We welcome you to SIU Medicine. Our mission is to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health- care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community.

Medical professionals at SIU Medicine offer primary and specialized care services. As an academic medical practice, your medical and surgical team may also include medical students, residents or fellows. Medical Students are college graduates in their 3rd or 4th year of medical school training. A resident or a fellow is a medical school graduate and a licensed physician in the State of Illinois.

As our patient, you have the right: 

  • To receive considerate and respectful care
  • To access medical care regardless of gender, race, religion, age, personal or cultural beliefs, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability
  • To be informed of the identity and professional status of individuals providing care and to know which physician or other practitioner is primarily responsible for your care.
  • To have reasonable, informed participation in decisions involving your health care
  • To refuse any treatment, to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of your refusal
  • To receive a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable itemized bill and have the charges explained to you upon request
  • To inquire about financial assistance in paying your bill or filing of insurance forms
  • To be informed of the nature of any experimental or research/treatment program you may be invited  to participate in as a part of or in connection with your medical care
  • To submit complaints without retaliation
  • To be provided with free aids and services to accommodate any disability to communicate effectively, such as video language interpretation, certified language interpreters, communication boards, visual enhancement devices, etc.
  • As an individual bearing a child, to receive health before, during, and after the pregnancy and childbirth. The right to receive care for them and their infant. The right to choose a certified nurse midwife or physician as their maternity care professional and select a different profession if they becomes dissatisfied with their care. The right to choose their birth setting from the full range of birthing options available in her community. The right to be informed if their caregivers wish to enroll them or their infant in a research study. The right to be treated with respect at all times before, during, and after pregnancy by their health care professionals. 


You have the right to receive a good faith estimate explaining how much your health care will cost: 

SIU Medicine is required to give patients who do not have certain types of insurance coverage or who are not using certain types of insurance coverage an estimate of their bill for health care items and services before those items or services are provided.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any health care items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services. This could include related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment and hospital fees.

If you schedule an appointment at least 3 business days in advance, SIU Medicine will give you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule an appointment at least 10 business days in advance, SIU Medicine will give you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after scheduling. You can also ask SIU Medicine for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service with SIU Medicine. If you do, SIU Medicine will provide it to you in writing within 3 business days after you ask.

If you receive a bill from SIU Medicine that is at least $400 more than the Good Faith Estimate given to you by SIU Medicine, you can dispute the bill. Make sure you save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate and the bill. 

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-985-3059. You can also contact SIU Medicine directly with questions about your right to a Good Faith Estimate by calling 217-545-4966 or 1-888-203-1154. 

You as a patient are responsible for:   

  • Providing to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information
  • Taking responsibility for your own health care, within the limits of what you are capable of
  • Reporting any changes in your health or medications
  • Working with staff involved in your care and to ask questions if you do not understand any of the information given to you
  • Keeping your appointments, or if you are unable to keep your appointment, you are responsible to call and cancel at least 24 hours prior to your appointment or the soonest you can
  • Paying for the medical services provided and providing up to date insurance information
  • Being respectful of others and of the property of others including SIU property
  • Your own actions if you refuse treatment or do not follow instructions/recommendations given to you by your provider and staff
  • Obtaining a referral from your primary care physician if one is needed
  • Respecting our staff and other patients’ privacy by refraining from using any audio/photo/recording or video devices while services and treatment is being given
  • Recognizing and respecting along with your family members the rights of our other patients, visitors, and staff. Threats, violence, disrespectful communication, harassment of other patients or of any staff, for any reason, including because of a person’s age, ancestry, color, culture, disability (physically and/or intellectually), ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, language, military/veteran status, race, religion, sexual orientation or other aspects of difference will not be tolerated and may result in termination from SIU services.

Revised on 3/15/2022 - QRS for HB002 law 10/16/2019