Privacy Policy

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

This notice describes the privacy practices of Iowa River Hospice. We are committed to maintaining your confidentiality and protecting your health information. This notice describes your rights and our duties regarding your protected health information related to the care and services we provide to you in your home. Our hospice will follow the terms of this Notice and we will use and share your Protected Health Information with each other, as necessary, for the purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information
• Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices relating to your Protected Health Information
• Abide by the terms of the Notice that are currently in effect

 Who Will Follow This Notice

• Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your medical record
• Volunteers we allow to help you while you are receiving hospice care
• All hospice employees and staff
• Physicians and staff providing care under arrangement with hospice

For the convenience of our patients, we are giving a Notice of Privacy Practices to each patient.

This Notice serves as the notice required under Federal law to be given to patients by Hospice. All members of our Hospice medical staff and all other health care professionals who treat you at the patient’s home, nursing facilities, Assisted Living home, Group home, General or Respite Inpatient care facility, or any home environment will share protected health information with each other, as necessary to carry out your treatment, payment for treatment, and health care operations.

Hospice may use your health information for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care, and conducting health care operations. Unless otherwise indicated, your health information may be used or disclosed only after Hospice has obtained your written consent or authorization. Hospice has established a policy to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

The Following Is A Summary Of The Circumstances Under Which And Purposes For Which Your Health Information May Be Used And Disclosed:

To Provide Treatment - Hospice may use your health information to coordinate care within Hospice and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the Hospice interdisciplinary team, and other healthcare professionals who have agreed to assist Hospice in coordinating your care. For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms in order to prescribe appropriate medications. With your consent, the Hospice also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside of Hospice involved in your care.

To Obtain Payment - With your consent, Hospice may include your health information in invoices to collect payment from third parties for the care you may receive from Hospice. For example, Hospice may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care status so that the insurer will reimburse you or Hospice.

Hospice also may need to obtain prior approval from your insurer and may need to explain to the insurer your need for Hospice care and the services that will be provided to you.

To Conduct Healthcare Care Operations - Hospice may use and disclose healthcare information for its own operations to facilitate the function of Hospice and as necessary to provide quality care to all of Hospice’s patients. Healthcare operations include such activities as:

• Quality assessment and improvement activities
• Protocol development, case management, and care coordination
• Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment
• Professional review and performance evaluation
• Training programs including those in which students, trainees, or practitioners in health care learn under supervision
• Accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities
• Auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs
• Business management and general administrative activities of the Hospice
• Targeting fundraiser communications.

Federal Privacy Rules Allow Hospice to Use or Disclose Your Health Information Without Your Consent or Authorization for A Number Of Reasons Including:

When Legally Required - Hospice will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by Federal, State, or local law.

When There Are Risks To Public Health - Hospice may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

• Prevent or control disease, injury, or disability, report disease, injury, and vital events such as birth or death, and conduct public health surveillance, investigations, and interventions
• To report adverse events and product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs, and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration
• To notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease
• To an employer about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect, Or Domestic Violence - Hospice is allowed to notify government authorities if the Hospice believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. Hospice will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the patient agrees to the disclosure.

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities - Hospice may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil, administrative, or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure, or disciplinary action. Hospice, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

In Connection with Judicial and Administrative Proceedings - Hospice may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

For Law Enforcement Purposes - Hospice may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for law enforcement purposes

• As required by law for reporting certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena summons, or similar process
• For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person
• Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime
• To a law enforcement official if Hospice has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct including criminal conduct at Hospice
• In an emergency in order to report a crime

To Coroners and Medical Examiners - Hospice may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

To Funeral Directors - Hospice may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law, and if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to your funeral arrangements. If necessary to carry out their duties, Hospice may disclose your health information prior to and in reasonable anticipation, of your death.

For Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation - Hospice may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs, eyes, or tissues for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.

In The Event Of a Serious Threat to Health or Safety - Hospice may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if Hospice, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.

Military and Veterans - If you are a member of the Armed Forces, Hospice may release health information about you as required by military command authorities. Hospice may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

National Security and Intelligence Activities - Hospice may release health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Protective Services for the President and Others - Hospice may disclose health information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons, or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.

For Worker’s Compensation - The Hospice may release your health information for worker’s compensation or similar programs providing benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.

Authorization to Use or Disclose Health Information

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of health information for marketing purposes and disclosures that constitute the sale of health information require your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures of your health information that are not described above will be made only with your written authorization. If you or your representative authorizes Hospice to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your permission, Hospice will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that Hospice is unable to take back any disclosures that have already been made with your authorization and that Hospice is required by law to retain our records of the care provided to you.

Your Rights with Respect to Your Health Information

You have the following rights regarding your health information that Hospice maintains:

Right to Request Restrictions - You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information Hospice uses or discloses about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations, and to request a limit on the health information Hospice discloses about you to someone who is involved in your care or payment, such as a family member or friend. We are not required to agree to the requested restriction except in the limited situation in which you or someone on your behalf pays for an item or service, and you request that information concerning such item or service not be disclosed to a health insurer. If Hospice does agree, however, Hospice will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency or other vital treatment.

To request restrictions, you must tell Hospice

• what information do you want to limit
• whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both
• to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosure to your spouse

To request restrictions, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer at the address shown below.

Right to Receive Confidential Communications - You have the right to request that Hospice communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that Hospice only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. Hospice will not require that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.

Right To Inspect And Copy Your Health Information - You have the right to inspect and copy health information about you. Usually, this includes medical and billing records but does not include psychotherapy notes or information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or for use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding. To inspect and copy health information, you must submit your request in writing. If you request a copy of your health information, Hospice may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request. Requests will be filled within 30 days unless unforeseen circumstances prevent filling the request or denial per 45 CFR 164.524(a)(1) and (2) or the HIPPA Privacy Rule.

Right to Amend Health Care Information - If you believe the health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. That request may be made as long as the information is kept by or for Hospice. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing. We may deny the request if your request for an amendment 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 health information kept by or for Hospice
• is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy
• is accurate and complete

Right to an Accounting - You have the right to request an accounting (list) of certain types of disclosures we have made of your health information. We are not required to account for certain disclosures such as:

• disclosures you authorize
• disclosures to carry out treatment, payment, and healthcare operations
• Disclosure to persons involved in your care.

The request for an accounting must be made in writing to our Privacy Officer. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years… There may be a charge for requests. 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 be Notified of a Breach - You have the right to receive notice of access, acquisition, use, or disclosure of your health information that is not permitted by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, if this compromises the security or privacy of your protected health information. We will provide such notice to you without unreasonable delay, but in no case later than 60 days after we discover the breach.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice You have a right to a paper copy of this notice anytime.

Duties of the Hospice

Hospice is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide to you and your representative this Notice of its duties and privacy practices. Hospice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. Hospice reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains. If Hospice changes its Notice, Hospice will post a revised copy of the current notice at each of the Hospice facilities and on its website reflecting its effective date.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Hospice or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Hospice, contact the Quality Performance Coordinator. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

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Information blocking complaints can be submitted through ONC’s online Health IT Feedback Form. As specified by the Cures Act, information blocking claims and information received by ONC in connection with a claim or suggestion of information blocking are generally protected from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices for PHI

This notice describes how your health information is protected and may be used and disclosed.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information; to provide you this detailed Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to abide by the terms of the Notice that are currently in effect.

You have the right to:

Advise our Agency to limit what information is utilized or shared:

• Ask our Agency not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or operations. Our Agency is not required to agree to your request and may say "no" if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. Our Agency will say "yes" unless a law requires us to share that information.

Choose someone to act on your behalf:

• If you have designated an individual medical power of attorney or have a legal guardian, that individual may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
• Our Agency will ensure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

Obtain a list of those with whom we have shared information:

• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times the Agency has shared your health information for six (6) years prior to the date you ask, who the Agency shared it with, and for what purpose.
• Our Agency will include all disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). Our Agency will provide an accounting at no charge.

Request confidential communications:

You can ask our Agency to contact you in a specific way (ie. at home/work phone) or send mail to a specific address. Our Agency will comply with all reasonable requests.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record:

• You can ask to see or receive electronic or paper copies of your medical records and other health information the Agency has about you. Ask our Agency how to do this.
• The Agency will provide a copy or a summary of your health information within 4 days of your request or next visit free of charge.

Ask us to correct your medical record:

• You can ask our Agency to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask our Agency how to do this.
• Our Agency may say "no" to your request, but we will explain why in writing within 60 days.

Get a copy of this privacy notice:

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. Our Agency will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share:

If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions. In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation
• Include your information in a hospital directory

If you are not able to tell us your preference, we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

Uses and Disclosures:

For Treatment - Our agency will use and disclose your health information in providing you with treatment/services and coordinating your care and may disclose information to other providers involved in your care.

For Payment/Billing for Services - Our agency may use and disclose your health information for billing and payment purposes. We may disclose your health information to your representative, an insurance or another third-party payer. We may contact your health plan to confirm your coverage or to request prior approval for services that will be provided to you.

For Health Care Operations - Our agency may use and disclose your health information as necessary for operating our agency, such as management, personnel evaluation, education, and training, and to monitor our quality of care. We may disclose your health information to another entity with which you have or had a relationship if that entity requests your information for certain of its health care operations or health care fraud and abuse detection or compliance activities.

To Do Research - Our agency can use or share your information for health research.

To Comply with the Law - Our agency will share information about you if state or federal law requires it, including with the US Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we're complying with federal privacy law.

To Respond to Organ and Tissue Donation Requests - Our agency can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

To Work with a Medical Examiner or Funeral Director - Our agency can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

To Address Workers' Compensation, Law Enforcement, and Other Government Requests:

Our agency can use or share health information about you:

• For workers' compensation claims
• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
• With a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law
• For government functions such as military, national security, etc.

To Respond to Lawsuits and Legal Actions - Our agency can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or response to a subpoena.

We will never share your information for the following purposes unless you give written permission:

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information
• Most sharing of psychotherapy note
• We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again

We are allowed to use or share your health information in other ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions on the law before we can share your information for these purposes.