Client Rights, Responsibilities, and Grievance Procedure

Bridgeway Health PLLC | Given at admission, posted in the office, and available on request

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Everyone who receives care at Bridgeway Health has rights. This document explains what you can expect from us, what we ask of you, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Your rights

Respect and dignity

• To be treated with respect, courtesy, and consideration for your dignity, culture, values, and beliefs.
• To receive care free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, harassment, retaliation, coercion, and physical or chemical restraint used for discipline or convenience.
• To have your privacy respected during evaluation and treatment.

Information and participation

• To receive information about your care in language you can understand, including the reason for a recommended service, its expected benefits, its reasonable risks, and reasonable alternatives.
• To know the name, role, and credentials of each person providing your care.
• To take part in planning your care and setting your goals, and to have your preferences and concerns considered.
• To give informed consent, to refuse a specific service, and to withdraw consent. Staff verify who has legal authority to consent and explain the effect of refusal or withdrawal on the plan of care.
• To request a different clinician when one is available.
• To be told when a service is not available here and to be given a referral when appropriate.
• To receive information about expected charges and, when eligible because you are uninsured or will not use insurance for the care, a Good Faith Estimate. Form BWH-103 explains payment protections and estimate rights.

Privacy and records

• To have your health information kept private as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, Form BWH-106.
• To request access to your health and billing records and ask for correction of information you believe is wrong or incomplete, subject to applicable privacy law. Separately maintained psychotherapy notes and certain other legally excluded information are not part of the access right.
• To have information shared only as permitted or required by applicable law. Some sharing for treatment, payment, operations, safety, reporting, or legal purposes does not require separate permission. Additional consent or protections may apply to particular records; Form BWH-106 explains these limits.
• To have your request for records handled without regard to whether you owe a balance.

To request records, send a written request to privacy@bridgewayhealthky.com, by Spruce message, by mail to the clinic address below, or by fax to (606) 262-7903. Call (606) 202-7654 if you need help or a secure submission option. Tell us which records you want and your preferred format and delivery method. No proprietary request form is required; we verify identity and any representative’s legal authority.

We act as promptly as practicable and no later than 30 calendar days after receipt. If a legally permitted extension is necessary, we give written reasons and a completion date within the initial 30 days; only one extension of up to 30 additional calendar days is allowed. We provide the requested electronic format when readily producible, or agree with you on an accessible alternative. A denied request receives a written explanation, complaint information, and review instructions when review is available.

Your first requested copy is free under Kentucky law. Any charge for an additional copy is disclosed in advance and limited by applicable law. An unpaid balance does not delay or prevent access.

We retain clinical records for at least seven years after the later of last service, termination/discharge, or death. Records from treatment before age 21 are also retained through at least age 24. We use the later date and any longer legal, payer, insurance, or hold requirement. We do not automatically delete records when a minimum period ends.

Access, accommodation, and language

• To receive free, timely language assistance and appropriate communication aids, including qualified spoken-language or sign language interpreters when needed.
• To receive written materials in an alternate format when needed.
• To reasonable accommodation for a disability so you can participate in care.

Speaking up

• To ask questions, disagree, and raise a concern at any time.
• To file a complaint or grievance with Bridgeway or an appropriate outside agency without retaliation or a penalty for speaking up.
• To have a support person, family member, or advocate present, consistent with clinical judgment and the privacy of other clients.

Your responsibilities

• Give accurate and complete information about health history, medications, allergies, insurance, custody and guardianship, and changes to any of these.
• Ask questions when you do not understand something.
• Take part in setting goals and follow the agreed plan of care, or tell your clinician when you cannot or do not want to.
• Treat staff, other clients, and families with respect. Threats, harassment, discriminatory conduct, and violence are not tolerated. We consider safety, disability-related needs, appropriate modifications, clinical circumstances, and continuity of care before any service change or discharge.
• Follow safety expectations in the clinic, including supervision of children who are not in session, as described in Form BWH-307.
• Keep appointments, arrive on time, and give notice when you cannot come, as described in Form BWH-105.
• Meet only the financial obligations Bridgeway is legally permitted to bill you, as explained in Form BWH-103. Tell us when payment is difficult so we can discuss available arrangements. Prohibited Medicaid charges are not your responsibility.

Nondiscrimination

Bridgeway Health PLLC has a broad nondiscrimination policy. We do not exclude people, deny benefits, or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, primary language, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, disability, veteran status, health status, diagnosis, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to admission, scheduling, treatment, referral, and discharge. The separate Notice of Nondiscrimination explains the federal civil rights notice and complaint route.

Available services, clinical suitability, clinician qualifications, capacity, and payer participation affect which care we can provide. We apply these considerations consistently with applicable nondiscrimination law and explain availability and payer participation before services begin. We do not promise enrollment or contracting with a plan before it is complete. When we cannot provide needed care, we help with an appropriate referral.

Accessibility and communication assistance

If you need language or disability-related communication assistance, tell any staff member or call (606) 202-7654. We arrange needed assistance promptly and without charge to you. You do not need to bring or pay for your own interpreter.

• Qualified spoken-language interpretation, in person or remotely as appropriate, and translation of written or electronic information when needed for meaningful access.
• Qualified sign language interpretation or other appropriate communication aids, chosen to provide effective communication for the situation.
• Written materials in large print or another accessible format.
• Reasonable changes to policies or practices, such as additional time or a quieter space, when needed to participate in care.

You may use Form BWH-310 to tell us what you need, but the form is optional. We do not require a family member or friend to interpret and do not use a minor child except in a temporary emergency situation allowed by law. Tell staff if the assistance provided is not effective.

How to raise a concern or file a grievance

Talking with the person involved is optional. You may contact our grievance contact or an appropriate outside agency directly, including when your concern involves Bridgett Chowning or you prefer not to complain internally. You do not have to use or finish our internal process first.

Option 1. Talk with your clinician or any staff member

Staff can help with scheduling, communication, or questions about your care. If a concern is not resolved, ask that it be referred to the grievance contact. You may skip this step.

Option 2. Contact our grievance contact

You may raise a concern in person, by phone, by mail, by secure fax, by Spruce message, or by email. No special form is required. We can help you put the concern in writing or communicate it using needed language or disability assistance. You may also have an advocate help you. Avoid sensitive health details in ordinary email; call or use our approved secure communication system for those details.

What happens next

• We generally acknowledge written grievances within five business days. Staff can help document an oral grievance so it receives review.
• We review the concern, which may include speaking with you, reviewing the record, and speaking with staff.
• We generally provide a written response within 30 business days when reasonably possible. If more time is needed, we will explain why and provide an expected response date.
• The response explains what we found, what we are doing about it, and how to escalate if you are not satisfied.

We do not cancel appointments, withhold records, or penalize you because you filed a grievance or contacted an outside agency. Retaliation is prohibited.

We maintain grievance records separately from the clinical record and protect their confidentiality. Information is shared only as needed to review and respond to the concern or as permitted or required by law.

Outside agencies you may contact

Choose the agency that handles your concern. You do not have to use our internal process first. External complaints and health-plan appeals may have deadlines; our internal review does not pause or extend them.

See also: Notice of Nondiscrimination and free language assistance.