all the rights provided by 105 CMR 127.021(A)(1). The notice shall be posted in at least one central area where all patients are likely to see it. In addition, each patient, upon request to the mammography facility, shall be given a written document containing all the rights provided by 105 CMR 127.021(A)(1). (B) Educational Materials. The mammography facility shall have available educational material for each patient. (C) The patients' rights statement and educational materials shall be written in clear plain language that a lay person can understand. The facility shall use reasonable means to communicate the required information to patients who are not proficient in reading English or are blind or visually impaired.