HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

HIPAA Privacy Rule is the first comprehensive Federal protection for the privacy of personal health information. The Privacy Rule went into effect on April 14, 2003; the Security Rule went into affect in April 2005.

Hope Hospice, Inc., protects the privacy of all patients’ and clients’ health information. No information is disclosed to any individual that has not been approved by the patient or the caregiver. The Hospice provides a written notice of our privacy practices that describes our privacy procedures and the patient’s rights of privacy. The notice describes how we use and disclose Protected Health Information (PHI) for purposes of providing treatment, ordering equipment, billing for payments, conducting health procedures, and providing volunteer services.

Patient PHI is information that is collected or received by Hope Hospice, Inc., including the identification and location of the patient. PHI includes the past and present physical and mental condition of the patient, the plan of care, and the type of payment for the care of the patient. Only those persons directly involved in the care and treatment of the patient have access to records that relate to their responsibility. Only that information that is needed for prescriptions for equipment and medication are released to those providers.

                          HIPAA: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

For more information, contact the Privacy Officer.