Which of the following actions should a medical assistant take to determine the diastolic reading when taking an adult patient's blood pressure?

A. Right to change insurance companies during treatment: This is not part of the Patient's Bill of Rights. Changing insurance companies is subject to policy terms and regulations, not patient rights.
B. Right to refuse treatment: This is correct. The Patient’s Bill of Rights includes the right for patients to refuse treatment, even if that treatment is recommended by their healthcare provider.
C. Right to a timely visit: While timeliness is important, the Patient’s Bill of Rights does not specifically guarantee a timely visit.
D. Right to a specialist outside their network at no cost: This is not guaranteed under the Patient's Bill of Rights. Specialist visits, especially out-of-network, are typically governed by insurance coverage rules.

A. Ensure the skin is clean and dry. This is the correct action. Sweating can interfere with electrode adhesion and signal quality, so the skin should be cleaned and dried to ensure a good contact for accurate EKG readings.
B. Apply conductive gel to the patient's chest. Conductive gel is typically used with certain types of electrodes, but in the case of disposable adhesive EKG electrodes, it is not necessary and may not improve tracing quality.
C. Shave the electrode sites. Shaving may be necessary if the patient has a lot of body hair, but it is not the first step when dealing with sweating. Drying the skin is more immediate and essential.
D. Place the electrodes below the clavicle. Electrode placement should follow standard EKG guidelines, and moving them to non-standard positions like below the clavicle can result in inaccurate readings.