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.
Choice Home Care, LLC (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your protected health information (“health information”). For purposes of this notice, “health information” includes all individually identifiable information created, received, or maintained by us, or on our behalf, relating to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition, treatment for that condition, or payment for that treatment.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
- We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
- We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll generally tell you why in writing within 60 days.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we 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. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
- We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
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. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can file a complaint if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting the Compliance Department at Admin@choicehomecare.com
- You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F HHH Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
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, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and 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.
In these cases, we never use or share your information unless you give us written permission:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes
- Any purpose not described in this Notice
In the case of fundraising
- We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
In the case of Advance Augmentative Communications (“AAC”) Advocates:
- We will not refer you to an AAC Advocate unless you give us written permission
- Material will be sent to our AAC Advocate as required to facilitate alternative funding sources or appeal a denial of a funding decision
- We will ask for your written permission before sharing your health information for this purpose.
Our Uses and Disclosures How do we typically use or share your health information?
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways. If applicable state law does not permit the disclosure described below, we will comply with the stricter state law.
Treat You
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
Run our Organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
Disclosures to business associates
We have contracted with one or more third parties (referred to as a business associate) to use and disclose your health information to perform services for us. We obtain the business associate’s written agreement to safeguard the privacy of your health information.
How else can we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.
Family members or close friends
We may disclose your health information to a family member or close friend who is involved in your care or payment for your care if (a) you are present and agree to the disclosure, or (b) you are not present or you are not capable of agreeing, and we determine that it is in your best interest to disclose the information.
Health with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as: Preventing disease / Helping with product recalls / Reporting adverse reactions to medications / Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research– We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law. When the law requires it, we will obtain your written permission before using or sharing your information in this way.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests -We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when
an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Incidental uses
We can use or share health information about you in a manner that is incidental to the used and disclosures described in this Notice.
Our anti-retaliation policy
We will not retaliate against you for submitting an internal complaint, a complaint to HHS, or for exercising your other rights as described in this Notice or under applicable law.
Whom to contact for more information about our Privacy Policies and Procedures
If you have any questions about this Notice, or about how to exercise any of the rights described in this Notice, you should contact our Privacy Official by email at Admin@choicehomecare.com or call (818)894-4151
Changes to the Terms of this Notice – We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, on our web site, and we will mail a copy to you.
Updated July 2024
