NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Bolster - Jeffries Health Care Group Facilities
Bolster-Jeffries Health Care Group Facilities
Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective 4/14/2003

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.

Bolster-Jeffries Health Care Group's Facilities uses health information about you for treatment, for administrative purposes, and to evaluate the quality of care that you received. Your health information is contained in a medical record that is the physical property of the facility.

How Bolster-Jeffries Health Care Group May Use Your Health Information

For Treatment: This facility may use your health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. For example, information obtained by a health care provider, such as a physician, nurse, or other person providing health services to you, will record information in your record that is related to your treatment. This information is necessary for health care providers to determine what treatment you should receive. Health care providers will also record actions taken by them in the course of your treatment and note how you respond to the actions.

For Health Care Operations: This facility may use and disclose health information about you for operational purposes. For example, your health information may be disclosed to members of the medical staff, risk or quality improvement personnel, and others to:
       Evaluate the performance of our staff:
       Assess the quality of care and outcomes in your cases and similar cases:
       Learn how to improve our facilities and services; and
       Determine how to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care we provide.


Appointments: This facility may use your information to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to the individual.

Fund Raising: This facility may use your information to contact you to raise funds for this facility; or a group health plan, health insurance issuer, or HMO with respect to a group health plan may disclose health information to the sponsor of the plan.

Required by Law: This facility may use and disclose information about you as required by law. For example: We may disclose information for the following purposes:

        For judicial and administration proceedings pursuant to legal authority:
        To report information related to victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, and
        To assist law enforcement officials in their law enforcement duties;


Public Health: Your health information may be used to disclose for public health activities such as assisting public health authorities or other legal authorities to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability, or other health oversight activities.

Decedents: Health information may be disclosed to funeral directions or coroners to enable them to carry out their lawful duties.

Organ/Tissue Donation: Your health information may be used to disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes.

Research: This facility may use your health information for research purposes when an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure privacy of your health information has approved the research.

Health and Safety: Your health information may be disclosed to avert a serious threat to the health or safety of you or any other person pursuant to applicable law.

Government Functions: Specialized government functions such as protection of public officials or reporting to various branches of the armed services that may require use or disclosure of your health information.

Workers Compensation: Your health information may be used or disclosed in order to comply with laws and regulations related to Workers Compensation.

Your Health Information Rights:
You have the right to restrict the use of your confidential healthcare information. However, the facility may chose to refuse your restriction if it is in conflict of providing you with quality healthcare or in the event of an emergency situation.
Individual or personal representative may request a specific limit on the providers' use and disclosure of PHI (Protected Health Information)

       You have the right to receive confidential communication about your health status.
       You have the right to review the photocopy and all portions of your healthcare information.


There are some exceptions to the rights to access your healthcare information:

       Psychotherapy notes.

       Information compiled in anticipation of civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings.

       Access to information is prohibited by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
       (COA or PHI is exempt from CLIA)


You must give the facility 24 hours notice and specify what parts of your medical record you wish to review and 48 hours after that to have copies of your medical record available.

       Psychotherapy notes.

       Information compiled in anticipation of civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings.

       You have the right to make changes in your healthcare information.

Covered entity must amend PHI about the individual contained in a designated record set and accept amendment and distribute to prior recipients.

Facilities can deny amendment if:

PHI not created by covered entity.

PHI not a part of the designated record set.

Individual does not have right to assess PHI.

Covered entity must respond to individuals request for an amendment within 60 days.

You have the right to know who has accessed your confidential healthcare information and for what purpose.

You have the right to possess a copy of this Privacy Notice upon request.

This copy can be in the form of an electronic transmission or on paper.

The facility is required by law to protect the privacy of its patients.

It will keep confidential any and all patient healthcare informational and will provide patients with a list of duties or practices that protect confidential healthcare information.

The facility will abide by the terms of this notice.

The facility reserves the right to make changes to this notice and continue to maintain the confidentiality of all healthcare information.

Patients will receive a mailed copy of any changes to this notice within 60 days of making the changes.

You have the right to complain to the facility if you believe your rights to privacy have been violated.

If you feel your privacy rights have been violated, please mail your complaint to the hospital.

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of the notice on information upon request.

You have the right to request communications of your health information by alternative means or alternative locations.

You have the right to revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures made of your health information.


Exceptions to the individuals right to an accounting of disclosures:

o Treatment, Payment, Operations
o To the individual
o Facility directory or personal representative
o Facility newsletters, bulletin boards, names and pictures on door
o National security or intelligence purposes
o Correctional institutions or law enforcement
o Prior to April 14, 2003
o Disclosures make pursuant to an individuals authorization
o Disclosures that are part of a limited data set
o Disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure.


Complaints:
You may complain to Diane Miller, Corporate Compliance Director and Privacy Officer if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. You will not be retaliated against for failing a complaint.

Obligations of This Facility:

We are required to:
Maintain the privacy of protected health information.

Provide you with this notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.

Abide by the terms of this notice.

Notify you is we are unable to a requested restriction on how your information issued a disclosed.

Obtain your written authorization to use or disclose your health information for reasons other than those listed above and permitted under law.

We reserve the right to change our information practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Revised notices will be made available to you by posting on front bulletin board.

You may complain to the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your rights have been violated.

Contact Information:
If you have any questions or complaints please contact

Elizabeth Kemp-Corporate Compliance Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
506 Allensville Street
P.O. Box 427
Elkton, KY 42220
270-265-5321
fax 270-265-3526

Diane Miller- Corporate Compliance Officer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
506 Allensville Street
P.O. Box 427
Elkton, Kentucky 42220
(270) 265-5321
(270)-265-3526 FAX