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Privacy Statement
(HIAAP) Overview
This manual describes how medical information about patients
and residents may be used and disclosed and how you may gain
access to this information. Please review it carefully. Cedar
Crest Subacute & Rehabilitation Centre respects the privacy
of your personal health information and is committed to maintaining
your confidentiality. This manual applies to all information
and records related to your care at Cedar Crest. It extends
to information received or created by our employees, staff,
volunteers and physicians. It informs you about the possible
uses and disclosures of your personal health information. It
also describes your rights and Cedar Crest's obligations regarding
your personal health information.
Cedar Crest is required by law to:
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maintain the privacy of your health information
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provide you with a notice as to our legal
duties and privacy practices with respect to information we
collect and maintain about you
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abide by the terms of this notice
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notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested
restriction
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accommodate reasonable request you may have
to communicate health information by alternative means or at
alternative locations
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Understanding Your
Health Record / Information
Each time you visit a nursing facility; a record of your visit
is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination
and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future
care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your
health or medical records, serves as a:
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basis for planning your care and treatment
means of communication among the many health professionals who
contribute to your care
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legal document describing the care you received
means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services
billed were actually provided
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a tool in educating health professionals
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a source of data for medical research
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a source of information for public health officials
who oversee the delivery of health care in the United States
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a source of data for facility planning and
marketing
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a tool with which we can assess and continually
work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve
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Understanding what is in your record and
how your health information is used helps you to: ensure its
accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why
others may access your health information, and make more informed
decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.
We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the
new provisions effective for all protected health information
we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will
mail you a revised notice.
We will not use or disclose your health information without
your authorization, except as described in this notice.
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Treatment. We will use your health information
for treatment. For example, information obtained by a nurse,
physician, or other member of your healthcare team will be recorded
in your record and used to determine the course of treatment
that should work best for you. Your physician will document
in your record his or her expectations of the members of your
healthcare team. Members of you healthcare team will then record
the actions they took and their observations. In that way, the
physician will know how you are responding to treatment. We
will provide your physician or a subsequent healthcare provider
with copies of various reports that should assist him or her
in treating you once you're discharged from our nursing facility.
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Payment. We will use your health information
for payment. For example, a bill may be sent to you or a third-party
payer, including Medicare or Medicaid. The information on or
accompanying the bill may include information that identifies
you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.
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Health care operations. We will use your health
information for regular health operations. For example, members
of the medical staff, the risk or quality improvement manager,
or members of the quality improvement team may use information
in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your
case and others like it. This information will then be used
in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness
of the health care and service we provide.
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Business associates. There are some services
provided in our organization through contacts with business
associates. Examples include our accountants, consultants and
attorneys. When these services are contracted, we may disclose
your health information to our business associates so that they
can perform the job we've asked them to do. To protect your
health information, however, we require the business associates
to appropriately safeguard your information.
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accommodate reasonable request you may have
to communicate health information by alternative means or at
alternative locations.
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Notification. We may use or disclose information
to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative,
or another person responsible for your care, of your location,
and general condition. If we are unable to reach your family
member or personal representative, then we may leave a message
for them at the phone number that they have provided us, e.g.,
on an answering machine.
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Communication with family. Health professionals,
using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member,
other relative, close personal friend or any other person you
identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement
in your care or payment related to you care.
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Research. We may disclose information to researchers
when their research has been approved by an institutional review
board that has reviewed the research proposal and established
protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.
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Funeral directors. We may disclose health information
to funeral directors and coroners to carry out their duties
consistent with applicable laws.
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Organ procurement organizations. Consistent
with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ
procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement,
banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue
donation and transplant.
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Marketing. We may contact you to provide appointment
reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other
health-related benefits and services that may be of interest
to you.
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Fund raising. We may contact you as part of
a fund-raising effort.
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We may
disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events
with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects,
or post marketing surveillance information to enable product
recalls, repairs, or replacement.
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Workers compensation. We may disclose health
information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary
to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other
similar programs established by law.
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Public health. As required by law, we may disclose
your health information to public health or legal authorities
charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
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Correctional institution. Should you be an
inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the
institution or agents thereof health information necessary for
your health and the health and safety of other individuals.
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Law enforcement. We may disclose health information
for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response
to a valid subpoena.
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Reports. Federal law makes provision for you
health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight
agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a
work force member or business associate believes in good faith
that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated
professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering
one or more patients, workers, or the public.
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You may request that we may not use or disclose
your health information for a particular reason related to treatment,
payment, the Facility's general health care operations, and/or
to a particular family member, other relative or close personal
friend. We ask that such requests be made in writing on a form
provided by our facility.
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Although we will consider your request,
please be aware that we are no obligation to accept it or
to abide by it. For more information about this right, see
45 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) §164.522 (a).
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If you are dissatisfied with the manner in
which or the location where you are receiving communications
from us that are related to your health information, you may
request that we provide you with such information by alternative
means or at alternative locations. Such a request must be made
in writing, and submitted to Medical Records. We will attempt
to accommodate all reasonable requests. For more information
about this right, see 45 C.F.R. §164.522 (b).
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You may request to inspect and/or obtain copies
of health information about you, which will be provided to you
in the time frames established by law. If you request copies,
we will charge you a reasonable fee. For more information about
this right, see 45 C.F.R §164.524.
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If you believe that any health information
in your record is incorrect or if you believe that important
information is missing, you may request that we correct the
existing information or add the missing information. Such
request must be made in writing, and must provide a reason
to support the amendment. We ask
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that you use the form provided by or facility
to make such requests. For a request form, please contact the
Privacy Officer. For more information about this right, see
45 C.F.R §164.526.
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You may request that we provide you with a
written accounting of all disclosures made by us during the
time period for which you request (not to exceed 6 years). We
ask that such requests be made in writing on a form provided
by our facility. Please note that an accounting will not apply
to any of the following types of disclosures: disclosures made
for reasons of treatment, payment or health care operations:
disclosures made to you or your legal representative, or any
other individual involved with your care; disclosures to correctional
institutions or law enforcement officials; and disclosures for
national security purposes. You will not be charged for your
first accounting request in any 12-month period. However, for
any requests that you make thereafter, you will be charged a
reasonable, cost-based fee. For more information about this
right, see 45 C.F.R §164.528.
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You have the right to obtain a paper copy of
our Notice of Information Practices upon request.
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You may revoke an authorization to use or disclose
health information, except to the extent that action has already
been taken. Such a request must be made in writing.
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For More Information or to Report a Problem
If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact our facility's Privacy Officer at 944-8500 Extension 7138.
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us. These complaints must be filled out in writing on a form provided by our facility. The complaint form may be obtained from the Business Office, and when completed should be returned to Joan Hupf R.N. You may also file a complaint with the secretary of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filling a complaint.
Call: (401) 222-2566
Effective Date: May 2, 2005
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