NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
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.
The terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices apply to Rose Lane Health
Center and all of the physicians with staff privileges. The entity listed will
share personal health information of our patients as necessary to carry out
treatment, payment, and health care operations as permitted by law.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of our patients' personal health
information and to provide patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy
practices with respect to your personal health information. We are required to
abide by the terms of this Notice so long as it remains in effect. We reserve
the right to change the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices as necessary
and to make the new Notice effective for all personal health information
maintained by us. You may obtain a copy of any revised notices at Rose Lane
Health Center's website -
www.roselane.org
or a copy may be obtained by mailing a request to Rose Lane Health Center,
Attention Privacy Officer, 5425 High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, Ohio 44646.
USES & DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
Your Authorization
Except as outlined below, we will not use or disclose your personal health
information for any purpose unless you have signed a form authorizing the use or
disclosure. You have the right to revoke that authorization in writing unless we
have taken any action in reliance on the authorization.
Uses and Disclosures for Treatment
We will make uses and disclosures of your personal health information as
necessary for your treatment. For instance, doctors and nurses and other
professionals involved in your care will use information in your medical record
and information that you provide about your symptoms and reactions to plan a
course of treatment for you that may include procedures, medications, tests,
etc. We may also release your personal health information to another health care
facility or professional who is not affiliated with our organization but who is
or will be providing treatment to you. For instance, if, after you leave Rose
Lane Health Center, you are going to receive home health care, we may release
your personal health information to that home health care agency so that a plan
of care can be prepared for you.
Uses and Disclosures for Payment
We will make uses and disclosures of your personal health information as
necessary for the payment purposes of those health professionals and facilities
that have treated you or provided services to you. For instance, we may forward
information regarding your medical procedures and treatment to your insurance
company to arrange payment for the services provided to you or we may use your
information to prepare a bill to send to you or to the person responsible for
your payment.
Uses and Disclosures for Health Care Operations
We will use and disclose your personal health information as necessary, and as
permitted by law, for our health care operations which include clinical
improvement, professional peer review, business management, accreditation and
licensing, etc. For instance, we may use and disclose your personal health
information for purposes of improving the clinical treatment and care of our
patients. We may also disclose your personal health information to another
health care facility, health care professional, or health plan for such things
as quality assurance and case management, but only if that facility,
professional, or plan also has or had a patient relationship with you.
Our Facility Directory
We maintain a facility directory listing the name, room number, room phone
number, general condition and your religious affiliation. Unless you choose to
have your information excluded from this directory, the information, excluding
your religious affiliation, will be disclosed to anyone who requests it by
asking for you by name. This information, including your religious affiliation,
may also be provided to members of the clergy. You have the right during
registration to have your information excluded from this directory and also to
restrict what information is provided and/or to whom.
Family and Friends Involved in Your Care
With your approval, we may from time to time disclose your personal health
information to designated family, friends, and others who are involved in your
care or in payment of your care in order to facilitate that person's involvement
in caring for you or paying for your care. If you are unavailable,
incapacitated, or facing an emergency medical situation, and we determine that a
limited disclosure may be in your best interest, we may share limited personal
health information with such individuals without your approval. We may also
disclose limited personal health information to a public or private entity that
is authorized to assist in disaster relief efforts in order for that entity to
locate a family member or other persons that may be involved in some aspect of
caring for you.
Business Associates
Certain aspects and components of our services are performed through contracts
with outside persons or organizations, such as auditing, accreditation, legal
services, etc. At times it may be necessary for us to provide your personal
health information to one or more of these outside persons or organizations who
assist us with our health care operations. In all cases, we require these
business associates to appropriately safeguard the privacy of your information,
and they have signed an agreement.
Fundraising
We may contact you to donate to a fundraising effort for or on our behalf. You
have the right to "opt-out" of receiving fundraising materials/communications
and may do so by sending your name and address to Rose Lane Health Center, 5425
High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, OH 44646, together with a statement that you do
not wish to receive fundraising materials or communications from us.
Appointments and Services
We may contact you to provide discharge information or test results. You have
the right to request and we will accommodate reasonable requests by you to
receive communications regarding your personal health information from us by
alternative means or at alternative locations. For instance, if you wish
information to not be left on voice mail or sent to a particular address, we
will accommodate reasonable requests.
Health Products and Services
We may from time to time use your personal health information to communicate
with you about health products and services necessary for your treatment, to
advise you of new products and services we offer, and to provide general health
and wellness information.
Research
In limited circumstances, we may use and disclose your personal health
information for research purposes. For example, a research organization may wish
to compare outcomes of all patients that received a particular drug and will
need to review a series of medical records. In all cases where your specific
authorization has not been obtained, your privacy will be protected by strict
confidentiality requirements applied by an Institutional Review Board or privacy
board which oversees the research or by representations of the researchers that
limit their use and disclosure of patient information.
Other Uses and Disclosures
We are permitted or required by law to make certain other uses and disclosures
of your personal health information without your consent or authorization.
- We may release your personal health information for any purpose required by law;
- We may release your personal health information for public health activities,
such as required reporting of disease, injury, and birth and death, and for
required public health investigations;
- We may release your personal health information as required by law if we suspect
abuse or neglect; we may also release your personal health information as
required by law if we believe you to be a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic
violence;
- We may release your personal health information to the Food and Drug
Administration if necessary to report adverse events, product defects, or to
participate in product recalls;
- We may release your personal health information to your employer when we have
provided health care to you at the request of your employer to determine
workplace-related illness or injury; in some cases you will receive notice that
information is disclosed to your employer;
- We may release your personal health information if required by law to a
government oversight agency conducting audits, investigations, or civil or
criminal proceedings;
- We may release your personal health information if required to do so by
subpoena, court orders or discovery request; in some cases you will have notice
of such release;
- We may release your personal health information to law enforcement officials as
required by law to report wounds and injuries and crimes;
- We may release your personal health information to medical examiners and/or
funeral directors consistent with law;
- We may release your personal health information if necessary to arrange an organ
or tissue donation from you or a transplant for you;
- We may release your personal health information in limited instances if we
suspect a serious threat to health or safety;
- We may release your personal health information if you are a member of the
military as required by armed forces services; we may also release your personal
health information if necessary for national security or intelligence
activities; and
- We may release your personal health information to workers' compensation
agencies if necessary for your workers' compensation benefit determination.
- Ohio law requires that we obtain a consent from you before disclosing your
personal health information to the Long Term Care Ombudsman regarding your stay
in our long term care facility; or disclosing the performance or results of an
HIV test or diagnosis of AIDS or an AIDS-related condition.
RIGHTS THAT YOU HAVE
Access to Your Personal Health Information
You have the right to receive a copy and/or inspect much of the personal health
information that we retain on your behalf. All requests for access must be made
in writing and signed by you or your representative. You may be charged a
medical record research and photocopying fee consistent with state law if you
request a copy of the information. We will also charge for postage if you
request a mailed copy. You may obtain an access request authorization form from
Rose Lane Health Center's Medical Records Department, 5425 High Mill Ave. NW,
Massillon, Ohio 44646.
Amendments to Your Personal Health Information
You have the right to request in writing that personal health information that
we maintain about you be amended or corrected. We are not obligated to make all
requested amendments but will give each request careful consideration. All
amendment requests, in order to be considered by us, must be in writing, signed
by you or your representative, and must state the reasons for the
amendment/correction request. If an amendment or correction you request is made
by us, we may also notify others who work with us and have copies of the
uncorrected record if we believe that such notification is necessary. You may
obtain an amendment request form from Rose Lane Health Center's Medical Records
Department, 5425 High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, Ohio 44646.
Accounting for Disclosures of Your Personal Health Information
You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures made by us of
your personal health information after April 14, 2003. Requests must be made in
writing and signed by you or your representative. Accounting request forms are
available from Rose Lane Health Center's Medical Records Department, 5425 High
Mill Ave. N.W., Massillon, Ohio 44646. The first accounting in any 12-month
period is free; you will be charged a fee for each subsequent accounting you
request within the same 12-month period.
Restrictions on Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Health Information
You have the right to request restrictions on certain of our uses and
disclosures of your personal health information for treatment, payment, or
health care operations. A restriction request form can be obtained during the
admission process or from Rose Lane Health Center's Medical Records Department,
5425 High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, Ohio 44646. We are not required to agree to
your restriction request but will attempt to accommodate reasonable requests
when appropriate and we retain the right to terminate an agreed-to restriction
if we believe such termination is appropriate. In the event of a termination by
us, we will notify you of such termination. You also have the right to
terminate, in writing or orally, any agreed-to restriction to sending such
termination notice to Rose Lane Health Center's Privacy Officer, 5425 High Mill
Ave. NW, Massillon, Ohio 44646.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint
with Rose Lane Health Center's Privacy Officer, Rose Lane Health Center 5425
High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, Ohio 44646 or via email at
privacyofficer@roselane.org.
You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services in Washington D.C. in writing within 180 days of a
violation of your rights. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.
Acknowledgment of Receipt of Notice
You will be asked to sign an acknowledgment form that you received this Notice
of Privacy Practices.
For Further Information
If you have questions or need further assistance regarding this Notice, you may
contact Rose Lane Health Center's Privacy Officer, Rose Lane Health Center 5425
High Mill Ave. NW, Massillon, OH 44646 or email at
privacyofficer@roselane.org.
As a patient you retain the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice of
Privacy Practices, even if you have requested such copy by e-mail or other
electronic means.
Effective Date
This Notice of Privacy Practices is effective April 14, 2003.