This Notice describes the privacy practices of The Caring Connection, Inc.
its employees, and other personnel ("The Caring Connection, "Company,”
"we," or "us"). Privacy
practices outlined in this Notice pertain only to individuals about whom Company
has received individually identifiable protected health information (“PHI”). As
a provider of in-home personal attendants, the Company is committed to
protecting the privacy of your personal information, medical records, and
protected health information.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW THE CARING CONNECTION MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PHI AND DESCRIBES YOUR RIGHT TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I. OUR PRIVACY OBLIGATIONS
We are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to maintain the privacy of health information about you ("Protected Health Information" or “PHI”) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your Protected Health Information. When we use or disclose your PHI, we are required to abide by the terms of this Notice (or other notice in effect at the time of the use or disclosure).
II. USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
While it is the general policy of The Caring Connection to safeguard your protected health information at all times from any use or disclosure, your PHI may have to be used and/or disclosed for various purposes. As permitted by law, The Caring Connection will use and disclose your Protected Health Information only for the following purposes:
A. Treatment. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information for treatment purposes. For example, we may use your Protected Health Information to train or advise our staff or other personnel who shall be providing services to you. If your PHI is disclosed to a business associate in order for them to provide treatment, the business associate will first be required to agree to abide by The Caring Connection’s HIPAA policies and will be held to the same standards as The Caring Connection in safeguarding your information.
B. Payment. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to obtain payment for healthcare services we provide. For example, we may disclose your information to your health plan to receive payment for the services provided to you.
C. Healthcare Operations and Administration. We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for our healthcare operations. These activities include, for example, monitoring the quality of our services, reviewing the competence or qualifications of our staff or other personnel engaged to provide you with the highest level of care, conducting training programs, performing accreditation, certification, licensing and credentialing activities, and other administrative functions.
D. Personal Representatives. We may disclose Protected Health Information about you to your authorized personal representative, as defined by applicable law, or to an administrator, executor, or other authorized person responsible for your estate.
E. Minors' Protected Health Information. As permitted by federal and state law, we may disclose Protected Health Information about minors to their parents or guardians. In the event of multiple guardianships or joint custody arrangements, we reserve the right to disclose PHI only to those persons authorized to make medical decisions for the minor.
F. Persons Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a person involved in your care or payment for your care, such as a family member or close friend. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information for disaster relief efforts, or to notify a family member or close friend of your location or general condition. If you do not want us to use or disclose your Protected Health Information in these ways, you must notify our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the end of this Notice.
G. Communications about Our Products and Services. We may use your Protected Health Information to contact you about our products and services which we believe may be of interest to you only where you have signed an authorization which permits use of medical information for marketing and promotional purposes.
H. Disclosures to Business Associates. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to other companies or individuals, known as "business associates," who need your information to provide services to you or for us. For example, we may use another company to perform billing services on our behalf. Our business associates are required by HIPAA to protect the privacy of your Protected Health Information once it is in their custody, and will be held to the same standards as The Caring Connection in safeguarding your PHI.
I. As Required by Law. We must disclose your Protected Health Information when required to do so by any applicable federal, state, or local law, including but not limited to responding to government subpoena or information request by a law enforcement official.
J. Public Health Activities. We may disclose your Protected Health Information for public health-related activities. Examples of these activities include: reporting diseases to authorized public health authorities; if authorized by law as part of a public health investigation, notifying individuals that they may be at risk of contracting a disease; and notifying a manufacturer of a product regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of a possible problem encountered when using the product by you or others who reported the possible problem to us.
K. Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a healthcare oversight agency for activities that are authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure activities. For example, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to agencies responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules of government health programs such as Medicare or Medicaid.
L. Research. Under certain conditions, we may use or disclose Protected Health Information for research purposes. We may allow researchers to look at Protected Health Information to develop a study, identify prospective research participants, or for similar purposes, provided that the information is not removed from our premises. Any outside agency performing research shall be considered a Business Associate, and shall be subject to the same strict requirements to protect against improper use and disclosure of PHI by any business associate.
M. Organ or Tissue Procurement. We may disclose Protected Health Information to organ procurement organizations or related entities for the purpose of facilitating organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
N. Disclosures to Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may disclose Protected Health Information to coroners or medical examiners for the purpose of identifying an individual, determining cause of death, or other duty authorized by law.
O. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your Protected Health Information in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process.
P. Law Enforcement. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to the police or other law enforcement officials as required by law or in compliance with a court order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or similar process authorized by law. Under certain circumstances, we may also disclose Protected Health Information to law enforcement officials when the information is needed to: identify or locate a missing person, suspect, fugitive, or material witness; determine whether an individual has been a victim of a crime; determine if a death resulted from criminal conduct; or investigate suspected criminal activity.
Q. Serious Threats to Health or Safety. We may disclose Protected Health Information if necessary to prevent or reduce the risk of a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual or the general public.
R. Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence. If required or authorized by law, we may disclose Protected Health Information to a government agency, such as social services or a protective services agency, if we reasonably believe that disclosure will assist an actual or potential victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
S. Specialized Government Functions. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to units of the government with special functions, such as the U.S. Military or the U.S. Department of State, in response to requests.
T. Workers' Compensation. We may disclose your Protected Health Information as necessary to comply with requirements of workers' compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness without regard to fault.
U. Use of Genetic Information. We will not disclose any of your genetic information to your plan provider and your plan provider shall not be entitled to use genetic information for purposes of underwriting. This policy is intended to be in full compliance with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) as adopted and incorporated in HIPAA.
U. All Other Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information. We will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing your Protected Health Information for any purpose not described above. After giving authorization, you may revoke your authorization, in writing, at any time, except that a revocation will not affect any use or disclosures we have made in reliance on your authorization.
III. YOUR RIGHTS
You have the following rights with respect to your Protected Health Information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Representative using the contact information provided at the end of this Notice.
A. Access to Protected Health Information. You or your authorized or designated personal representative have the right to inspect and copy your Protected Health Information and billing information maintained by us. We may deny access to certain information for specific reasons, for example, where state law prohibits such patient access. In the event that your Protected Health Information is kept by the Company in electronic form, you have a right to request and receive an electronic copy of records containing your Protected Health information. This electronic copy may be sent via electronic e-mail attachment subject to privacy and security safeguards deemed necessary by Company to protect unintended access or redistribution of the electronic files in any e-mail attachment.
B. Restrictions on Uses and Disclosures. You have the right to request restrictions on our use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information. While we will consider all requests for additional restrictions carefully, we are not required to agree to a requested restriction. If we do agree to a requested restriction, we will notify you in writing.
C. Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your Protected Health Information by alternative means or to an alternative address. Your request must be in writing and must specify the alternative means or location. We will accommodate reasonable requests for confidential communications.
D. Correct or Update Information. If you believe the Protected Health Information or billing information we maintain about you contains an error, you may request that we correct or update your information. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the information should be corrected or updated. We may deny your request under certain circumstances. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation for the denial.
E. Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list, or accounting, of certain disclosures of your Protected Health Information made by us or our business associates for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other activities. The request must be in writing. Unless you designate a shorter time period, the list will include disclosures made within the prior six years.
F. Nondisclosure of Care to Health Providers for Cash Payment. If you opt to pay for care provided by Company via cash or other personal means (such that your health plan is not making any financial contribution), you may request that the records of the care NOT be disclosed to your health plan. Pursuant to such request, the Company will not disclose the PHI pertaining to the care received, paid for with personal funds, and so requested to have this additional privacy.
IV. QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
If you have questions or complaints, please contact us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. If you are concerned that your privacy rights have been violated or protected health information was disclosed or used against the policies in this Notice, you may submit a complaint to us using the contact information listed below. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
The Caring Connection strictly supports your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate against you in any way and will cooperate in your requests, including if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
V. CHANGES TO OUR NOTICE OF HIPAA PRIVACY PRACTICES
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time. If we change this Notice, we may make the new Notice terms effective for all Protected Health Information that we maintain, including any information created or received prior to issuing the new Notice.
If we make material changes to this Notice, we will promptly redistribute copies of the updated Notice. You may also request a copy of the current Notice by contacting us using the contact information provided below.
VI. CONTACT INFORMATION
When communicating with us regarding this Notice, our privacy practices, or your rights with respect to our use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information, please use the following contact information:
Devin Letzer
(818) 368-5007
devin@thecaringconnection.com
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW THE CARING CONNECTION MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PHI AND DESCRIBES YOUR RIGHT TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I. OUR PRIVACY OBLIGATIONS
We are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to maintain the privacy of health information about you ("Protected Health Information" or “PHI”) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your Protected Health Information. When we use or disclose your PHI, we are required to abide by the terms of this Notice (or other notice in effect at the time of the use or disclosure).
II. USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
While it is the general policy of The Caring Connection to safeguard your protected health information at all times from any use or disclosure, your PHI may have to be used and/or disclosed for various purposes. As permitted by law, The Caring Connection will use and disclose your Protected Health Information only for the following purposes:
A. Treatment. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information for treatment purposes. For example, we may use your Protected Health Information to train or advise our staff or other personnel who shall be providing services to you. If your PHI is disclosed to a business associate in order for them to provide treatment, the business associate will first be required to agree to abide by The Caring Connection’s HIPAA policies and will be held to the same standards as The Caring Connection in safeguarding your information.
B. Payment. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to obtain payment for healthcare services we provide. For example, we may disclose your information to your health plan to receive payment for the services provided to you.
C. Healthcare Operations and Administration. We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for our healthcare operations. These activities include, for example, monitoring the quality of our services, reviewing the competence or qualifications of our staff or other personnel engaged to provide you with the highest level of care, conducting training programs, performing accreditation, certification, licensing and credentialing activities, and other administrative functions.
D. Personal Representatives. We may disclose Protected Health Information about you to your authorized personal representative, as defined by applicable law, or to an administrator, executor, or other authorized person responsible for your estate.
E. Minors' Protected Health Information. As permitted by federal and state law, we may disclose Protected Health Information about minors to their parents or guardians. In the event of multiple guardianships or joint custody arrangements, we reserve the right to disclose PHI only to those persons authorized to make medical decisions for the minor.
F. Persons Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a person involved in your care or payment for your care, such as a family member or close friend. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information for disaster relief efforts, or to notify a family member or close friend of your location or general condition. If you do not want us to use or disclose your Protected Health Information in these ways, you must notify our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the end of this Notice.
G. Communications about Our Products and Services. We may use your Protected Health Information to contact you about our products and services which we believe may be of interest to you only where you have signed an authorization which permits use of medical information for marketing and promotional purposes.
H. Disclosures to Business Associates. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to other companies or individuals, known as "business associates," who need your information to provide services to you or for us. For example, we may use another company to perform billing services on our behalf. Our business associates are required by HIPAA to protect the privacy of your Protected Health Information once it is in their custody, and will be held to the same standards as The Caring Connection in safeguarding your PHI.
I. As Required by Law. We must disclose your Protected Health Information when required to do so by any applicable federal, state, or local law, including but not limited to responding to government subpoena or information request by a law enforcement official.
J. Public Health Activities. We may disclose your Protected Health Information for public health-related activities. Examples of these activities include: reporting diseases to authorized public health authorities; if authorized by law as part of a public health investigation, notifying individuals that they may be at risk of contracting a disease; and notifying a manufacturer of a product regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of a possible problem encountered when using the product by you or others who reported the possible problem to us.
K. Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a healthcare oversight agency for activities that are authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure activities. For example, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to agencies responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules of government health programs such as Medicare or Medicaid.
L. Research. Under certain conditions, we may use or disclose Protected Health Information for research purposes. We may allow researchers to look at Protected Health Information to develop a study, identify prospective research participants, or for similar purposes, provided that the information is not removed from our premises. Any outside agency performing research shall be considered a Business Associate, and shall be subject to the same strict requirements to protect against improper use and disclosure of PHI by any business associate.
M. Organ or Tissue Procurement. We may disclose Protected Health Information to organ procurement organizations or related entities for the purpose of facilitating organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
N. Disclosures to Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may disclose Protected Health Information to coroners or medical examiners for the purpose of identifying an individual, determining cause of death, or other duty authorized by law.
O. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your Protected Health Information in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process.
P. Law Enforcement. We may disclose your Protected Health Information to the police or other law enforcement officials as required by law or in compliance with a court order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or similar process authorized by law. Under certain circumstances, we may also disclose Protected Health Information to law enforcement officials when the information is needed to: identify or locate a missing person, suspect, fugitive, or material witness; determine whether an individual has been a victim of a crime; determine if a death resulted from criminal conduct; or investigate suspected criminal activity.
Q. Serious Threats to Health or Safety. We may disclose Protected Health Information if necessary to prevent or reduce the risk of a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual or the general public.
R. Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence. If required or authorized by law, we may disclose Protected Health Information to a government agency, such as social services or a protective services agency, if we reasonably believe that disclosure will assist an actual or potential victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
S. Specialized Government Functions. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to units of the government with special functions, such as the U.S. Military or the U.S. Department of State, in response to requests.
T. Workers' Compensation. We may disclose your Protected Health Information as necessary to comply with requirements of workers' compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness without regard to fault.
U. Use of Genetic Information. We will not disclose any of your genetic information to your plan provider and your plan provider shall not be entitled to use genetic information for purposes of underwriting. This policy is intended to be in full compliance with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) as adopted and incorporated in HIPAA.
U. All Other Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information. We will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing your Protected Health Information for any purpose not described above. After giving authorization, you may revoke your authorization, in writing, at any time, except that a revocation will not affect any use or disclosures we have made in reliance on your authorization.
III. YOUR RIGHTS
You have the following rights with respect to your Protected Health Information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Representative using the contact information provided at the end of this Notice.
A. Access to Protected Health Information. You or your authorized or designated personal representative have the right to inspect and copy your Protected Health Information and billing information maintained by us. We may deny access to certain information for specific reasons, for example, where state law prohibits such patient access. In the event that your Protected Health Information is kept by the Company in electronic form, you have a right to request and receive an electronic copy of records containing your Protected Health information. This electronic copy may be sent via electronic e-mail attachment subject to privacy and security safeguards deemed necessary by Company to protect unintended access or redistribution of the electronic files in any e-mail attachment.
B. Restrictions on Uses and Disclosures. You have the right to request restrictions on our use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information. While we will consider all requests for additional restrictions carefully, we are not required to agree to a requested restriction. If we do agree to a requested restriction, we will notify you in writing.
C. Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your Protected Health Information by alternative means or to an alternative address. Your request must be in writing and must specify the alternative means or location. We will accommodate reasonable requests for confidential communications.
D. Correct or Update Information. If you believe the Protected Health Information or billing information we maintain about you contains an error, you may request that we correct or update your information. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the information should be corrected or updated. We may deny your request under certain circumstances. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation for the denial.
E. Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list, or accounting, of certain disclosures of your Protected Health Information made by us or our business associates for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other activities. The request must be in writing. Unless you designate a shorter time period, the list will include disclosures made within the prior six years.
F. Nondisclosure of Care to Health Providers for Cash Payment. If you opt to pay for care provided by Company via cash or other personal means (such that your health plan is not making any financial contribution), you may request that the records of the care NOT be disclosed to your health plan. Pursuant to such request, the Company will not disclose the PHI pertaining to the care received, paid for with personal funds, and so requested to have this additional privacy.
IV. QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
If you have questions or complaints, please contact us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. If you are concerned that your privacy rights have been violated or protected health information was disclosed or used against the policies in this Notice, you may submit a complaint to us using the contact information listed below. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
The Caring Connection strictly supports your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate against you in any way and will cooperate in your requests, including if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
V. CHANGES TO OUR NOTICE OF HIPAA PRIVACY PRACTICES
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time. If we change this Notice, we may make the new Notice terms effective for all Protected Health Information that we maintain, including any information created or received prior to issuing the new Notice.
If we make material changes to this Notice, we will promptly redistribute copies of the updated Notice. You may also request a copy of the current Notice by contacting us using the contact information provided below.
VI. CONTACT INFORMATION
When communicating with us regarding this Notice, our privacy practices, or your rights with respect to our use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information, please use the following contact information:
Devin Letzer
(818) 368-5007
devin@thecaringconnection.com
