Privacy Policy

LYNN HOME FOR ELDERLY PERSONS

ONE ATLANTIC TERRACE LYNN, MA.01902

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

This notice describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed and how you can obtain access to this information. Please review it carefully.

The Lynn Home for Elderly Persons is required by law to provide you with this Notice so that you will understand how we may use or share your information from your Designated Record Set. The Designated Record Set includes; financial and health information referred to in this notice as “Protected Health Information” (“PHI”) or simply, “Health Information.” We are required to adhere to the terms outlined within this Notice. If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact the Administrator.                                Effective Date: May 7, 2019.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR HEALTH RECORD AND INFORMATION

Each time you are admitted to a facility or visit a medical office, a record of your plan of care and treatment is made. Typically, this information is comprised of information about your medical condition, the treatment that you were provided with and payment for treatments and services. We may use and/or disclose this information to:

• Plan your care and treatment
• Communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in your care
• Document the care you received
• Educate health care professionals
• Provide information for medical research
• Provide information to public health officials
• Evaluate and improve care we provide
• Obtain payment for care we provide

Understanding what is in your medical record and how your health information is used helps you:

• Ensure it is accurate.
• Better understanding of who may access your health care information.

-1-

HOW WE MY USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH CARE INFORMATION

The following categories describe the ways that we use and disclose your healthcare information. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall into one of these categories.

• For Treatment: We may us or disclose health care information about you to provide you with medical treatment. It may be necessary to disclose your information to; doctors, nurses, therapists or other facility healthcare providers who are involved in the planning of your care. We may need to disclose your PHI to outside sources in the event of a discharge or transfer which could include but are not limited to, family members or visiting nurses that are providing care for you.
• For Payment: We may use or disclose health information about you so that the treatment and services provided may be billed to you, an insurance company or a third party.
• For Health Care Operations: The Lynn Home for Elderly Persons may use or disclose your health information for day-to-day operations. This is necessary to ensure that all residents receive quality care. We may use or disclose your PHI for quality assessments in developing protocols, improvement of activities, evaluation of services we offer and the effectiveness of treatments and care. We may share information to the Board of Managers for business development and planning, risk management as well as cost analysis. The Lynn Home may also use and or disclose your health information for professional review, performance evaluations, educational and training programs. Other aspects of health care operations may include; accreditation, certification, licensing, credentialing activities, review and auditing, compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance services. Your PHI may disclose for the business management and general activities of the facility including resolution of internal grievances. In limited circumstances we may disclose your health care information to another entity subject to HIPAA for its own health care operations. We may remove identifiers and disclose information for healthcare studies. We may disclose your age, birthdate and general information about you in the Facility Newsletter, on activity boards and calendars, and to entities within the community that wish to acknowledge your birthday or commemorate your achievements on special occasions.

OTHER ALLOWABLE USES OF YOUR HEALTH CARE INFORMATION

• Business Associates: Some of the services provided at the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons are through outside contracted staff and associates. Such as; medical director, physical therapist, social workers, attorneys and volunteers. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your PHI so that they perform the job that we have hired them to do and to be allowed to bill your third-party payer for services rendered. We require this third-party biller to protect your PHI as well.

-2-

HIPAA/PRIVACY

• Providers: Other services may be provided to you while at the Lynn Home to augment the care provided. These participants will have access to your PHI as well.
• Treatments Alternatives: We may use or disclose your healthcare information to tell you about possible treatment alternatives that may be of interest to you.
• Health Related Benefits and Services: We may contact about appointment reminders or to provide you with information with regards to health benefits.
• Fundraising Activities: We may use healthcare information about you in effort to raise funds. We will only release limited information such as; name and address information if needed.
• Facility Directory: We may disclose information about you in a Facility Directory while you are a resident here which would include, your name and location within the building.
• Individuals Involved in Your Care or Provide Payment for You: Unless you object, we may disclose limited information about you and your care to a friend or relative who is involved in your care. We may also give information to someone who is involved with payment for your care. In addition, we may disclose information about you to an entity who is assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
• As Required by Law: We will disclose healthcare information about when required to do so by State, Federal and local law.
• To Avert a Serious Threat to Safety or Health: We may share healthcare information about you to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or a serious threat to the health and safety of the public or another person. We would do this only to help prevent the threat.
• Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may disclose health information to organizations that handle organ procurement to facilitate the process.
• Military and Veterans: If you are a member of the armed forces, we disclose PHI about you as required and to the appropriate branch.
• Research: Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your healthcare information for research purposes.
• Workers Compensation: We may disclose information about you for workers compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries.
• Reporting: Federal and State laws may require or permit the Lynn Home to disclose certain health information related to the following;

1. Prevention or disease, injury or disability
2. Reporting deaths
3. Reporting abuse or neglect or exposure to communicable disease
4. Reportable serious reactions to medications
5. Notification of recalls

-3-

HIPAA/PRIVACY

• Law Enforcement: The Lynn Home may disclose PHI about you for the following;

1. Response to a court order or proceeding a subpoena
2. To identify you as a missing person
3. If you are a victim of a crime if, if under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain your agreement.
4. About a death if it is suspicious
5. In emergency situations if there is a crime

• Coroner’s Office, Medical Examiner & Funeral Director: this may be necessary for identification purposes or for them to carry out duties.
• National Security and Intelligence Activities: We may disclose healthcare information about you to federal agencies and other national security agencies for intelligence or counterintelligence.

OTHER USES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Other uses or disclosures of your healthcare information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons will be made only with your written permission, which may be revoked, in writing, at any time. If you do choose to revoke permission, we will no longer disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by written authorization. You understand that the Lynn Home will be unable to take back any disclosures that we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of care and services that we have provided to you.

RIGHTS REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

Although your health records are property of the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons, the information belongs to you. You have the following rights regarding your health information.

• Right to Inspect and to Copy: With some exceptions, you have the right to review and copy your health information. You can submit a request in writing to the Administrator. We reserve the right to charge a nominal fee for paper copies printed, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.
• Right to Amend: If you feel that your health information is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have this right for as long as this information is retained by the Lynn Home. This request shall be submitted in writing to the Administrator of the Lynn Home. We reserve the right to deny said request based on the following situations;

1. The information was not created by the Lynn Home;
2. Is not a part of the health information retained by the Lynn Home or;
3. Is accurate and complete.

-4-

HIPAA/PRIVACY

• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to submit in writing to the Administrator, a request for the list of agencies and entities in which the Lynn Home has requested to share your health care information with. This request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years from the date that the request has been submitted and may not include dates prior to April 14^th, 2003.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health care information we disclose about you. You must submit a request in writing, to the Administrator, outlining what information you do not want us to share.

The Lynn Home for Elderly Persons reserves the right to disagree with the request.

• Right to alternate Communication Request: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a specific location or a specific confidential alternative. For example; PO Box. Your request shall be submitted in writing to the Administrator of the Lynn Home.
• Right to a Paper copy of this Notice: You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically. You may request a copy at any time. To obtain copy of the Notice, contact the Administrator of the Lynn Home.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

The Lynn Home for Elderly Persons has a right to amend this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised changes Notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. The Home will post a copy of the current Notice within the facility. The Notice will specify effective date on the first page, end of first paragraph. In addition, if this material changes are made to this Notice, the Notice will contain an effective date of revisions and copies may be obtained by contacting the Administrator.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons and/ or with the Secretary of the Department of Public Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the Lynn Home, contact the Administrator. All complaints must be submitted in writing.

 NOTE: You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.