OrthoMedCare

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED OR DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

At Home Health Options, Inc. – OrthoMedCare, we are committed to using your health information responsibly and in compliance with the law. This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we will meet the requirements of the Privacy Regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This Notice is intended to help you understand how we collect, use and disclose your health information.

WHO MUST ABIDE BY THE NOTICE: All employees, staff and other personnel who provide services must abide by this Notice. The people and organizations to which this Notice applies may be referred to as Home Health Options, Inc – OrthoMedCare, we, our or us. We provide services and products to individuals throughout the United States. We may share your information with each other for the purposes of treatment and as necessary for payment and operations activities as described below.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION This Notice applies to your protected health information. When you receive medical supplies or care from a healthcare provider like Home Health Options, Inc., a record of that care is made. This record contains information on your diagnosis, treatment, medical supplies needed, prescriptions and future plan of treatment. This record is used to plan your care and to communicate with other healthcare providers about your care. Your health information is protected by HIPAA.

OUR LEGAL DUTIES We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are required to provide this Notice to any patient who asks for it. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice until we adopt a new one. We are required to post our current Notice on our web site: www.orthomedcare.com.

YOUR RIGHTS Although your health record is the physical property of Home Health Options, Inc., the information belongs to you.

Under HIPAA, you have the following rights:

• You have the right to obtain a copy of this Notice. If you have received this Notice electronically, you may receive a paper copy by contacting the Privacy Officer at the address shown at the end of this Notice.
• You have the right to access the health information about you that we have in our designated records, subject to certain limitations. Please make this request in writing to our Privacy Officer. Your request must be signed and it should specifically list the information you want copied (i.e. I want copies of my records from January 1, 2012 – October 31, 2012.) We may charge a fee for the cost of copying and mailing the records.
• You have the right to obtain an accounting of certain disclosures of your information. This is a list of the times we have given your information to others for purposes other than treatment, payment and healthcare operations or releases pursuant to a signed authorization. Your request should be in writing and sent to the Privacy Officer. The first list that you receive within a twelve-month period will be free. We may charge you for the costs of providing additional lists. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before any costs are incurred. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations.
• You have the right to ask us to communicate with you at a special address or by special means. For example, you may ask us to use a different address or to communicate with you electronically. We will not ask you to explain why you are making the request. We will agree to reasonable requests. Please make this request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
• You have the right to ask us, in writing, to restrict how we use or disclose your health information. We will consider your request, but we are not required to agree to it. For example, we cannot agree to restrict disclosures that are required by law.
• You have the right to ask us to amend your health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. You must make this request in writing and explain the reason you believe the information is not correct or complete. We may deny your request if we did not create the information, if it is not part of the records we use to make decisions about you, if the information is not something you would be permitted to inspect or copy or if it is complete and accurate. We may ask for your written authorization if we plan to use or disclose your health information for reasons not covered in this Notice. If you authorize us to use or disclose your information, you have the right to revoke the authorization at any time, in writing, unless we have released information prior to receiving your revocation. For more information about authorizations, please contact our Privacy Officer.

WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS: Home Health Options, Inc. is required to inform you of how we may use your health information. We may use your health information for a number of purposes, including treatment, payment and healthcare operations. For each purpose, we have written a brief explanation. In some cases we have also provided examples. These examples do not include all of the specific ways we may use or disclose information. Service and Treatment – As it pertains to Home Health Options, Inc., treatment means providing you with medications, supplies and durable medical equipment services as ordered by your physician. Treatment also includes coordination and consultation with your physician and other healthcare providers. For example, we may share information with your physician or other healthcare providers to determine the best medical supplies for you. Your medical record will contain information about the services and supplies that Home Health Options, Inc. provides to you. Payment – We will use and disclose your information as necessary to obtain payment for the services and supplies we provide to you. For example, we may use your information to obtain reimbursement from your insurance carrier for the supplies and services ordered by your physician. Payment activities include, but are not limited to, eligibility determination, pre-certification, billing and collection activities, obtaining documentation required by your insurer, providing personal health information to your insurer and when applicable, disclosure of limited information to consumer reporting agencies. Friends and Family – We may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person identified by you, the health information directly relevant to such person^s involvement with your care or payment related to your health care. We will not disclose to family or friends if you tell our Privacy Officer that you object. Healthcare Operations – We may use or disclose your health information for activities that are needed to operate Home Health Options, Inc. Operations can include, but are not limited to, review of your health information by our healthcare staff to ensure compliance with all federal and state regulations. For example, information may be used to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services provided to you. Healthcare operations also include business planning and management, certain marketing activities and general administrative activities. Information to Patients – We may use your health information to provide you with information about treatment options or other health-related services that we provide. Required by Law or Law Enforcement – We may disclose your health information to others as required by law. This may include reporting information to government agencies that monitor the health care system. This also includes providing information to locate a suspect, fugitive, missing person or in connection with suspected criminal activity. We may also disclose information in response to court orders, subpoenas or other lawful requests. Public Health and Oversight – We may disclose health information to agencies authorized by law to conduct health oversight activities, including audits, investigations, licensing and similar activities. We may also disclose information to the Food and Drug Administration related to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects or post-marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs or replacement. To Report Abuse – We may disclose health information when the information relates to a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. For example, we may provide limited information to a social service or protective services agency acting to protect you. We will make this report only in accordance with laws that require or allow such reporting or with your permission. Other Specialized Purposes – We may disclose your health information for a number of other specialized purposes. We will only disclose as much information as is necessary for the purpose. For instance, we may disclose your information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors. We may also disclose information for organ, eye or tissue donation or for national security, intelligence and protection of the president. We may disclose the health information of members of the armed forces as authorized by military command authorities. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose information to avert a serious threat or harm. We may disclose limited information about you to notify local agencies of your need for life sustaining equipment or assistance in evacuation due to your medical condition. An example of this is the power, gas or phone company and emergency medical services in the event of an emergency such as a flood or hurricane. We may also disclose your health information to your employer for purposes of workers compensation and work site safety laws. Business Associates – We may disclose health information to attorneys, accountants and others acting on behalf of Home Health Options, Inc. – OrthoMedCare. These individuals or entities are called Business Associates and they are asked to sign written contracts agreeing to safeguard the confidentiality of the information.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE Please be advised that Home Health Options, Inc. reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice of Privacy Practices and to make those changes applicable to all health information maintained at that time. Any new or revised Notices are available upon request or by visiting www.orthomedcare.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, TO REPORT A PROBLEM OR FILE A COMPLAINT Please Contact: Home Health Options, Inc. – OrthoMedCare, Attn: Privacy Officer, 3040 Amwiler Road, Ste C, Atlanta, GA 30360-2813. If you think your privacy has been violated, you may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Home Health Options, Inc Notice of Privacy Practices Last revised 03/2012