Overview
Happy Visits Home Health is a Medicare-certified home health agency and a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to abide by the terms of this Notice.
Protected Health Information (PHI) is information about you — including demographic information — that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to you, or payment for that health care.
We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post the current Notice on our website and make copies available upon request.
How We May Use & Disclose Your PHI
Treatment
We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services. For example, we may share your health information with your physician, specialists, hospitals, or other healthcare providers involved in your care.
Payment
We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services we provide to you. For example, we may submit claims to Medicare, Medi-Cal, or your private insurance company, and may share information needed to verify your eligibility or obtain prior authorization.
Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations, including quality assessment, staff training, accreditation, licensing, and business management activities necessary to run our agency.
Other Permitted Uses & Disclosures
We may also use or disclose your PHI without your authorization for the following purposes:
- As required by law (e.g., court orders, subpoenas, law enforcement)
- Public health activities (e.g., reporting communicable diseases)
- Reporting abuse, neglect, or domestic violence to authorized agencies
- Health oversight activities (e.g., audits, inspections by CMS or DHCS)
- Workers' compensation claims
- Emergency circumstances involving a serious threat to health or safety
- Organ and tissue donation
- Research (subject to special protections)
- Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors
- Military and veterans' activities (if applicable)
- National security and intelligence activities
Uses Requiring Your Authorization
All other uses and disclosures of your PHI — including most marketing activities, sale of PHI, and psychotherapy notes — require your written authorization. You may revoke any authorization you have given us at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
Right to Access Your PHI
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI that we maintain in a designated record set. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
Right to Request Amendment
If you believe your PHI is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. We may deny your request under certain circumstances and will explain any denial in writing.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI during the six years prior to your request. This right does not apply to disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request that we restrict how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request except in limited circumstances (e.g., when you pay out-of-pocket in full for a service and ask us not to share that information with your insurer).
Right to Confidential Communications
You may request that we communicate with you about your PHI in a specific way or at a specific location (e.g., only by mail to a particular address). 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 at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. Contact our office to request a copy.
Right to Opt Out of Fundraising
If we contact you for fundraising purposes, you have the right to opt out of receiving such communications.
Our Duties
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
- Provide you with this Notice of our privacy practices
- Follow the terms of this Notice currently in effect
- Notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI
We will not use or disclose your PHI in a manner that is not described in this Notice without your written authorization, except as permitted or required by law.
How to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
To file a complaint with HHS, visit: www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint
To file a complaint with us, contact our Privacy Officer at the information below.
Contact Our Privacy Officer
For questions about this Notice, to exercise your rights, or to file a complaint, contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer — Happy Visits Home Health
3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1208
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: (213) 868-2709
Email: [email protected]