THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO .0THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

RHHS is your partner in helping you receive the best care possible.  We are dedicated to providing you with the highest level of service and protecting your privacy.  As technology continues to transform the way information is collected and distributed, we want to make sure you know that we have implemented a number of leading practices for safeguarding the privacy and security of information about you.

The agency maintains a record (paper/electronic file) of the information we receive and collect about you and of the care we provide to you.   This record includes physicians’ orders, assessments, medication lists, clinical progress notes and billing information.

As required by law, the agency maintains policies and procedures about our work                                                                                                                                                                                practices, including how we provide and coordinate care provided to our patients.  These policies and procedures include how we create, maintain and protect medical records; access to medical records and information about our patients; how we maintain the confidentiality of all information related to our patients; security of the building and electronic files; and how we educated staff on privacy of patient information.

As our patient, information about you must be used and disclosed to other parties for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations.  Examples of information that must be disclosed:

·        Treatment: Providing, coordinating or managing health care and related services, consultation between health care providers relating to a patient or referral of a patient for health care from one provider to another.  For example, we meet on a regular basis to discuss how to coordinate care to patients and schedule visits. 

·        Payment: Billing and collecting for services provided, determining plan eligibility and coverage, utilization review (UR), medical necessity review. For example, occasionally the insurance company requests a copy of the medical record sent to them for review prior to paying the bill.

·        Health Care Operations: General agency administrative and business functions, quality assurance/improvement activities; medical review; auditing functions; developing clinical guidelines; determining the competence or qualifications of health care professionals; evaluating agency performance; conducting training programs with students or new employees; licensing, survey, certification, accreditation and credentialing activities; internal auditing and certain fundraising and marketing activities.  For example, our agency periodically holds clinical record review meetings where the consulting professional of our record review committee will audit clinical records for meeting professional standards and utilization review.

The following uses and disclosures do not require your consent, and include, but are not limited to, a release of information contained in financial records and/or medical records, including information concerning communicable diseases such as Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), drug/alcohol abuse, psychiatric diagnosis and treatment records and/or laboratory test results, medical history, treatment progress and/or any other related information to:

·        Your insurance company, self-funded or third-party health plan, Medicare, Medicaid or any other person or entity that may be responsible for paying or processing for payment any portion of your bill for services;

·        Any person or entity affiliated with or representing RELIABLE HOME HEALTH SERVICES for purposes of administration, billing and quality and risk management;

·        Any hospital, nursing home or other health care facility to which you may be admitted;

·        Any assisted living or personal care facility of which you are a resident;

·        Any physician providing you care;

·        Licensing and accrediting bodies, including the information contained in the OASIS Data Set to the state agency acting as a representative of the Medicare/Medicaid program;

·        Contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about other health activities we provide;

·        Contact you to raise funds for the Agency

·        Other health care providers to initiate treatment.

We are permitted to use or disclose information about you without consent or authorization in the following circumstances:

·                 In emergency treatment situations, if we attempt to obtain consent as soon as practicable after treatment;

·        Where substantial barriers to communicating with you exist and we determine that the consent is clearly inferred from the circumstances;

·        Where we are required by law to provide treatment and we are unable to obtain consent;

·        Where the use or disclosure of medical information about you is required by federal, state or local law;

·        To provide information to state or federal public health authorities, as required by law to:  prevent or control disease, injury or disability; report births and deaths; report child/adult abuse or neglect; report reactions to medications or problems with products; notify persons of recalls of products they may be using; notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence (if you agree or when required or authorized by law);

·        Health care oversight activities such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensure by a government health oversight agency as authorized by law to monitor the health care system, government programs and compliance with civil rights laws;

·        Certain judicial administrative proceedings 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, 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;

·        Certain law enforcement purposes such as helping to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, or to comply with a court order or subpoena and other law enforcement purposes;

·        To coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors, in certain circumstances, for example, to identify a deceased person, determine the cause of death or to assist in carrying out their duties;

·        For cadaver organs, eye or tissue donation purposes to communicate to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues (if you are an organ donor);

·        For certain research purposes under very select circumstances.  We may use your health information for research.  Before we disclose any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process.  We will usually request your written authorization before granting access to your individually identifiable health information;

·        To avert a serious threat to health and safety: To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public, such as when a person admits to participation in a violent crime or serious harm to a victim or is an escaped convict. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat;

·        For specialized government functions, including military and veterans' activities, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations, correctional institution and custodial situations;

·        For Workers' Compensation purposes: Workers’ compensation or similar programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

We are permitted to use or disclose information about you without consent or authorization provided you are informed in advance and given the opportunity to agree to or prohibit or restrict the disclosure in the following circumstances:

1. Use of a directory (includes name, location, condition described in general terms) of individuals served by our Agency;
2. To a family member, relative, friend, or other identified person, the information relevant to such person’s involvement in your care or payment for care; to notify family member, relative, friend, or other identified person of the individual’s location, general condition or death.

Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization. That authorization may be revoked, in writing, at any time, except in limited situations.

Your Rights-You have the right, subject to certain conditions, to:

1.      Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information, including a statement if, or when, we are not required to agree to a requested restriction.

2.      Receive confidential communications of protected health information. We will arrange for you to receive protected health information by reasonable alternative means or at another location.

3.      Inspect and copy protected health information. We will charge a reasonable fee to cover our costs including postage, copying and staff time.

4.      Amend protected health information for as long as the protected health information is maintained in the designated record. A request to amend your record must be in writing and must include a reason to support the requested amendment. We will act on your request within sixty-day (60) of receipt of the request.  We may extend the time for such action by up to 30 days, if we provide you with a written explanation of the reasons for the delay and the date by which we will complete action on the request.

5.      Receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information made by our Agency for up to six (6) years prior to the date on which the accounting is requested for any reason other than for treatment, payment or health operations and other applicable exceptions. We will provide the accountings within 60 days of receipt of a written request.  However, we may extend the time period for providing the accounting by 30 days if we provide you with a written statement of the reasons for the delay and the date by which you will receive the information. We will provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge.  Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.

6.      Obtain a paper copy of this notice, even if you had agreed to receive this notice electronically, from us upon request.

COMPLAINTS - If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may complain to the Agency contact person, or to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation against you for filing a complaint.  The complaint should be filed in writing, and should state the specific incident(s) in terms of subject, date and other relevant matters.  A complaint to the Secretary must be filed in writing within 180 days of when the act or omission complained of occurred, and must describe the acts or omissions believed to be in violation of applicable requirements. [45 CFR § 160.306]  For further information regarding filing a complaint, contact:

Name     Michelle Medina                                   Phone    303-477-3636                    

Address   3345 W. 38^th Avenue Denver, CO  80211                                                  

EFFECTIVE DATE - This notice is effective April 14, 2003.  We are required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect, but we reserve the right to change these terms as necessary for all protected health information that we maintain. If we change the terms of this notice (while you are receiving service), we will promptly revise and distribute a revised notice to you as soon as practicable by mail, e-mail (if you have agreed to electronic notice) or hand delivery.

(4/3/2003)