Notice of Privacy Practices
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time, as allowed by law. When we make significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this notice and send the notice to our clients.
What is protected?
The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requires that Ability Homecare home health agency safeguard personal and health information about you.
What is personal and health information?
Personal and health information – from now on referred to as “information” – includes both medical information and individual identifiable information, like your name, address, telephone number, or Social Security number. We protect this information in all formats including electronic, written and oral information.
How do we protect your information?
We have safeguards in place to protect your information in various ways including:
- Limiting who may see your information
- Limiting how we use or disclose your information
- Informing you of your legal duties about your information
- Training our staff and caregivers about Ability’s Homecare privacy policies and procedures
How do we use your information?
We must use and disclose your information:
- To you or someone who has the legal right to act on your behalf
- Where required by law
We have the right to use and disclose your information:
- To provide you with home health services and products
- To other healthcare providers or insurance companies so you can receive services
- For payment activities, including claims payment for covered services
- To your family and friends if you are unavailable to communicate, such as an emergency
- To public health agencies if we believe there is a serious health or safety threat
- To appropriate authorities when there are issues about abuse, neglect, or exploitation
- To assist in disaster relief efforts
What do we do with your information when you are no longer a client?
After the required legal retention period, we destroy the information following strict procedures to maintain the confidentiality.
What are my rights concerning my information?
The following are your rights with respect to your information. We are committed to responding to your rights request in a timely manner.
- Access – you have the right to review and obtain a copy of your information that may be used to make decisions about you. If you request copies, we may charge a fee for each page, a per hour charge for staff time to locate and copy your information, and postage.
- Disclosure – you have a right to receive a listing of instances in which we or our business associates have disclosed your information for purposes other than home health services, payment, and certain other activities.
- Notice – you have the right to receive a written copy of this notice any time you request.
- Restriction – you have the right to ask to restrict uses or disclosures of your information. We are not required to agree to these restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement. You also have the right to terminate a previously submitted restriction.
How do I exercise my rights or obtain a copy of this notice?
All of your privacy rights can be exercised by:
- Contacting us at (407) 668-4468; and
- E-mailing us at Abilityhomecarehha@gmail.com
What should I do if I believe my privacy has been violated?
If you believe your privacy has been violated in any way, you may file a complaint with us by calling us at (407) 668-4468 any time.
- You may also submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.. You can e-mail your complaint to OCRComplaint@hhs.gov.
- We support your right to protect the privacy of your personal, health and financial information and we will not retaliate in any way if you elect to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
What will happen if my private information is used or disclosed inappropriately?
You have a right to receive a notice that a breach has resulted in your unsecured private information being inappropriately used or disclosed. We will notify you in a timely manner if such a breach occurs.
Personal Privacy Protection Directive