PRIVACY/CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION:

Home and Health Care Management may use your health information, information that constitutes protected health information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations.  The organization has established policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information.
We must inform patients or their legal representatives of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
At any time, you may obtain a copy of the current notice from the Privacy Officer.

USES OR DISCLOSURES REQUIRED OR PERMITTED:

THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED.

To Provide Treatment:

Home and Health Care Management may use your health information to coordinate care within the organization and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the inter-disciplinary team, and other healthcare professionals who have agreed to assist HHCM in coordinating care.  For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms to prescribe appropriate medications. HHCM may also disclose your health care information to individuals outside of the organization that are involved in your care including family members, clergy who you have designated, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other healthcare professionals.

To Obtain Payment:

Home and Healthcare Management may include your health information in invoices to collect payment from third parties for the care you receive from HHCM. For example, the organization may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care for reimbursement. HHCM also may need to obtain prior approval from your insurer and may need to explain your need for HHCM care and the services that will be provided to you.

To Conduct Health Care Operations:

Home and Health Care Management may use and disclose health information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of HHCM and as necessary to provide quality care to all its patients.  Healthcare operations includes such activities as:

  • Quality assessment and improvement activities
  • Activities designed to improve health or reduce healthcare costs
  • Protocol development, case management, and care coordination
  • Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment
  • Professional review and performance evaluation
  • Training programs including those in which students, trainees, or practitioners in health care learn under supervision
  • Training of non-health care professionals
  • Accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities
  • Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs
  • Business planning and development
  • Business management and general administrative activities
  • Appointment reminders

WHERE WE ARE REQUIRED OR PERMITTED TO DO SO, WE MAY USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION.

To Report Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence:

Home and Health Care Management is allowed to notify government authorities if the organization believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.  HHCM will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the patient agrees to the disclosure.

When There Are Risks to Public Health:

Home and Health Care Management may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

  • Prevent or control disease, injury, or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death
  • In the conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions
  • Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs, and replacements
  • Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease
  • Matters involving the Food and Drug Administration

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities:

Home and Health Care Management may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action.  HHCM, however, may not disclose your information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

In Connection With Judicial and Administrative Proceedings:

Home and Health Care Management may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

Federal Government Investigation:

When required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with federal regulation.  Specialized government functions such as military or veterans’ affairs; national security, and intelligence activities.

Law Enforcement Purposes:

For example, to report certain types of wounds or other physical injuries or to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person, in an emergency in order to report a crime or death.

In Connection to Use by Coroners, Medical Examiners, or Funeral Directors:

Home and Health Care Management may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

For Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation:

Home and Health Care Management may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engage in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs, eyes, or tissue for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.

For Research Purposes:

Home and Health Care Management may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research.  Before HHCM discloses any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process.

For Specified Government Functions:

In certain circumstances, the Federal regulations authorize Home and Health Care Management to use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.

For Worker’s Compensation:

Home and Health Care Management may release your health information for worker’s compensation or similar programs.

In Connection to Threat Prevention:

Averting a serious threat to your health or safety or that of the public.