Notice of Privacy Practices

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

First Bell Home Health Care is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) and your rights regarding that information. PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to you, or payment for that care.

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your PHI
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI
• Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI
• Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization:

For Treatment

We may use your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services. This includes sharing information with doctors, nurses, therapists, home health aides, and other health care providers involved in your care. For example, a nurse providing care in your home may need to know about your medications, allergies, and health conditions to provide safe and appropriate treatment.

For Payment

We may use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for your health care services. This includes billing Medicare, Medicaid, your insurance company, or other third parties for the care you receive. For example, we may need to share information about your treatment with your insurance company to obtain prior authorization or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

For Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI for our health care operations, which include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of health care professionals, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. For example, we may disclose PHI when required by judicial or administrative proceedings, or when required for public health activities such as reporting diseases or abuse.

Public Health Activities

We may disclose your PHI for public health activities, including:

• Reporting disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death
• Conducting public health surveillance, investigations, or interventions
• Reporting adverse events with respect to medications, foods, or products
• Notifying persons who may have been exposed to a disease or condition

Reporting Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence

We may disclose PHI to government authorities, including social services or protective services agencies, if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, as authorized or required by law.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, including audits, civil, administrative, or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure, or disciplinary actions.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, subject to applicable legal requirements and protections.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose PHI to law enforcement officials for certain law enforcement purposes, including responding to a court order, warrant, or grand jury subpoena; identifying or locating a suspect; or reporting certain types of wounds or injuries.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose PHI to a coroner or medical examiner to identify a deceased person, determine a cause of death, or as authorized by law. We may also disclose PHI to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose PHI for research purposes when an institutional review board or privacy board has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI.

Serious Threats to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose PHI as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws and other similar programs.

Military and Veterans

If you are a member of the armed forces, we may disclose PHI as required by military command authorities. We may also disclose PHI about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Inmates

If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose PHI to the correctional institution or law enforcement official as necessary for the institution to provide you with health care, for the health and safety of you or others, or for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

National Security and Intelligence Activities

We may disclose PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization

Except as described above, we will not use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your PHI for the reasons covered by your written authorization, except to the extent we have already taken action in reliance on your authorization.

The following uses and disclosures require your authorization:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes
• Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes
• Disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI
• Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights regarding your PHI:

Right to Inspect and Copy

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI contained in a designated record set, which includes medical and billing records. To request access, you must submit a written request to our Privacy Officer. We may charge a reasonable fee for copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request in certain limited circumstances. If we deny your request, we will explain why and inform you of your right to request a review of the denial.

Right to Amend

If you believe that your PHI is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that we amend it for as long as the information is kept by us. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request if we did not create the information, if the information is not part of your designated record set, if the information is not available for inspection, or if we determine the information is accurate and complete.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us during the six years prior to your request. This accounting will not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or health care operations, disclosures made to you, disclosures made pursuant to your authorization, and certain other disclosures. To request an accounting, you must submit a written request to our Privacy Officer.

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request restrictions on how we use and disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to request restrictions on disclosures to family members, relatives, friends, or other persons identified by you who are involved in your care. We are not required to agree to your requested restriction, except that we must agree to a restriction that you request to prevent a disclosure to your health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you have paid us in full.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may request that we contact you only at work or only by mail. To request confidential communications, you must submit a written request to our Privacy Officer. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice

You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically.

Right to Be Notified of a Breach

You have the right to be notified if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you of any such breach as required by law.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI that we maintain. If we make a material change to this Notice, we will provide a copy of the revised Notice at your next visit or upon request.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with us, please contact our Privacy Officer at the address or phone number listed below.

To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, you may:

• Submit a complaint online at www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint
• Call the OCR Hotline at 1-800-368-1019
• Write to:
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
  Washington, D.C. 20201

Contact Information

For more information about this Notice or to exercise any of your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Additional Contacts for Complaints

Related Policies

• Website Privacy Policy - How we handle information collected through our website
• Patient Rights and Responsibilities - Your rights as a home health care patient