Children with special needs spend a lot of time in a medical setting. As a parent, it’s very important that you understand your child’s rights as a patient, as well as your rights as your child’s parent.

Why must you be so knowledgeable about your child’s rights? After all, don’t the medical professionals who are treating your child have your child’s best interests at heart? Of course they do. It’s their job to implement a plan that ensures your child lives a life that is as healthy, independent, and functional as possible. As a matter of fact, it’s fair to say that your child’s medical team wants the same thing for your child that you want.

Unfortunately, not being aware of your child’s rights as a patient and your rights as that child’s parent can have some seriously negative consequences. In particular, being unaware of patient rights can result in your child not getting the therapies and benefits that he needs.

How? Well, it’s just a fact of life that medical care goes hand-in-hand with mounds of paperwork. When you are focused on your child’s well being, it can be difficult to pay attention to all of the paperwork that’s put in front of you. How do you know which information you should give to the insurance company, and which you shouldn’t? How do you know which papers to sign, and which you shouldn’t? Sometimes it’s just easier to fill out and sign all of the paperwork that’s put in front of you. But doing so can significantly affect your child’s care.

As a general rule of thumb, there are four areas that every parent should be aware of when it comes to patient rights.

These include the following:

• Consent
• Patients’ Bill of Rights
• HIPAA
• Family and Medical Leave Act

The articles we’ve posted on this site about the above topics are a good place to start, but it’s only fair to warn you that these topics are complex. Do as much homework as possible in the above areas, and understand that having knowledge in these areas is key to ensuring that your child receives the treatment and benefits she needs.

If you need help understanding or navigating patient rights, be aware that there are legal professionals who specialize in these areas. If you think your child’s patient rights are being violated in any way, or if you have questions about your child’s rights as a patient, please contact us for more information.