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NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
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.
Attic Angel Place (Facility) may use your health information for purposes of
providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care and conducting health
care operations, that is, information that constitutes protected health
information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification
provisions in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
As follows, the Facility has established a policy to guard against unnecessary
disclosure of your health information.
1. The Following is a summary of the circumstances and purposes for which your
health information may be used and disclosed with written consent, signed upon
admission:
To Provide Treatment. Facility may use your health information to provide care
to you and may disclose your health information to others who provide care to
you, such as your attending physician and other health care professionals. For
example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your
symptoms in order to prescribe appropriate medications. The Facility also may
disclose your health care information to individuals outside of the Facility
involved in your care including designated family members, pharmacists,
suppliers of medical equipment and/or other health care professionals.
To Obtain Payment. Facility may include your health information in invoices to
collect payment from third parties for the care you may receive from Facility.
For example, Facility may be required by your health insurer to provide
information regarding your health care status so that the insurer will reimburse
you or Facility. The Facility also may need to obtain prior approval from your
insurer and may need to explain to the insurer your need for health care and the
services that will be provided to you.
To Conduct Health Care Operations. Facility may use and disclose health
information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of
Facility and as necessary to provide quality care to all of Facility's
residents. Health care operations include activities such as:
Quality assessment and improvement activities.
Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
Protocol development, case management and care coordination.
Contacting health care providers and residents 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.
Training of non-health care professionals.
Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal
services and compliance programs, including state regulating agencies
Business planning and development including cost management and planning
related analyses and formulary development.
Business management and general administrative activities of Facility.
Fundraising for the benefit of Facility and certain marketing activities.
For example: Facility may use your health information to evaluate its staff
performance. Facility may use your health information for quality
assurance and process improvement.
For the Facility Directory. Facility may disclose certain information about you
including your name, religious affiliation and where you are located in a
facility directory while you reside in Facility. Facility may disclose this
information to people who ask for you by name. However, religious affiliation
will only be disclosed to clergy, activity and staff volunteers who assist in
religious activities. If you do not want Facility to include your information in
the directory, you must notify Deb Bergen, Director of Admissions and Social
Services, at 608-662-8824.
For Fundraising Activities. Facility may use your name, address and telephone number to contact you,
your children or a person(s) designated by you, to raise
money for the Facility. If you do not want Facility to contact you, your
children or designated person(s),
you must notify Beth Richardson, Administrator, in writing, and indicate
that you do not wish to be contacted.
For Treatment Alternatives. Facility may use and disclose your health
information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or
alternatives that may be of interest to you.
2. The following is a summary of the circumstances and purposes for which your
health information may be used and disclosed without your written consent or
authorization.
When Legally Required. Facility will disclose your health information when it is
required to do so by any Federal, State or local law.
When There Are Risks to Public Health. Facility may disclose your health
information for the following public activities and purposes:
To prevent or control disease, injury or disability, and to report disease,
injury, vital events such as birth or death and to conduct public health
surveillance, investigations and interventions.
To report adverse events, product defects, and 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. Facility is allowed to notify
government authorities if Facility believes a resident is the victim of abuse,
neglect or domestic violence. Facility will make this disclosure only when
specifically required or authorized by law and/or when the resident agrees to
the disclosure.
To Conduct Health Oversight Activities. Facility may disclose your health
information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits; civil,
administrative or criminal investigations; inspections; licensure or
disciplinary action. Facility, however, may not disclose your health information
if you are the subject of an investigation and the investigation does not arise
out of and is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public
benefits.
In Connection With Judicial And Administrative Proceedings. As permitted or
required by State law, Facility may disclose your health information in the
course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a
court or administrative tribunal, as expressly authorized by such order, or in
response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process. This would
occur only when Facility makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the
request, or to obtain an order protecting your health information.
For Law Enforcement Purposes. As permitted or required by State law, Facility
may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain
law enforcement purposes, including, under certain limited circumstances, if you
are a victim of a crime or in order to report a crime.
To Coroners And Medical Examiners. Facility 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. Facility 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, Facility may disclose your health information prior to and in
reasonable anticipation of your death.
For Organ, Eye Or Tissue Donation. Facility 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 tissue, for the
purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.
For Research Purposes. Facility may, under very select circumstances, use your
health information for research. Before Facility discloses any of your health
information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an
extensive approval process. Facility will always request your written
authorization before granting access to your individually identifiable health
information.
In the Event of A Serious Threat To Health Or Safety. Facility may, consistent
with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health
information if Facility, 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.
For Specified Government Functions. In certain circumstances, Federal
regulations authorize Facility to use or disclose your health information to
facilitate specified government functions relating to the military and veterans,
national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the
President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law
enforcement custody.
For Worker's Compensation. Facility may release your health information for
worker's compensation or similar programs.
3. Authorization to use or disclose health information.
Other than is stated above, Facility will not disclose your health information
other than with your written authorization. If you or your representative
authorizes Facility to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke
that authorization in writing at any time.
4. Your rights with respect to your health information.
You have the following rights regarding your health information that Facility
maintains:
Right to Request Restrictions. You may request restrictions on certain uses and
disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on
Facility's disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in
your care or the payment of your care. However, Facility is not required to
agree to your request. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please
contact Beth Richardson, Administrator, at 608-662-8822.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that
Facility communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that
Facility only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with
you privately with no other family members present. If you wish to receive
confidential communications, please contact Deb Bergen, Director of Admissions
and Social Services, at 608-662-8824. Facility will not request 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 your health information, including billing records. A request to
inspect and copy records containing your health information may be made to Beth
Richardson, Administrator, at 608-662-8822. If you request a copy of your health
information, Facility may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling
costs associated with your request. Facility will provide access within 24 hours
excluding weekends and holidays.
Right to Amend Your Health Information. You or your representative have the
right to request that Facility amend your records, if you believe your health
information records are incorrect or incomplete. That request may be made as
long as the information is maintained by Facility. A request for an amendment of
records must be made in writing to Beth Richardson, Administrator, at
608-662-8822. Facility may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not
include a reason for the amendment. The request also may be denied if your
health information records were not created by Facility, if the records you are
requesting are not part of Facility's records, if the health information you
wish to amend is not part of the health information you or your representative
are permitted to inspect and copy, or if, in the opinion of Facility, the
records containing your health information are accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting. You or your representative have the right to request an
accounting of disclosures of your health information made by Facility for any
reason other than for treatment, payment or health operations. The request for
an accounting must be made in writing to Beth Richardson, Administrator, at
608-662-8822. The request should specify the time period for the accounting
starting on April 14, 2003. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of
time in excess of six (6) years prior to the current date. Facility is required
to keep an accounting of disclosures for a period of only six years. Facility
will provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without
charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based
fee.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You or your representative have a right to
a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your
representative have received this Notice previously. To obtain a separate paper
copy, please contact Beth Richardson, Administrator, at 608-662-8822. A resident
or a resident's representative may also obtain a copy of the current version of
Facility's Notice at its Web site, www.atticangel.org .
Right to Lodge a Complaint. You or your representative have the right to express
complaints to Facility and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you
or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated.
Any complaints to Facility should be made in writing to Beth Richardson,
Administrator, Attic Angel Place, 8301 Old Sauk Road, Middleton, WI, 53562.
Facility encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the
privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for
filing a complaint.
5. Duties of Facility. Facility 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. Facility is required to abide by the
terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. Facility 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 Facility changes its
Notice, Facility will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you or your
appointed representative.
6. CONTACT PERSON Facility has designated Beth Richardson, Administrator, as its
contact person for all issues regarding resident privacy and your rights under
the Federal privacy standards. You may contact her by phone at 608-662-8822 or
by mail at Attic Angel Place, 8301 Old Sauk Road, Middleton, WI, 53562.
7. EFFECTIVE DATE This Notice is effective April 14, 2003.
8. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE SHOULD BE BE DIRECTED TO Beth Richardson,
Administrator and Privacy Officer, at 608-662-8822.
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