Non Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of River Hospital to admit and treat all patients without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, disability, sponsorship or age.

The same requirements for admission are applied to all. There is no distinction in eligibility for or in manner of providing any patient service provided by or through the facility. All facilities are available without discrimination to all patients and visitors. All persons and/or organizations that have occasion to either refer patients to or recommend to the River Hospital are advised to do so without regard to the patient's race, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, disability, sponsorship or age. Any questions regarding this hospitals' admission policy should be referred to River Hospital Social Service Department or the facility administrator.

River Hospital operates its program in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Regulations of the Dept. of Health and Human Services implementing these laws.

If you have any questions about the accessibility or our programs or facility, you may contact the River Hospital Quality Dept. at 315.482.1140 or via NY State Relay Service (voice/TDD) at 800.662.1220 (TDD) and 800.421.1220 (voice).

For more information about this policy or if you believe that you have been discriminated against on the basis of disability, please contact River Hospital's Social Service Dept. or contact:

River Hospital and its programs and activities are accessible to and useable by disabled persons, including persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or blind, or who have other sensory impairments.

Access features include:

• Convenient parking designated specifically for disabled persons
• Curb cuts and ramps between parking areas and buildings
• Level access into first floor level with elevator access to all other floors
• Fully accessible offices, meeting rooms, bathrooms, public waiting areas, cafeteria, patient treatment areas, including examining rooms and patient wards
• A full range of assistive and communication aids provided to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or blind, or with other sensory impairments. There is no additional charge for such aids.

Communication aids include:

• Qualified sign language interpreters for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing
• A twenty-four hour (24) telecommunication device (TTY/TDD) which can connect the caller to all extensions within the facility and/or portable (TTY/TDD) units, for use by persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired via The Language Line
• Interpreter services for over 200 languages is available via The Language Line
• Ability to produce readers and taped material for the blind and large print materials for the visually impaired
• Flash cards, alphabet boards and other communication boards
• Assistive devices for persons with impaired manual skills

Contact us:

If you require any of the aids listed above, please contact the Director of Patient Access at 315.482.1266.

River Hospital aims to provide high quality services but understands that sometimes the unexpected can happen.

When that happens, River Hospital has a complaint policy and procedure to make sure complaints are properly investigated and monitored so we can learn how to improve our services. Complaints are an essential source of information to help us improve the ways we deliver and manage our services.

Please feel free to contact one of the following to address your concerns:

Nursing Supervisor
315.482.2511

Patient Advocate
315.482.1165

Quality Improvement Department
315.482.1197

Please be advised that your future care and treatment in this hospital will not be affected should you choose to exercise your right to file a complaint with the New York State Department of Health.

If you feel that we have not completed a thorough review of your concerns or you wish to contact directly, you have the right to notify the New York State Department of Health via mail or telephone.

New York State Department of Health
Syracuse Area Office
217 South Salina Street
Syracuse, New York 13202
Attn: Hospital Complaint Program Coordinator

Phone: 800.804.5447

River Family Health Center Patients

If you feel we have not completed a thorough review of your concerns, you have the right to notify the Department of Health, or The Compliance Team, at the contact information below:

The Compliance Team

www.thecomplianceteam.org

800.291.5353

In this changing and challenging era for health care, the public’s trust and confidence in and respect for River Hospital requires the commitment of each of us to uphold standards of excellence and ethical behavior.

River Hospital is committed to doing the right thing. This not only means we are striving to comply with all legal responsibilities, but ethical responsibilities as well. There are core values that are part of corporate compliance and these include respect for all persons, integrity, service, excellence & trust. We all have a responsibility to everyone we come in contact with and our community to act in a manner consistent with this statement, the values & principles it expresses and its supporting policies.

River Hospital recognizes the problem that fraud and other deliberate or accidental misconduct in the health care industry pose to society. River Hospital seeks to eliminate misconduct through the Corporate Compliance Program. River Hospital is committed to maintaining an effective Corporate Compliance Program in accordance with applicable law and guidance from state and federal health care authorities. The provisions within this Compliance Plan have been developed to create an effective Corporate Compliance Program. This Compliance Program is designed to prevent errors or misconduct; to detect errors or misconduct if they occur; and to enhance the reputation of River Hospital and its employees as ethical providers of health care services. Service in health care is the highest calling. Integrity and trust are essential to our services. Our patients are entitled to rely on that trust. They are to be treated at all times with respect and dignity.

The Corporate Compliance Program at River Hospital is a mandatory, self-monitoring program to assure our compliance with all federal, state and local laws applicable to healthcare. The Corporate Compliance Program is required to:

• Oversee the activities of River Hospital and its employees with regard to compliance with laws, regulations, policies and code of conduct.
• Heighten awareness of compliance and ethical issues through education.
• Provide mechanisms for detection, correction, and prevention of improper conduct.
• Provide employees with avenues for addressing compliance and ethical issues.
• Regulations (Laws)
• Federal/State Government - Health & Human Health Services (HHS)
• Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act
• Deficit Reduction Act
• Social Security Act
• False Claims Act
• HIPAA
• EMTALA - "patient anti-dumping law"
• Public Health Law
• NYSDOH regulations

We deal with issues related to:

• Fraud and abuse–(Deficit Reduction Act, Social Security Act, False Claims Act)
• Regulatory standards and laws–Department of Health and DNV
• Billing and coding requirements
• HIPAA
• Medical necessity
• Patient documentation
• Information requests
• EMTALA–"patient anti-dumping law”

The Corporate Compliance Program applies to all members of the Board of Directors, administration, employees, volunteers, medical staff, agents, and vendors. Any shortcomings are to be reported to a supervisor, the Corporate Compliance Officer or the Chief Executive Officer so that they can be dealt with appropriately. If you have a question or concern, please call the Corporate Compliance Officer at (315)-482-1194 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Arminda Hunter, Corporate Compliance Officer
T: 315. 482.1194
C: 315.323.4744
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Mail: Corporate Compliance Officer
River Hospital, 4 Fuller Street Alexandria Bay, NY 13607-0221

NYS OMIG: 1-877-873-7283 (toll-free)
DHHS-OIG: 1-800-447-8477 (toll-free)