| GHHC is committed to protecting medical information
about you. We create a record of the care and services you
receive at GHHC for use in your care and treatment. We are
required by law to:
• make sure that your medical information is protected;
• give you this Notice describing 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 sections describe different ways that we may
use and disclose your medical information. For each category
of uses or disclosures we will describe them and give some
examples. Some information such as certain drug and alcohol
information, HIV information and mental health information
is entitled to special restrictions related to its use and
disclosure. GHHC abides by all applicable state and federal
laws related to the protection of this information. Not every
use or disclosure will be listed. All of the ways we are permitted
to use and disclose information, however, will fall within
one of the following 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, students, or other health system personnel
who are involved in taking care of you in the health system.
We may also share medical information about you with other
agencies or facilities in order to provide or coordinate the
different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work
and medical equipment. We also may disclose medical information
about you to people outside GHHC who may be involved in your
continuing medical care after you are discharged from GHHC,
such as other health care providers, transport companies,
community agencies and family members.
For Payment. We may use and disclose medical
information about you so that the treatment and services you
receive from GHHC may be billed to and payment may be collected
from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example,
we may need to give information to your health plan about
services that were provided to you by GHHC so your health
plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may
also tell your health plan about a proposed treatment plan
to determine whether your plan will pay for the treatment.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and
disclose medical information about you for GHHC operations.
These uses and disclosures are made for quality of care and
medical staff activities and other teaching programs. Your
medical information may also be used or disclosed to comply
with law and regulation, for contractual obligations, patients’
claims, grievances or lawsuits, health care contracting, legal
services, business planning and development, business management
and administration, the sale of all or part of GHHC to another
entity, underwriting and other insurance activities and to
operate the delivery of health care services. For example,
we may review medical information to find ways to improve
treatment and services to our patients. We may also disclose
information to doctors, nurses, technicians, and other health
system personnel for performance improvement and educational
purposes.
Visit Reminders. We may contact you to remind you that you
have a visit scheduled with a GHHC clinician.
Treatment Alternatives. We may tell you
about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives
that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may contact you to
tell you about benefits or services that we provide.
Quality Assurance. We may contact you to
request information that will assist GHHC with its continuing
effort to ensure that high quality care is given to all GHHC
patients. For example, you may be asked to complete a survey
regarding your satisfaction with the care provided to you
by GHHC or you may be asked to rate your satisfaction with
services provided by GHHC via telephone.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for
Your Care. We may release medical information to
anyone involved in your medical care, e.g., a friend, family
member, personal representative, or any individual you identify.
We may also give information to someone who helps pay for
your care. We may also tell your family or friends about your
general condition and that you are in the hospital.
Disaster Relief Efforts. We may disclose
medical information about you to an entity assisting in a
disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified
about your condition, status and location.
As Required By Law. We will disclose medical
information about you when required to do so by federal or
state law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We
may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary
to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your
health and safety or the health and safety of the public or
another person. Any disclosure would be to someone able to
help stop or reduce the threat.
Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an
organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations
that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation
or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ
or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans. If you are or were
a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information
about you to military command authorities as authorized or
required by law. We may also release medical information about
foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military
authority as authorized or required by law.
Workers’ Compensation. We may use
or disclose medical information about you for Workers’
Compensation or similar programs as authorized or required
by law. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries
or illnesses.
Public Health Disclosures. We may disclose medical information
about you for public health purposes. These purposes generally
include the following:
• preventing or controlling disease (such as cancer
and tuberculosis), injury or disability;
• reporting vital events such as births and deaths;
• reporting child abuse or neglect;
• reporting adverse events or surveillance related to
food, medications or defects or problems with products;
• notifying persons of recalls, repairs or replacements
of products they may be using;
• notifying a person who may have been exposed to a
disease or may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease
or condition;
• reporting to the employer findings concerning a work-related
illness or injury or workplace-related medical surveillance;
• notifying the appropriate government authority if
we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect
or domestic violence and make this disclosure as authorized
or required by law.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose
medical information to governmental, licensing, auditing,
and accrediting agencies as authorized or required by law.
Legal Proceedings. We may disclose medical
information to courts, attorneys and court employees in the
course of conservatorship and certain other judicial or administrative
proceedings.
Lawsuits and Other Legal Actions. In connection
with lawsuits or other legal proceedings, we may disclose
medical information about you in response to a court or administrative
order, or in response to a subpoena, discovery request, warrant,
summons or other lawful process.
Law Enforcement. If asked to do so by law
enforcement, and as authorized or required by law, we may
release medical information:
• to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material
witness, or missing person;
• about a suspected victim of a crime if, under certain
limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s
agreement;
• about a death suspected to be the result of criminal
conduct;
• about criminal conduct at GHHC; and
• in case of a medical emergency, to report a crime;
the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description
or location of the person who committed the crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors.
In most circumstances, we may disclose medical information
to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for
example, to identify a deceased person or determine cause
of death. We may also disclose medical information about patients
of GHHC to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their
duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities. As authorized
or required by law, we may disclose medical information about
you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence,
and other national security activities.
Protective Services for the President and Others.
As authorized or required by law, we may disclose
medical information about you to authorized federal officials
so they may conduct special investigations or provide protection
to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads
of state.
Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About
You
Your medical information is the property of GHHC. You have
the following rights, however, regarding medical information
we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy. With certain exceptions, you have
the right to inspect and/or receive a copy of your medical
information.
To inspect and/or to receive a copy of your medical information,
you must submit your request in writing. If you request a
copy of the information, there is a fee for these services.
We may deny your request to inspect and/or to receive a copy
in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access
to medical information, in most cases, you may have the denial
reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen
by GHHC 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 Request an Amendment or Addendum.
If you feel that medical information we have about you is
incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information
or add an addendum (addition to the record). You have the
right to request an amendment or addendum for as long as the
information is kept by GHHC.
Amendment. To request an amendment, your
request must be made in writing and submitted to the GHHC
Privacy Officer. 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 GHHC;
• is not part of the medical information kept by GHHC;
• is not part of the information which you would be
permitted to inspect and copy; or
• is accurate and complete in the record.
Addendum. To submit an addendum, the addendum
must be made in writing and submitted to the GHHC Privacy
Officer. An addendum must not be longer than 250 words per
alleged incomplete or incorrect item in your record.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right
to receive a list of the disclosures we have made of your
medical information.
To request this accounting of disclosures, you must submit
your request in writing to GHHC Privacy Officer. Your request
must state a time period that may not be longer than the six
previous years and may not include dates before April 14,
2003. You are entitled to one accounting within any 12-month
period at no cost. If you request a second accounting within
that 12-month period, there will be a charge for the cost
of compiling the accounting. We will notify you of the cost
involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request
at that time before any costs are incurred.
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, such as a family member or friend. For example, you
could ask that we not use or disclose information to a family
member about a surgery you had.
To request a restriction, you must make your request in
writing to the GHHC Privacy Officer. 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, only to you
and your spouse. We are not required to agree to your request.
If we do agree, our agreement must be in writing, and we will
comply with your request unless the information is needed
to provide you emergency treatment.
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 may ask that we contact you only at work
or only by mail.
To request confidential communications, you must make your
request in writing to the GHHC Privacy Officer. We will accommodate
all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or
where you wish to be contacted.
Changes to GHHC’s Privacy Practices and This
Notice
We reserve the right to change GHHC’s privacy practices
and this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised
or changed Notice effective for medical information we already
have about you as well as any information we receive in the
future. The Notice will contain the effective date on the
first page in the top right-hand corner. In addition, at any
time you may request a copy of the current Notice in effect.
Questions or Complaints
If you have questions regarding your privacy rights, please
contact the GHHC Privacy Officer. The contact information
for the Privacy Officer of GHHC is:
GRACE Home Health Care
Attn: Privacy Officer
2017 Palo Verde Ave. Suite 202
Long Beach, CA 90804
(562) 626-8371
(562) 626-8373 FAX
www.gracehomehealthcare.com
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you
may file a complaint with the GHHC Privacy Officer or with
the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. The address
for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
is:
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
50 United Nations Plaza - Room 322
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 437-8310; (415) 437-8311 (TDD)
(415) 437-8329 FAX
www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa
Other Uses of Medical Information
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered
by this Notice 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 permission. You understand that we
are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made
with your permission, and that we will retain our records
of the care provided to you as required by law.
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