HIPAA 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.

Protection of your Privacy

Nursefinders has always valued your privacy. We have protected your confidential information in many ways over the years, and we are continually evaluating new technology, as it becomes available, in order to best protect your privacy. We never lose sight of the fact that our client's trust is our most treasured asset.

Nursefinders may use your health information, information that constitutes protected health information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations. Nursefinders has established procedures and policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

The following is a summary of the circumstances under which and purposes for which your health information may be used and disclosed:

To Provide Treatment: Nursefinders may use your health information to coordinate care within Nursefinders and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician and other healthcare professionals who have agreed to assist Nursefinders in coordinating care. Nursefinders also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside of Nursefinders involved in your care including family members, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other health care professionals.

To Obtain Payment: Nursefinders may include your health information in invoicing to collect payment from third-party payers for the care you receive from Nursefinders. For example, Nursefinders may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care status so that the insurer will reimburse you or Nursefinders. Nursefinders may need to obtain prior approval from your insurer and may need to explain to the insurer your need for home care and the services that will be provided to you.

To Conduct Health Care Operations: Nursefinders may use and disclose health information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of Nursefinders as necessary to provide quality care to all of our clients. Health care operations include such activities as:

Quality assessment and improvement activities.
Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
Protocol development, case management and care coordination.
Professional review and performance evaluation.
Training programs including those in which students, trainees or practitioners in health care learn under supervision.
Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
Review and auditing, including compliance review, medical review, legal services and compliance programs.
Business planning and development, including cost management and planning related analyses.
Business management and general administrative activities.

For Appointment Reminders: Nursefinders may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for a home visit.

For Treatment Alternatives: Nursefinders may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options that may be of interest to you.

The following is a summary of the circumstances under which and purposes for which your health information may be used and disclosed without first receiving your written consent. (Nursefinders complies with State law requirements)

When Legally Required: Nursefinders will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any Federal, State, or local law.

When There are Risks to Public Health: Nursefinders may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

Prevent or control disease, injury or disability; report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death and to conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions.
Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
Notify an employer about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence: Nursefinders is allowed to notify government authorities if Nursefinders believes a client is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Nursefinders will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the client agrees to the disclosure.

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities: Nursefinders may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. Nursefinders, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

In Connection With Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: Nursefinders may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when Nursefinders makes reasonable efforts notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information.

For Law Enforcement Purposes: As permitted or required by State law, Nursefinders may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes as follows:

As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.
For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.
To law enforcement official, if Nursefinders has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct including criminal conduct at Nursefinders.
In an emergency in order to report a crime.

To Coroners and Medical Examiners: Nursefinders may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

To Funeral Directors: Nursefinders may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law and if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to your funeral arrangements. If necessary to carry out their duties, Nursefinders may disclose your health information prior to and in reasonable anticipation of your death.

In the Event of a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Nursefinders may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if Nursefinders, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.

For Specified Government Functions: In certain circumstances, the Federal regulations authorize Nursefinders to use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.

For Workers' Compensation: Nursefinders may release your health information for workers' compensation or similar programs.

Authorization to use or disclose health information

Other than as stated above, Nursefinders will not disclose your health information other than with your or your health representative's written authorization to Nursefinders to use or disclose your health information. You or your representative may revoke that authorization at any time.

Your Rights with Respect to Your Health Information: You or your health representative have the following rights regarding your health information that Nursefinders maintains:

Right to Request Restrictions: You or your health representative may request restrictions on certain uses and discloses of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on Nursefinders' disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. However, Nursefinders is not required to agree to your request.
Right to Receive Confidential Communication: You or your health representative have the right to request that Nursefinders communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that Nursefinders only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. Nursefinders will not request that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communication.
Right to Inspect and Copy Your Health Information: You or your health representative have the right to inspect and copy your health information, including billing records. If you request a copy of your health information, Nursefinders may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.
Right to Amend Health Care Information: You or your representative has the right to request that Nursefinders amend your records, if you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete. That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by Nursefinders. Nursefinders may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the amendment. The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by Nursefinders, if health information you wish to amend is not part of the health information you or your representative are permitted to inspect and copy, or if, in the opinion of Nursefinders, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting: You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by Nursefinders for any reason other than for treatment, payment or health operations. The request should specify the time period for the accounting starting on or after April 14, 2003. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time in excess of six (6) years. Nursefinders would provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You or your representative have a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative have received this Notice previously.

Duties of Nursefinders

Nursefinders is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide to you or your representative this Notice of its duties and privacy practices.
Nursefinders is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. Nursefinders reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all information that it maintains. If Nursefinders changes its Notice, we will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you or your appointed representative.
You or your representative has the right to express complaints to Nursefinders and to the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services if you or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Nursefinders encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

Contact the branch director for any of the following reasons:

If you wish to make a request for restrictions to access your health information.
If you wish to receive confidential communications of your health information.
If you wish to make a request to inspect and copy records containing your health information.
For all issues regarding client privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards.
If you wish to make a request for an amendment of records. This must be made in writing.
If you wish to request for an accounting. This must be made in writing.
To obtain an additional paper copy or you may obtain a copy of the current version of Nursefinders' Notice of Privacy Practices at its website, www.nursefinders.com.
If you wish to file a complaint regarding the confidentiality or access to your health information to Nursefinders. This should be made in writing.

If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact our Corporate Privacy Officer at:

Address:1701 E. Lamar Blvd.

Suite 200

Arlington, TX 76006

Telephone: 877-377-0770

Effective Date: This Notice is effective April 14, 2003