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ALTERNATIVE
HOME CARE
Notice
of Privacy Practices
Introduction
"THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION
ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN
GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY."
Policy
ALTERNATIVE HOME CARE respects the rights and safeguards
of all information of the patients it serves. All patients
or their legal representatives will receive a copy of
ALTERNATIVE HOME CARE privacy notice no later than the
first day of service delivery. ALTERNATIVE HOME CARE
will make a good faith effort to obtain the patients
written acknowledgement of receipt of this notice.
Procedure
During the admission visit the patient will be given
a notice of privacy practices that is written in plain
English. And contains the following elements:
A. Permitted uses and disclosures of protected health
information "PHI".
B. Patient rights and
C. Agency responsibility:
We are permitted to use your PHI for each of the following
purposes:
· Treatment- information may be used to
diagnose your condition and assess your health care
needs. This information includes, but is not limited
to X-rays, prescriptions and lab work.
· Payment- your PHI may be used for determining
our need to bill and collect payment for services rendered.
This includes, but is not limited to
billing Medicare, HMO, MediCal and any other payors.
· Health care operations- in an effort
to make ongoing improvements in our operations, your
PHI may be used for quality care initiatives, training,
evaluation, licensing and accreditation.
· Business associates- our agency contracts
with various vendors to perform certain activities on
our behalf.
· As required by law- these include but
are not limited to disclosure to state and federal regulatory
agencies who may periodically review our compliance
efforts, which may result in reviewing our medical records.
· Marketing- your PHI may be used to contact
you about various services and benefits we can provide
for you.
· Law enforcement- we may disclose your
PHI to assist in law enforcement. These include, but
are not limited to attaining a search warrant, or to
help identify or locate someone.
· Research purposes- we may use or disclose
your PHI for research when the use has been reviewed
and approved by an institutional board of reviewers
or privacy board.
· Worker's compensation- we may release
your information to comply with worker compensation
laws.
· Coroners- we may disclose your PHI to
a coroner or medical examiner to assist in determining
cause of death.
· Lawsuits and legal disputes- we may
use PHI in responding to a court or administrative order,
subpoena, or a discovery request.
· Serious threat to public safety- we
may use your PHI when it is necessary to avoid a credible
threat to you or to others.
All other
disclosure requires your prior written consent. Your
consent may be withdrawn at any time.
We will
make changes and amendments to the above policy as the
need arises.
Patient's
rights
1. You have the right to view and receive copies of
your medical records at any time. To view your medical
records, simply contact a clinical supervisor by mail.
We reserve the right to deny your request. However,
if we do, we will tell you why.
2. If you believe there is an error in your medical
records, you may write us to request an amendment at
the address below.
3. You have the right to restrict the uses and disclosures
of certain parts of your PHI. You may also request that
we not disclose your PHI to certain members of your
family or friends who are involved in your care. Your
request must state the specific restriction requested
and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
4. You have the right to request receipt of confidential
communications from us by alternative means or at an
alternative location. Requests must be made in writing
to our privacy officer.
5. You have the right to file a complaint with the DHHS
if you feel your rights have been violated.
Agency
responsibility
Alternative Home Care is required by law to maintain
the privacy of your health information and to provide
you with this Notice of Privacy Practices.
Contact
Person
Daniel Fialkoff
4710 Woodman Ave
Sherman Oaks Ca, 91423
ATTN: Privacy Officer
This notice is effective April 14, 2003.
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