HOSPICE OF HOPE, INC.
HOPE HOMECARE
Notice of Privacy Practices
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This notice describes how information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. |
Understanding Your Health Record/Information
Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider,
they make a record of your visit. Typically, this record contains your symptoms,
examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future
care or treatment. This information, your health or medical record, serves
as a basis for planning your care and treatment, is a way to communicate
with the many health professionals who contribute to your care, is a legal
document describing the care you received, allows you or a third-party to
verify that a service billed was provided, can be a tool in educating health
professionals and a source of data for medical research, a source of information
for public health officials charged with improving the health of a nation,
a source of data for facility planning and marketing, and can be a tool
to help us assess and continually improve the care we render and the outcomes
we achieve.
Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to ensure its accuracy, helps you better understand who, what, when, where and why others may access your health information, and can help you decide when to authorize disclosure to others.
Your Health Information Rights
Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner
or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the
right to request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information,
receive a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon admission,
inspect and obtain a copy of your health record, amend your health record
as provided in 45 CFR 164.528, obtain an accounting of disclosures of your
health information, request communications of your health information by
alternative means or at alternative locations, and revoke your authorization
to use or disclose your health information except to the extent that action
has already been taken.
Our Responsibilities
Hospice of Hope is required to maintain the privacy of your health information,
give you a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices about information
we collect and maintain about you, abide by the terms of this notice, let
you know if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, and satisfy
reasonable requests you make to send health information another way or to
alternate locations.
We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will give current patients the revised notice. We will not use or share your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.
For More Information, report a problem or if you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact:
Betsy Miller, Compliance/Privacy Officer
Hospice of Hope, Inc.
909 Kenton Station Drive
Maysville, Kentucky 41056
Phone: 606-759-4050 or 800-928-4848
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with Hospice of Hope and with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. No retaliation will be made for filing a complaint.
Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations:
Hospice of Hope will use your health information for treatment. The personal and health information Hospice of Hope creates, obtains, and stores about you/your family is used to coordinate care within Hospice of Hope and with others involved in your care, such as your physician, and hospice volunteers. We may share your information with individuals outside Hospice of Hope, including family members, clergy, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other healthcare professionals who have agreed to help us with your care. Hospice of Hope may also provide your physician and other healthcare providers with copies of various reports to help them in providing your hospice care.
We will use your health information for payment. Example: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, your diagnoses, procedures, and supplies used.
We will use your health information for regular hospice operations.
Example: Information may be told to others to enable them to provide business
services for us, such as performing general administrative activities and
processing data for us, such as patient surveys. Such information is used
to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the care and services
we provide. Healthcare operations also include training programs for students
and other professionals; accreditation, certification, licensing activities;
and auditing/legal purposes.
Safeguarding your Personal Health Information
Hospice of Hope restricts access to your personal and health information
to those who need to know that information to provide services to you. We
maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with
federal regulations. When sharing your personal information with companies
working for us, we require their use of appropriate safeguards.
Business Associates: Some services provided in our organization are through contracts with business associates. Examples include certain laboratory tests, dietary assistance, etc. When services are contracted, we may share your health information so the business associate can perform the job we've asked them to do and bill you/your third-party payer for services rendered. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.
Hospice of Hope Care Center Rooms Locations: Hospice of Hope may disclose certain information about you including your name, general health status, your religious affiliation, and where you are in the hospital while you are in a Hospice of Hope Care Center Room. The hospital may reveal this information to people who ask for you by name.
Notification: We may use or disclose information to notify or help in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition.
Communication with Family: Health professionals, using their best judgement, may disclose to a family member, other relative, a friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, Funeral Directors: We may disclose health information to such persons consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.
Organ Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for tissue donation and transplant.
Marketing: We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising: Hospice of Hope may use information about you including your name, address, phone number, and dates you received care from Hospice of Hope to contact you or your family about fundraising activities and events.
Other Disclosures:
Federal privacy rules allow Hospice of Hope to use or disclose your health
information without your consent or authorizations for several reasons.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information about adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
Worker's Compensation: We may disclose health information authorized, and to the extent necessary, to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.
Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: We may notify authorities if Hospice of Hope believes a person is the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.
More Information
You may instruct Hospice of Hope at any time to place restrictions on disclosures
of your personal information. If you wish to exercise any of your rights
about personal health information, please contact:
Betsy Miller, Compliance/Privacy Officer
Hospice of Hope, Inc.
909 Kenton Station Drive
Maysville, Kentucky 41056
Phone: 606-759-4050 or 800-928-4848
Once your request has been processed, it will remain in effect until you request a change.
Effective Date of This Notice: January 1, 2003