Internal Rules of Procedure

INTERNAL RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE CENTRO POLIKLINIKA INTERNAL RULES

 I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. The internal rules of the Public Institution Centro Poliklinika (hereinafter referred to as the Polyclinic) (hereinafter referred to as the Rules) regulate the internal order of the Polyclinic, define the principles of healthcare service provision and are binding on all patients visiting the Polyclinic, patient representatives, visitors and employees of the Polyclinic.
2. Terms used in the Rules:
2.1. Patient – a person who uses the services provided by the Polyclinic, regardless of whether they are healthy or ill.
2.2. Patient representative – a legal representative (parents, adoptive parents, guardians, carers) or a representative by proxy.

II. PATIENT REFERRAL PROCEDURE

3. A patient who wishes to receive personal healthcare services at the Polyclinic, has compulsory health insurance and lives in the Vilnius district served by the Vilnius branch of the State Health Insurance Fund, may register with the Polyclinic by freely choosing the primary healthcare centre (hereinafter referred to as PASPC) closest to their place of residence or most convenient for them, as well as the Mental Health Clinic.
4. When registering with the Polyclinic, the patient (or their representative) fills in and signs the "Application for permission to receive treatment at the chosen primary outpatient healthcare institution or mental health centre" (form No. 025-025-1/a). When filling out the application, it is possible to choose a specific family doctor (internal medicine or paediatrician) working at the Polyclinic. If no specific doctor is chosen, the person submitting the application confirms with their signature that they agree to have a doctor assigned to them by the Polyclinic administration. The patient (or their representative) can fill out the application at the Polyclinic's reception desk (when contacting the reception desk, you must present a document confirming your identity with a photo and personal code, a residence permit in Lithuania (for foreigners), for children – a birth certificate or passport, a residence permit in Lithuania (for foreigners) and a document confirming the identity of one of the parents), online (via the Electronic Government Gateway or other electronic means that allow confirmation of identity), by email ([email protected] ; in this case, the documents must be signed with a qualified electronic signature), by regular mail (to VšĮ Centro poliklinika, Pylimo g. 3, LT-01117 Vilnius; in this case, a copy of a document confirming the person's identity must be attached to the application). The application form is available on the Poliklinika website www.pylimas.lt under the heading "Pacientams" (For patients).
5. If the number of residents served by the family doctor chosen by the patient exceeds the maximum number of residents specified in state or municipal legislation (if such a limit has been set) or the workload of doctors is exceeded, the responsible employee of the Polyclinic will select another doctor for the patient at , taking into account the number of patients registered with the Polyclinic's doctors, and will inform the patient thereof.
6. The patient (or their representative) pays €0.29 to the polyclinic for processing the registration documents. A patient who chooses another healthcare institution earlier than after six months pays EUR 2.90 for the processing of registration documents and the transfer of medical documentation to the healthcare institution of their choice. The outpatient medical record is transferred to the newly selected healthcare institution and / or mental health centre within 3 working days of the date of receipt of the institution's "Request to transfer outpatient medical record / child health development record" (form No. 025-025-3/a).
7. Patients who wish to be treated by another doctor at the Polyclinic must submit a completed and signed "Request for permission to be treated by another doctor at the chosen primary outpatient healthcare institution or mental health centre" (form No. 025-025-2/a) to the reception desk.
8. Upon reaching the age of 18, patients remain registered with the same family doctor at the Polyclinic or are automatically re-registered with another family doctor who forms the district if they were registered with a paediatrician.
9. When the district doctor changes, the polyclinic informs the patient (or their representative) about the change in one of the following ways: when the person (or their representative) comes to the polyclinic, by text message or phone call to the number provided by the patient (or their representative) to the polyclinic, by email, by the patient (or their representative) to the Polyclinic (if the request was submitted electronically) / by post no later than 10 working days after the change .
10. Information about changes in family (internal medicine, paediatric) doctors in the districts and family (internal medicine, paediatric) doctors who are still forming their districts is published on the website www.pylimas.lt.
11. Patients are only accepted by a doctor or other healthcare professional after prior registration. Without prior registration with a doctor or other healthcare professional, patients are only provided with essential (emergency) medical care.
12. Patients can register for an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare professional themselves, or their representatives can register them.
13. Registration for personal healthcare services takes place:
13.1. when the patient (or their representative) calls the Polyclinic's Resident Services and Information Department / Mental Health Clinic Registration Desk / the Occupational Medicine Clinic reception / Polyclinic employees call the patient (his representative) at the telephone number provided in the Polyclinic Information System (hereinafter referred to as the Polyclinic IS). When calling the Polyclinic, the employee who answers the call identifies the patient's identity by asking at least 4 (four) questions to identify the person: the patient's first name, surname; the last 4 digits of the patient's personal identification number; place of residence address; the patient's date of birth or other contact details (e.g. email address), other patient information in the Polyclinic IS (e.g. name of the attending physician, last visit to the physician, etc.);
13.2. When the patient (or their representative) arrives at any of the Polyclinic's reception desks: the employee asks to see and checks the patient's identity document and, if necessary, the document of representation of the patient, and, if necessary, updates and / or supplements the information about the patient in the Polyclinic's IS.
13.3. The patient (or their representative) independently registers online via esveikata.lt in the advance patient registration system (hereinafter referred to as IPR IS), following the registration guide to search for available times for advance registration.
14. After registering the patient for a visit, the employee informs the patient of the doctor's or other healthcare specialist's office and address, the specialist's surname, and the time of the visit (year, month, day and hour). After registering via the IPR IS, the patient receives a registration confirmation with detailed information and a reminder about the upcoming visit at the e-mail address provided by them from esveikata.lt.
15. The Patient Service and Information Department can provide patients with information about healthcare professionals, their work schedules, the types of services provided, and possible appointment times. If the Polyclinic, on its own initiative or if necessary, wishes to change the time of the patient's visit to the Polyclinic , the responsible employee shall inform the patient of the new visit time as early as possible before the start of the planned service by telephone, by SMS or e-mail, using the patient's (or their representative's) details provided to the Polyclinic IS.
16. For a consultation with a secondary healthcare specialist, paid for by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (hereinafter referred to as the CHIF) budget, a referral from a primary healthcare doctor or another specialist is required, completed on esveikata.lt (form E027 "Referral for consultation, examination, treatment"). A referral is not required for patients registering with a dermatovenerologist and patients included in the lists of long-term monitoring of chronic diseases, approved by Order No. V-288 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania on 28 February 2014 "On the Approval of the Procedure for the Long-Term Monitoring of the Health Status of Patients with Chronic Diseases", when visiting the specialist doctor who is conducting their long-term monitoring.
17. A patient who is unable to come to the Polyclinic at the time booked in advance must, no later than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the service, cancel the appointment via the IPR IS or notify the Polyclinic's Resident Services and Information Department by telephone or by other means acceptable to them, notify their family doctor's district administrator (registration office), unless another notification procedure is specified (e.g., replying to an SMS reminder message).
18. If a patient is more than 15 minutes late from the start of the registration time, the healthcare service/consultation may no longer be provided (depending on its duration, the patient's health condition and the queue of waiting patients). If the service is not provided, the patient must re-register.
19. Healthcare professionals may be up to 30 minutes late for their appointments (depending on the health condition of registered patients, the duration of the consultation, and the need for emergency care).
20. The first examination of a newborn is organized when the parents of the newborn call the Polyclinic's Resident Services and Information Department and inform them that an examination of the newborn is required. Within 1–3 working days of receiving the notification, the family (paediatric) doctor or a nurse from the doctor's team will contact the newborn's representative and arrange the first visit. Further examinations of the baby/child are carried out at the Polyclinic in accordance with the Procedure for Preventive Health Check-ups of Babies and Children. When visiting the Polyclinic with a newborn for the first time, it is necessary to have the child's birth certificate, one of the parents' identity documents, and to fill in the "Application for permission to receive treatment at the chosen primary outpatient healthcare institution or mental health centre" (form No. 025-025-1/a) and choose a local doctor.

III. PROCEDURE FOR THE PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES AT THE POLYCLINIC

21. The polyclinic provides licensed primary and secondary outpatient healthcare services, secondary inpatient healthcare services, compensated by the PSDF budget, as specified in the valid polyclinic healthcare licence.
22. Primary outpatient healthcare services, for which a contract has been concluded with the State Health Insurance Fund ( ) for payment from the PSDF budget, are provided in accordance with the procedure established by normative and local legislation to all patients registered with the Polyclinic who are insured in accordance with the procedure established by law. (hereinafter referred to as VLK) for payment from the PSDF budget, are provided in accordance with the procedure established by normative and local legislation to all patients registered with the Polyclinic who are covered by compulsory health insurance in accordance with the procedure established by legislation.
23. Secondary outpatient and inpatient personal healthcare services, for which a contract has been concluded with the VLK for payment from the PSDF budget, are provided in accordance with the procedure established by normative and legal acts regulating the internal administration of the Polyclinic to patients who have a doctor's referral for these services (except for consultations with a dermatovenerologist and patients who are included in the lists of long-term monitoring of chronic diseases, supervision) and are covered by compulsory health insurance in accordance with the procedure established by normative legal acts.
24. The polyclinic provides services compensated by the PSDF budget:
24.1. primary outpatient health care services: family medicine (family (paediatric, internal medicine, surgeon and obstetrician-gynaecologist) and his team members), mental health care team, dentistry and dental hygienist practices, outpatient nursing services at home, palliative care, immunoprophylaxis, preventive programme services, occupational medicine;
24.2. secondary outpatient healthcare services: internal medicine, neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, dietetics, allergology and clinical immunology, dermatology and venereology, pulmonology, rheumatology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, infectious diseases, nephrology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopaedics and traumatology, obstetrics and gynaecology, urology, anaesthesiology and resuscitation, geriatrics, paediatrics, paediatric endocrinology, paediatric gastroenterology, paediatric cardiology, paediatric neurology, paediatric pulmonology, paediatric allergology, paediatric surgery, surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, abdominal surgery, genetics, psychotherapy (psychotherapeutic consultations and psychotherapy sessions), early rehabilitation of paediatric developmental disorders, oral surgery, orthodontics;
24.3. outpatient healthcare medicine: clinical physiology, radiology (X-ray diagnostics, mammography, ultrasound examinations, magnetic resonance imaging, bone densitometry), echoscopy, endoscopy, outpatient medical rehabilitation (adults and children: musculoskeletal disorders, nervous system diseases, respiratory system diseases);
24.4. general personal healthcare: midwifery, nursing (general practice nursing, community nursing, extended practice nursing, nursing for patients with diabetes mellitus), day surgery (I-IV), day hospital (specialised pain diagnosis and treatment services in a day hospital, day hospital services I, IA, V, XII, psychiatric day hospital, child and adolescent psychiatric day hospital, anaesthesia, kinesitherapy, ergotherapy, therapeutic massage, medical psychologist practice, laboratory diagnostics (general cytology tests, general microbiology tests, biochemical tests, haematological tests, infectious serology tests).
25. The polyclinic provides paid services (personal healthcare, public health (compulsory first aid, hygiene skills, training on the effects of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic or other psychoactive substances on human health) and non-medical services), the provision and payment of which are regulated by the Procedure for the Provision and Payment of Paid Personal Healthcare Services, approved by order of the director of the polyclinic. Information about paid services and the procedure for their payment is provided to patients on the Polyclinic's website www.pylimas.lt. At the patient's request, information may be provided about healthcare services, medicines and medical devices at the Polyclinic, as well as information about the possibility of using healthcare services paid for by the patient at other healthcare or treatment institutions. Polyclinic healthcare professionals are prohibited from exclusively offering healthcare services paid for by the patient that the healthcare professional themselves provides at another healthcare or treatment institution.
26. Healthcare for patients under the age of 16 shall only be provided with the consent of their representatives, except in cases of emergency (urgent) medical assistance. In all cases, healthcare professionals must choose the diagnostic and treatment methods that best serve the interests of the minor, taking into account first and foremost the wishes of the minor and their representatives . If there is a disagreement between a patient under the age of 16 and his or her representatives, the methods of diagnosis and treatment shall be chosen by a council of doctors, taking into account the interests of the minor.
27. Healthcare services are provided to patients aged 16 and over only with their consent, except in cases of emergency (urgent) medical care where the patient is unable to express their will. Patients who have reached the age of 16 acquire rights and assume obligations and exercise them themselves or, if they cannot be considered capable of reasonably assessing their interests, they are represented by their legal representatives: one of their parents (adoptive parents), guardian or carer.
28. Planned services are not provided to persons who are intoxicated or possibly under the influence of narcotic or psychotropic substances, except for emergency (urgent) medical assistance. If there are suspicions about the patient's sobriety or intoxication with narcotic or psychotropic substances, the service provider shall offer the patient to be tested for sobriety and / or intoxication with narcotic or psychotropic substances. The patient's refusal to take the test shall be considered an admission of intoxication and / or impairment and shall be recorded in the medical documentation.

IV. PATIENTS' RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

29. Patient rights:
29.1. Right to quality healthcare services:
29.1.1. the indicators of quality healthcare services and the requirements for their content are established by the Minister of Health;
29.1.2. Patients have the right to receive urgent medical assistance without delay, in accordance with the scope and procedure for the provision of urgent medical assistance established by the Minister of Health;
29.1.3. Patients have the right to conditions that do not undermine their honour and dignity and to respectful treatment by healthcare professionals.
29.2. Right to choose a healthcare institution and healthcare professional:
29.2.1. the patient has the right to choose a healthcare institution in accordance with the procedure established by law;
29.2.2. the patient has the right to choose a healthcare professional. The procedure for choosing a primary healthcare professional is set out in Chapter II of these Rules;
29.2.3. The patient has the right to obtain the opinion of another specialist with the same professional qualifications. In exercising this right, the patient's right to receive free healthcare (compensated from the PSDF budget) may be restricted in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Health or its authorised institutions.
29.3. Right to information:
29.3.1. The patient has the right to receive information about the services provided by healthcare institutions, their prices and the possibilities of using them. The procedure for providing this information is set out in Chapter III of these Rules;
29.3.2. The patient has the right to receive information about the healthcare professional providing healthcare services to him (name, surname, position) and information about his professional qualifications.
29.3.3. The patient, upon presentation of identity documents, has the right to receive information about his or her health condition. The procedure for providing this information is set out in Chapter VII of the Rules.
29.4. Right not to know. Information about the patient's health condition, diagnosis of the disease, other methods of treatment or examination used in the healthcare institution or known to the doctor, possible risks, complications, side effects, and treatment prognosis may not be provided to the patient against his or her will. The patient must clearly express their refusal to receive information and confirm it with their signature in the medical documentation. The restrictions on the provision of information to the patient specified in this paragraph shall not apply if the patient's refusal to receive information may have harmful consequences for the patient or other persons.
29.5. Right to access records in one's medical documents:
29.5.1. At the patient's request, his medical records must be made available to him. The provision of medical records to the patient may be restricted if the information contained therein could harm the patient's health or endanger his life. The decision not to disclose medical records to the patient is made by the attending physician;
29.5.2. the healthcare professional must explain the meaning of the entries in the patient's medical records to the patient within the scope of their competence. If the patient's request is justified, the healthcare professional must correct, supplement, complete, delete and / or amend any inaccurate, incomplete, ambiguous data or data unrelated to the diagnosis, treatment or care within 15 working days. Upon receipt of a written request from the patient by the polyclinic. Any dispute between the healthcare professional and the patient regarding the correction, supplementation, completion, deletion and / or modification of entries in his medical records shall be resolved by the head of the healthcare institution.
29.5.3. the representatives of a minor patient under the age of 16 have the right to access his or her medical records (entries) in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Patients' Rights and Compensation for Damage to Health;
29.5.4. The right to access entries in one's medical records may only be restricted in accordance with the procedure established by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
29.6. Right to privacy:
29.6.1. The private life of a patient is inviolable. Information about the facts of a patient's life may be collected in accordance with the procedure established by the laws regulating the processing of personal data only if it is necessary for the diagnosis, treatment or care of the patient;
29.6.2. data on the patient's presence at the Polyclinic, his or her state of health, and the diagnostic, treatment and nursing measures applied to him or her shall be recorded in the patient's medical records in the prescribed form (on paper and / or in the Polyclinic IS, esveikata.lt – Electronic Health Services and Cooperation Infrastructure Information System (abbreviated as ESPBI IS);
29.6.3. all information about the patient's stay at the Polyclinic, treatment, health condition, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as all other personal information about the patient must be kept confidential even after the patient's death. The right to obtain information after the patient's death is held by the heirs according to the will and according to the law, spouse (partner), parents/children;
29.6.4. confidential information may be disclosed to other persons only with the written consent of the patient, specifying the basis for the disclosure of such information and the purposes for which it may be used, except in cases where the patient has indicated in writing in their medical records which specific person has the right to receive such information, as well as the scope and terms of such disclosure. The patient has the right to specify persons to whom confidential information may not be disclosed. Persons directly involved in the treatment or care of the patient, performing a medical examination of the patient, may be provided with confidential information without the patient's consent in cases and to the extent necessary to protect the patient's interests. When a patient is considered incapable of reasonably assessing their interests and does not give their consent, confidential information may be disclosed to the patient's representative, spouse, cohabitant (partner), parents (adoptive parents) or adult children to the extent necessary to protect the patient's interests. Without the patient's consent, confidential information may be disclosed in accordance with the procedure established by law to state institutions which are entitled under the laws of the Republic of Lithuania to receive confidential information about the patient without his or her consent:
29.6.4.1. healthcare institutions where the patient is or has been treated, cared for, undergoes a health examination or registers to receive healthcare services;
29.6.4.2. institutions that control the provision of healthcare services;
29.6.4.3. commissions reviewing the status of incapacitated persons for the performance of their functions;
29.6.4.4. courts, public prosecutors, pre-trial investigation institutions, the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, and other institutions granted such rights by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
29.6.5. Healthcare institutions must immediately notify law enforcement authorities about injured patients who may have been harmed by a criminal act.
29.6.6. The privacy and confidentiality of patient health information is protected at the Polyclinic in accordance with the procedure established by law.
29.7. The patient's right to anonymous healthcare:
29.7.1. Patients aged 16 and over who suffer from diseases included in the list of diseases for which patients aged 16 and over are entitled to healthcare services without disclosure of their identity have the right to healthcare services without disclosure of their identity. approved by Order No. V-164 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania of 22 February 2010 "On the Approval of the List of Diseases for which Patients Aged 16 and Over are Entitled to Healthcare Services without Disclosure of Identity". The patient pays for healthcare services without revealing their identity, except for the exceptions established by law. Services are provided in accordance with the Procedure for the Provision of Healthcare Services without Revealing the Identity of the Patient, approved by Order No. V-178 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania of 4 March 2010 "On the Approval of the Procedure for the Provision of Healthcare Services without Disclosing the Identity of the Person".
29.8. Participation of patients in biomedical research and the teaching process:
29.8.1. without the patient's written consent, he or she may not be included in biomedical research. The procedure for including patients in such research is established by the Law on Biomedical Research Ethics;
29.8.2. The polyclinic conducts medical residency studies to a certain extent. Polyclinic patients may be included in the training process in accordance with the procedure established by law. It is assumed that a patient who has signed these internal rules agrees to be included in the teaching process. A patient who does not agree to participate in the teaching process or does not agree to the use of information about them for scientific and teaching purposes must declare this in writing. Their written statement must be kept in the patient's medical records.
29.9. Right to complain:
29.9.1. A patient who believes that his or her rights as a patient at the Polyclinic have been violated shall, no later than one year from the date on which he or she becomes aware that his or her rights have been violated, but no later than 3 years from the date of the violation of rights, except in cases where the violation of his rights has caused damage, for which compensation is sought in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Patients' Rights and Compensation for Damage to Health;
29.9.2. The patient has the right to compensation for damage in accordance with the procedure and conditions established by the Law on Patients' Rights and Compensation for Damage to Health of the Republic of Lithuania and the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania.
30. Patient obligations:
30.1. to sign and familiarise themselves with the Rules presented to them, other documents established by the Polyclinic, and to perform the duties specified therein;
30.2. to take care of their health, exercise their rights in good faith, not abuse them, cooperate with the Polyclinic's healthcare professionals, and follow their instructions, including treatment, nursing and prophylaxis. To inform the attending physician (attending healthcare professional) of any refusal to take certain medications, undergo procedures, tests, etc.
30.3. comply with the Polyclinic's procedures for registration and admission to healthcare specialists. In order to receive healthcare services, present documents confirming your identity, except in cases of emergency (urgent) healthcare services;
30.4. to the extent possible, provide the treating healthcare professional with accurate and complete information about your health, past illnesses, operations performed, medications taken and currently being taken, allergic reactions, genetic inheritance and other data known to the patient that is necessary for the proper provision of healthcare services;
30.5. confirm in writing their consent or refusal to receive healthcare services after receiving information about the healthcare services to be provided;
30.6. to follow the appointments and recommendations of healthcare professionals or to refuse the prescribed healthcare services in accordance with the procedure established by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania. To inform healthcare professionals about any deviations from the appointments or the prescribed regimen to which he/she has given his/her consent;
30.7. Behave respectfully and appropriately towards the staff of the Polyclinic and other patients.
30.8. arrive on time for the scheduled appointment, consultation, examination or treatment;
30.9. cancel the visit via the IPR IS or inform the Polyclinic's Resident Service and Information Department by telephone no later than 24 (twenty-four) hours before the scheduled start of the service after registering for a scheduled personal healthcare service, but are unable to attend at the appointed time;
30.10. take care of the property of the Polyclinic temporarily entrusted to them or for common use;
30.11. confirm in writing their consent to pay for the services provided and pay the specified amount on time in accordance with the procedure for the provision and payment of paid personal healthcare services established by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania and the Polyclinic;
30.12. comply with these Rules.
31. Patients are prohibited from:
31.1. smoke, consume alcoholic beverages, narcotic and / or psychotropic substances on the premises and / or territory of the Polyclinic;
31.2. insult or behave disrespectfully towards the Polyclinic's employees and other visitors;
31.3. interfere with the work of the Polyclinic staff;
31.4. bring animals to the Polyclinic;
31.5. bringing scooters or bicycles into the Polyclinic;
31.6. use a mobile phone during consultations with healthcare professionals or other diagnostic or treatment procedures;
31.7. enter the Polyclinic's service premises without permission, enter patient reception rooms when services are being provided to other patients;
31.8. bring cold and / or firearms to the Polyclinic;
31.9. Patients wearing outer clothing (coats, jackets) are not allowed in rooms where personal healthcare services are provided. Clothing must be left in the cloakroom provided at the Polyclinic. The Polyclinic is not responsible for any valuable items left in outer clothing.
31.10. If a patient violates their obligations, thereby endangering their own health and life and that of other patients, or prevents them from receiving quality healthcare services, the provision of healthcare services may be terminated, except in cases where the patient's life is at risk.
31.11. Upon termination of services to a patient who fails to fulfil their obligations, responsibility for their further health condition remains with the patient.
31.12. Patient representatives assist patients in exercising their rights by exercising the same rights and obligations as patients.

V. PROCEDURE FOR REFERRING PATIENTS TO OTHER HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS

32. If the polyclinic is unable to provide the patient with the necessary personal healthcare services or if the patient wishes to receive the prescribed secondary personal healthcare services at another healthcare institution, the patient must be referred to other personal healthcare institutions by issuing a referral (esveikata.lt form E027 "Referral for consultation, examination, treatment") and informing them of the healthcare institutions (indicating at least 3 (three) relevant healthcare services provided) where they can receive the healthcare services specified in the referral. The patient chooses the healthcare institution where they wish to receive the healthcare services specified in referral E027 and registers themselves/is registered by their representative, if necessary, by the employees of the Resident Services and Information Department via the IPR IS.

VI. PROCEDURE FOR RESOLVING DISPUTES AND CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE POLYCLINIC AND PATIENTS

33. A patient (or their representative) who believes that their rights as a patient have been violated has the right to submit a written complaint to the Polyclinic.
34. Complaints must be written legibly, in the official language, or have a translation into the official language certified in accordance with the procedure established by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
35. Complaints may be submitted by the patient or his representative. The Polyclinic shall examine complaints that are signed by the patient, indicate his name and surname, contact details, and set out the essence of the complaint. If the complaint is submitted by the patient's representative, the representative's name and surname, contact details, a document certifying representation and the patient on whose behalf they are acting must be indicated.
36. Complaints that do not meet the specified requirements are returned to the patient (or their representative) with an explanation of the reason for the return.
37. The patient must submit a document confirming their identity with the complaint. The patient's representative must submit a document confirming their identity and representation. When a complaint is sent by post or courier, it must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant's identity document certified by a notary or a lawyer representing the patient.
38. Complaints submitted electronically must be signed with a qualified electronic signature.
39. A person submitting a complaint by e-mail must send it to the Polyclinic's e-mail address info@centropol.lt.
40. The patient has the right to lodge a complaint no later than one year after becoming aware that their rights have been violated, but no later than three years from the date of the violation.
41. The complaint must be investigated within 20 working days and the patient (or their representative) must be notified in writing of the results of the investigation.
42. A patient (or their representative) who has the right under the law and wishes to receive compensation for damage (pecuniary or non-pecuniary) may, no later than three years from the date on which they learned or should have learned of the damage, apply to the Commission for the Assessment of Damage to Patients' Health, operating under the Ministry of Health, with a written request for compensation for damage. The Commission is a mandatory pre-trial institution for compensation for damage.

VII. PROCEDURE FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THE PATIENT AND HIS/HER REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT HIS/HER HEALTH CONDITION

43. The patient (or their representative), upon presenting documents confirming their identity, has the right to information about their (or their representative's) health condition, diagnosis, medical examination data, treatment methods and prognosis. When informing the patient about treatment/examinations, the attending physician (healthcare professional providing services – within their competence) explains to the patient the course of treatment, possible treatment outcomes, alternative treatment/examination methods used at the institution or known to the physician (healthcare professional), possible alternative treatment/examination methods, possible risks, complications, side effects and other circumstances that may influence the patient's decision to accept or refuse the proposed treatment/examination, as well as the consequences of refusing the proposed treatment/examination. The information is provided to the patient in a form that is understandable to them, taking into account their age and state of health, and explaining any special medical terms.
44. Information about the patient's health condition, diagnosis, medical examination data, treatment methods and prognosis is provided to the patient (or their representative) by the attending physician.
45. The information referred to in point 43 of these rules may not be provided to the patient only in cases where the provision of information would harm the patient's health or endanger his or her life, or where the patient refuses this information in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Law on Patients' Rights and Compensation for Damage to Health of the Republic of Lithuania. The decision not to provide the patient with information that could harm the patient's health or endanger his or her life shall be taken by the attending physician, except in cases where the law provides for a different procedure for taking such a decision. The doctor shall note the decision not to provide information and the reasons for it in the medical records (paper or electronic), and in cases where the disclosure of information would be likely to cause harm to the patient, all information shall be provided to the patient's representative, which shall be deemed equivalent to providing the information to the patient. The doctor shall provide the information to the patient when the risk of harm has disappeared.
46. Without the patient's written consent, confidential information about the patient's treatment, health condition, diagnosis and other personal information obtained during the diagnosis of the disease, treatment or care, the teaching process, conducting biomedical research, managing statistical and archival medical documentation, except in the cases specified in subparagraphs 29.6.4.1–29.6.4.4 of the rules and other cases provided for in legal acts.
47. Information about the health condition of a patient who cannot be considered capable of reasonably assessing their interests shall be provided to the patient's spouse (cohabitant), parents (adoptive parents) and adult children at their request.
48. After the patient's death, the right to receive information about the patient's stay at the Polyclinic, treatment, health condition, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as all other personal information about the patient, shall be held by the heirs according to the will and according to the law (spouse, partner, parents, children)..
49. The procedure for providing information is detailed in the "Description of the procedure for providing information, including confidential information, about the patient and the services provided to him/her to the patient, his/her representative, other natural and legal persons, and the procedure for paying for these services", approved by order of the director of the Polyclinic.