Aim Care Home Health, Inc Client 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.

Aim Care Home Health, Inc. use health information about you for treatment, to obtain payment for treatment, to evaluate the quality of care you receive, and for other administrative and operational purposes. Your health information is contained in a medical record that is the physical property and responsibility of Aim Care Home Health Inc.
Aim Care Home Health is required by law to maintain the privacy of health information about you and provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information (“Notice of Privacy Practices” or “Notice”). We must abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. Aim Care reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice, our privacy practices, and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. You may contact Aim Care Chief Privacy Officer at the address or phone listed below to obtain a revised Notice of Privacy Practices.

• How we may use and disclose your medical information
• Your rights to access and amend your medical information

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your medical information
• Provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information
• Abide by the terms of this notice

Permitted Uses and Disclosures of your Medical Information

As permitted by your health plan or prescription benefit plan, we may use and disclose your medical information for the following purposes only:

Treatment

We may use or disclose your protected health information to give you medical treatment or services and to manage and coordinate your medical care. For example, your privacy of your medical information may be provided to a physician or other health care provider (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician or other health care provider has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you or provide you with a service.

Payment

We may use and disclose your privacy of your medical information so that we can bill for the treatment and services you receive from us and can collect payment from you, a health plan, or a third party. This use and disclosure may include certain activities that your health privacy of your medical information with insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services we recommend for you, such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about your treatment in order for your health plan to agree to pay for that treatment.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your medical information to carry on our own business planning and healthcare operations. We need to do this so we can ensure you receive the highest-quality services. We may also use it to assess and evaluate the performance of our team members in caring for you. We also may disclose information to physicians, nurses, medical technicians, medical students, and other authorized personnel.

At your request or the request of your health plan, we may send you information or contact you about programs designed to improve your health.

We may disclose medical information about you to someone who assists in or pays for your care. Unless you write to us and specifically tell us not to, we may disclose your medical information to someone who has your permission to act on your behalf. We will require this person to provide adequate proof that he or she has your permission.

Business Associates

We may arrange to provide some services through contracts with business associates. On occasion, we may disclose your medical information to business associates acting on our behalf. If any medical information is disclosed, we will protect your information from further use and disclosure using confidentiality agreements.

Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. Before we use or disclose medical information about you, we will either remove information that personally identifies you or gain approval through a special approval process designed to protect the privacy of your medical information. In some circumstances, we may use your medical information to generate aggregate data (summarized data that does not identify you) to study outcomes, costs and provider profiles and to suggest benefit designs for your employer or health plan. These studies generate aggregate data that we may sell or disclose to other companies or organizations. Aggregate data does not personally identify you.

Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence

We may disclose your medical information to a social service, protective agency or other government authority if we believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will inform you of our disclosure unless informing you will place you at risk of serious harm.

Minors

We may disclose the PHI of minor children to their parents or guardians unless such disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law.

Public Health

We may disclose your medical information to a public health department, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, when required by law for the reporting or tracking of illnesses, injuries or dangerous preparations.

Health Oversight

We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency performing activities authorized by law, such as investigations and audits. These agencies include governmental agencies (state and federal) that oversee the healthcare system, government benefit programs and organizations subject to government regulation and civil rights laws.

To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may disclose your medical information to prevent or lessen an imminent threat to the health or safety of another person or the public. Such disclosure will only be made to someone in a position to prevent or lessen the threat.

Judicial Proceedings

We may disclose your medical information in the course of any judicial proceeding in response to a court order, subpoena or other lawful process, but only after we have been assured that efforts have been made to notify you of the request.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose your medical information, as required by law, in response to a subpoena, warrant, summons or, in some circumstances, to report crime.

Deceased Persons

We may disclose protected health information to family members or others who were involved in the decedent’s health care or payment for their care prior to the decedent’s death so long as the disclosure is relevant to the person’s involvement and is not inconsistent with the decedent’s prior expressed wishes.

Access to Electronic Information

If a client requests an electronic copy of their information, we will generally produce it in the form requested if readily producible. If the client directs the agency in writing to transmit a copy of the electronic information to another person, the agency will generally comply with 30 days.

Specialized Government Functions, Military and Veterans

We may disclose your medical information to authorized federal officials to perform intelligence, counter-intelligence, medical suitability determinations, Presidential protection activities and other national security activities authorized by law. If you are a member of the U.S. armed forces or of a foreign military force, we may disclose your medical information as required by military command authorities or law.

Sale of Information

We do not engage in the sale of client information.

As Otherwise Required By Law

We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by law. If federal, state or local law within your jurisdiction offers you additional protections against improper use or disclosure of medical information, we will follow such laws to the extent they apply.

Other Uses and Disclosures

Other uses and disclosures of your medical information not listed in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke this authorization at any time unless we have taken action in reliance upon it.

Your Rights with Respect to Your Medical Information

You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

Right to Inspect and Copy

You may obtain a copy of this Notice by visiting our website www.aimcarehomehealth.com or contact
the office of Aim Care Home Health.

Right to Amend

If you believe medical information about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. Such request must be made in writing or by calling Aim Care Home Health.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your medical information. This accounting identifies the disclosures we have made of your medical information other than for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You must submit your request in writing to Aim Care Home Health physical address. The provision of an accounting of disclosures is subject to certain restrictions.

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use and disclose about you for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You also may request that your medical information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or paying for your care. Your request must 1) be in writing; 2) state the restrictions you are requesting; and 3) state to whom the restriction applies. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request.

Confidential Communications

You may ask that we communicate with you in a particular way and in a particular place to protect the confidentiality of your medical information. Your request must be submitted in writing to Aim Care Home Health Inc. at the address listed at the beginning of this notice and you must state an alternate method or location you would like us to used to communicate your medical information to you.

Right to File a Complaint

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint If you believe we have violated your privacy rights. You may file a written complaint to Aim Care Home Health Inc. at the physical address at the beginning of this notice or:

(Federal) – Secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201 Phone: 877-696-6775 or www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

(State of Texas) – Civil Rights Office, Health and Human Services Commission
701 W. 51st Street, MC W206, Austin, Texas 78751

Phone: 888-388-6332 or 512-438-4313
Email: HHSCivilRightsOffice@hhsc.state.tx.us

HIPAA privacy policies questions, please contact Privacy officer at 210-733-7885 or through email at info@aimcarehomrhealth.com