Patient’s Bill of Rights

In 2007, to help educate the American public on what the US healthcare system should be offering its constituents, the Patient’s Bill of Rights was created by The Bravewell Collaborative.

As an individual, you have:

• The right to person-centered care.
• The right to receive healthcare that addresses the wholeness of who you are — body, mind and spirit in the context of community.
• The right to a healthcare system that focuses on prevention and wellness.
• The right to be empowered as the responsible, central actor in your own healing.
• The right to education about self-care that includes access to scientifically-based nutrition, exercise and mind-body interventions.
• The right to a healing relationship with your healthcare provider that is grounded in humanism, compassion and caring.
• The right to speak openly and honestly with your healthcare providers and in return, to experience honest and supportive communications from all members of the healthcare community.
• The right to a healthcare environment that recognizes that to be healing and empowering, healthcare providers themselves must seek to be restored and whole.
• The right to embrace the spiritual dimension in the context of your healthcare.
• The right to healthcare providers who understand that integrity and spiritual qualities are as important as medical knowledge and technical skills in the process of healing.
• The right to a truly integrative medicine that is supported by rigorous scientific research, maintains the highest standards of excellence, and offers a full and complete array of care modalities.
• The right to healing even when there is no cure.
• The right to be whole.