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Bert Fish Home Healthcare Effective This Notice describes how
your medical information may be used and disclosed and how you can get access
to this information. Who Will Follow This Notice This
Notice describes the privacy practices of our home health agency including: ·
Bert Fish Home Healthcare ·
all employees, staff and other
personnel of this Agency; ·
any health care professional
authorized to enter information into your medical record while you are a patient of this Agency ·
any member of a volunteer or
student group we allow to help you while you are being served by this Agency. Our Pledge Regarding Your
Health Information We
understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical
information about you. We create a
record of the care and services you receive from us. We need this record to provide you with
quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the records of
your care generated by us, whether made by our personnel or doctors involved in
your care. This
Notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical
information about you. We also describe
your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of
medical information. We are required by
law to: ·
make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private; ·
give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with
respect to medical information about you; and ·
follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in
effect. How We May Use And Disclose Medical
Information About You The
following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical
information. For each category, we will
explain what we mean and give at least one example. Not every use or disclosure in a category
will be listed. However, all of the ways
we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the
categories. For Treatment. We may use medical
information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you
to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel who are
involved in taking care of you. For
example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have
diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, we may
need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for
nutritional counseling. We
may disclose medical information about you to other health care professionals
who provide you with health care services or supplies as a result of an order
from the doctor that is overseeing your care.
For example, if your personal doctor orders tests or x-rays, we will
disclose medical information to the specialists that interpret those tests or
x-rays. Different departments also may
share medical information about you in order for us to provide the different
things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information
about you to people outside the organization who may be involved in your
continuing medical care, such as your family doctor, specialist, another health care provider to whom you are referred,
family members, clergy or others that provide services that are part of your
care. For Payment. We may use and disclose
medical information about you so that the services you receive may be paid for
by an insurance company or a third party.
For example, we may need to give your health plan information about the
services you received so that the plan will pay us or reimburse you for those
services. We may also tell your health
plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to
determine whether your plan will cover the treatment. Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information to
contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical
care. The information we use or disclose
will be limited to the date, time and location of the appointment. Communications About Video, Audio, Photographic and Radiographic
Recordings. Video, audio, photographic and radiographic records
are used in various medical procedures, such as x-rays, to record the results
of those procedures. These records are
considered part of your medical record just like written text, and will not be
used or disclosed except as described in this Notice. Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may release medical
information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your
medical care. We may also give
information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also tell your family or friends your
condition and that you are receiving care from us. As Required by Law. We will disclose medical information about you when
required to do so by federal, state or local law. For example, To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or
Safety. We may use and disclose medical information about
you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the
health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to
someone able to respond to the threat. Special Situations Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may
release medical information about you as required by military command
authorities. We may also release medical
information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign
military authority. Workers' Compensation. We may release medical
information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These
programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness. Public Health Activities. We may disclose medical
information about you for public health activities. These activities generally
include the prevention or control of disease, reports of births and deaths,
reports of abuse or neglect, and to report problems with drugs or medical
devices. We will only make these
disclosures when allowed or required by law. Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose medical
information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. For example, we may disclose medical
information to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which
oversees home healthcare agencies in the state.
Oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations,
inspections, and licensure. These
activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system,
government-sponsored programs, and compliance with civil rights laws. Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a
lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response
to a court or administrative order. We
may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena,
discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the
dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to
obtain an order protecting the information requested. Law Enforcement. We may release medical information if asked to do so
by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant
or similar request. We may also disclose
limited information about the victim of a crime, a fugitive or a material
witness. Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral
Directors. We may release medical information to a coroner or
medical examiner. This may be necessary
to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about
individuals to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties. National Security, Intelligence Activities
and Protective Services. We may release medical information about you to
authorized federal officials for national security activities authorized by
law. We may also disclose medical
information about you to authorized federal officials
so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons or
foreign heads of state or to conduct special investigations. Inmates. If you are under the custody of a law enforcement
official, we may release medical information about you to the official. This release would be necessary (1) for the
official to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety
or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the
correctional institution. Your Rights
Regarding Medical Information About You You
have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you: Right to Access. You have the right to access medical information that may be used to make decisions
about your care. Usually, this includes
medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes. To access medical information that may be
used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to
the address listed at the end of this Notice.
If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs
of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to access your
information in certain limited circumstances.
If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that
the denial be reviewed. Another licensed
health care professional chosen by
management will
review your request and the denial. The
person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your
request. We will comply with the outcome
of the review. Right to Amend or Correct. If you feel that medical
information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to
amend or correct the information. You
have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept
by or for us. To request an amendment,
your request must be made in writing and submitted to the address listed at the
end of this Notice. In addition, you
must provide a reason that supports your request. We may deny your request for an amendment if
it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you
ask us to amend information that: ·
Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the
information is no longer available to make the amendment; ·
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for us; ·
Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to access;
or ·
Is already accurate and complete. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to
request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of
medical information about you, other than for treatment, payment or healthcare
operations as described above. To
request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing
to the address listed at the end of this Notice. Your request must state a time period which
may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or
limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for
treatment, payment or health care operations.
You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we
disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for
your care, like a family member or friend.
For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about
a surgery you had. We are not required
to agree to your request. If we do
agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to
provide you emergency treatment. To
request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the address
listed at the end of this Notice. In
your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2)
whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want
the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse. Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to
request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or
at a certain location. For example, you
can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. To request confidential communications, you
must make your request in writing to the address listed at the end of this Notice. Your request must specify how or where you
wish to be contacted. We will not ask
you the reason for your request. We will
attempt to accommodate all reasonable requests. Right
to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this
Notice. You may ask us to give you a
copy of this Notice at any time. Even if
you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically, you are still entitled
to a paper copy of this Notice. You may
obtain an electronic copy of this Notice at our web site www.hfch.org.
To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, contact us at the address below. Changes To This
Notice We
reserve the right to change this Notice.
We reserve the right to make a changed Notice effective for medical
information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in
the future. We will post a copy of the
current Notice in prominent locations in our facilities. The Notice will contain the effective date in
the heading. Each time you register for
health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of
the current Notice in effect. Inquiries About This Notice, Exercise of
Privacy Rights, and Complaints If
you have a question about this Notice, or you wish to exercise your rights
described in this Notice, or you believe your privacy rights have been
violated, you may contact us at:
All
complaints must be submitted in writing.
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. A complaint may also be filed with the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services at the following address: Office for Civil Rights
(404) 562-7881 FAX Other Uses of Medical Information Other
uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this Notice or the
laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or
disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in
writing, at any time. If you revoke your
permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for
the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take
back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are
required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you. |