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.
Uses and Disclosures
Treatment. Your health information may be used by staff members or disclosed to other health care professionals for the purpose of evaluating your health, diagnosing medical conditions, and providing treatment. For example, results of laboratory tests and procedures will be available in your medical record to all health professionals who may provide treatment or who may be consulted by staff members.
Payment. Your health information may be used to seek payment from your health plan, from other sources of coverage such as an insurance company that you may use to pay for services. For example, your health plan may request and receive information on dates of service, the services provided, and the medical condition being treated.
Health care operations. Your health information may be used as necessary to support the day-to-day activities and management of Dakota Home Care For example, information on the services you received may be used to support budgeting and financial reporting, and activities to evaluate and promote quality.
Comply with the law. Your health information may be disclosed if state or federal laws require it, including without limitation government audits and inspections and to comply with government mandated reporting.
Public health reporting. Your health information may be disclosed to public health agencies as required by law. For example, we are required to report certain communicable diseases to the state’s public health department.
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions. Your health information may be disclosed in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Other limited circumstances. Your health information may be used or disclosed in other limited circumstances, including without limitation workers’ compensation claims and situations when an individual dies.
Uses and disclosures that require your authorization. Disclosure of your health information or its use for any purposes other than those permitted or required by law as listed above requires your specific written authorization. If you change your mind after authorizing a use or disclosure of your information, you may submit a written revocation of the authorization. However, your decision to revoke the authorization will not affect or undo any use or disclosure of information that occurred before you notified us of your decision to revoke your authorization.
Without your authorization, we are expressly prohibited to use or disclose your protected health information for marketing purposes when financial remuneration is involved. We may not sell your protected health information without your authorization. We may not use or disclose most psychotherapy notes contained in your protected health information. We will not use or disclose any of your protected health information that contains genetic information that will be used for underwriting purposes.
Additional Uses of Information
Information about care needs to be provided. Dakota Home Care asks you to provide a copy of your written care plan in your home for caregivers to review routinely and as needed. You do have to right refuse having your care plan accessible in paper format within your home.
Individual Rights
You have certain rights under the federal privacy standards. These include the right to:
- Request restrictions on the use and disclosure of your protected health (We may say no if it would affect your care or if law requires us to share the information.)
- Request confidential communications concerning your medical condition and
- Request an electronic or paper copy of your medical record. (We may charge reasonable, cost-based fee.)
- Amend or submit corrections to your protected health (We may say no, but will say why in writing within 60 days.)
- Request an accounting of how and to whom your protected health information has been
- Request a printed copy of this
Dakota Home Care Duties
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice of privacy practices. We also are required to abide by the privacy policies and practices outlined in this notice. In the event of a breach of unsecured protected health information, if your information has been compromised it is our duty to notify you.
Right to Revise Privacy Practices
As permitted by law, we reserve the right to amend or modify our privacy policies and practices. These changes in our policies and practices may be required by changes in federal and state laws and regulations. Upon request, we will provide you with the most recently revised notice on any office visit.
The revised policies and practices will be applied to all protected health information we maintain.
Requests to Inspect Protected Health Information
You may generally inspect or copy the protected health information that we maintain. As permitted by federal regulation, we require that requests to inspect or copy protected health information be submitted in writing. You may obtain a form to request access to your records by contacting nursing or HIPAA privacy official. Your request will be reviewed and will generally be approved unless there are legal or medical reasons to deny the request.
Complaints
If you would like to submit a comment or complaint about our privacy practices, you can do so by sending a letter outlining your concerns to:
Niki Joersz, BSN RN
Dakota Home Care
300 West Century Ave, Suite B
Bismarck ND 58503
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you should call the matter to our attention by sending a letter describing the cause of your concern to the same address.
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
You will not be penalized or otherwise retaliated against for filing a complaint.
HIPAA Privacy Official Contact Information
The name and address of the person you may contact for further information concerning our privacy practices is:
Niki Joersz, BSN RN
Dakota Home Care
300 W Century Ave, Suite B
Bismarck ND 58503
(701)663-5373