Notice of Privacy Policy & PracticesTHIS 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. Carmel Hills is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. To help you understand how we protect your personal information, this notice describes our current privacy policy and practices. If you have questions about any part of this notice or if you want more information about the privacy practices at Carmel Hills please contact: Administrative Secretary CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY For many years we have maintained the confidentiality and security of personal information. We have and maintain strict policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of your information during all stages of your relationship with us. To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and anticipated threats or hazards, we maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards that meet or exceed all applicable legal standards. Access to your information by employees and other representatives is restricted to those individuals having a business need for such information. Effective Date of This Notice: April 14, 2003 I. How Carmel Hills may Use or Disclose Your Health Information 1. Treatment. We may disclose information to doctors, dentists, pharmacies, hospitals, hospice and other health care providers who take care of you. For example: We share health information about you in emergency situations (such as with EMTs prior to emergency transport) and we share health information about you for your regular medical care (such as an outside health agency for physical therapy). 2. Payment. If you are covered by health insurance we may disclose diagnostic and treatment details to your insurance provider in order that you may obtain payment for services rendered. 3. Regular Health Care Operations. We may use or disclose personal health information during the course of running our business: that is licensing, performance measurement, disease management and care coordination planning. For example: Your medical records may be randomly inspected by people who conduct quality assurance review to ensure that high standards of care are being maintained. 4. Information provided to you. 5. Directory. We may list your name, where you are located in our facility and your phone number. This information may be provided to other people who ask for you by name. If you do not want us to list this information in our directory and provide it to others, you must tell us that you object. 6. Notification and communication with family. As required by law, we will notify your responsible person in case of serious injury or illness. We are required by law to record if family or responsible person were notified. We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care about your location, your general condition or in the event of your death. If you are able and available to agree or object, we will give you the opportunity to object prior to making this notification. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our staff will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others. 7. Required by law. As required by law, we may use and disclose your health information. 8. Public health. As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure. 9. Health oversight activities. We may disclose your health information to health agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings. 10. Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding. 11. Law enforcement. We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena and other law enforcement purposes. 12. Deceased person information. We may disclose your health information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors. 13. Organ donation. We may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues. 14. Public safety. We may disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public. 15. Worker’s compensation. We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with worker’s compensation laws. 16. Marketing. We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or to give you information about other treatments or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. 17. Fund-raising. We may contact you to participate in fund-raising activities for Carmel Hills. 18. Change of Ownership. In the event that Carmel Hills is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner. II. When Carmel Hills May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information Except as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices, Carmel Hills will not use or disclose your health information without your written authorization. If you do authorize Carmel Hills to use or disclose your health information for another purpose, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time. III. Your Health Information Rights [Note: Each right is not absolute and is subject to some limitations and conditions. While some of these rights have been expanded to include the basic limitations provided under the law, each should be considered in light of the permitted conditions under the law and Carmel Hills actual practices.] 1. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Carmel Hills is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested. 2. You have the right to inspect and copy your health information. 3. You have a right to request that Carmel Hills amend your health information that is incorrect or incomplete. Carmel Hills is not required to change your health information and will provide you with information about Carmel Hills denial and how you can disagree with the denial. 4. You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by Carmel Hills, except that Carmel Hills does not have to account for the disclosures described in parts 1 (treatment), 2 (payment), 3 (health care operations), 4 (information provided to you), 5 (directory listings) of section I of this Notice of Privacy Practices. 5. You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices. If you would like to have a more detailed explanation of these rights or if you would like to exercise one or more of these rights, contact Administrative Secretary
Carmel Hills reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and to make the new provisions effective for all information that it maintains, including information that was created or received prior to the date of such amendment. Until such amendment is made, Carmel Hills is required by law to comply with this Notice. During the continuation of your relationship with Carmel Hills, we will advise you of our privacy policy and practices in written form at least once annually, as required by law. V. Complaints Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Practices or how Carmel Hills handles your health information should be directed to: Administrative Secretary If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to: Department of Health and Human Services You may also address your complaint to one of the regional Offices
for Civil Rights. A list of these offices can be found online
at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/regmail.html. Privacy Statement for Carmel HillsCarmel Hills has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Web site. Information Automatically LoggedWe use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web site. Such logging of information is standard practice among most Web sites. Contact Us FormOur site's contact form requires users to give us contact information if they wish to be contacted or leave comments or suggestions (like their name, email, and postal address). Contact information from the contact form is used to provide you with information about Carmel Hills. This contact information is also used to get in touch with you, the inquirer, if requested and is under no circumstances given to any third parties. External LinksThis site contains links to and provides content from other sites. Carmel Hills is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. SecurityThis site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. Great care is taken in making sure information you submit to us is kept closely protected. Data Quality/AccessThis site gives users the following options for changing and modifying information previously provided using the contact us page by sending an e-mail to: Contacting the Web Site / About Web SiteIf you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact: webmaster@carmelhills.com For all other inquires regarding Carmel Hills, please click here. |
