NOTICE OF PRIVACY RIGHTS (HIPAA)

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL (INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH) INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. During the process of providing services to you. Adult Youth Services, LLC will obtain. record, and use mental health and medical information about you that is protected health information. Ordinarily that information is confidential and will not be used or disclosed. except as described below.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED INFORMATION

A. General Uses and Disclosures Not Requiring the Client's Consent. The Company will use and disclose protected health information in the following ways.

  1. Treatment. Treatment refers to the provision, coordination, or management of health care (including mental health care) and related services by one or more health care providers. For example. Company staff involved with your care may use your information to plan your course of treatment and consult with other staff to ensure the most appropriate methods are being used to assist you.
  2. Payment. Payment refers to the activities undertaken by a health care provider (including mental health provider) to obtain or provide reimbursement for the provision of health care. When applicable, the Adult Youth Services, LLC will use your information to develop accounts receivable information. bill you, and with your consent. provide information to your insurance company for services provided. The information provided to insurers and other third party payers may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis. type of service, date of service provider name/identifier. and other information about your condition and treatment. If you are covered by Medicaid. information will be provided to the State of Colorado's Medicaid program, including but not limited to your treatment, condition, diagnosis, and services received.
  3. Health Care Operations. Health Care Operations refers to activities undertaken by the Company that are regular functions of management and administrative activities. For example, the Company may use your health information in monitoring of service quality, staff training and evaluation. medical reviews, legal services. auditing functions, compliance programs, business planning, and accreditation, certification. licensing and credentialing activities.
  4. Contacting the Client. The Company may contact you to remind you of appointments and to tell you about treatments or other services that might be of benefit to you.
  5. Required by law. The Company will disclose protected health information when required by law or necessary for health care oversight. This includes, but is not limited to: (a) reporting child abuse or neglect: (b) when court ordered to release information: (e) when there is a legal duty to warn or take action regarding imminent danger to others: (do when the client is a danger to self or others or gravely disabled: (c) when required to report certain communicable diseases and certain injuries: (f) when a Coroner is investigating the client's death.
  6. Health Oversight Activities. The Company will disclose protected health information to health oversight agencies for oversight activities authorized by law and necessary for the oversight of the health care system, government health care benefit programis. and regulatory programs or determining compliance with program standards.
  7. Crimes on the premises or observed by Company personnel. Crimes that are observed by Company staff that are directed toward staff. or occur on the Company's premises will be reported to law enforcement.
  8. Business Associates. Some of the functions of the Company are provided by contracts with business associates. For example, some administrative, clinical. quality assurance, billing, legal, auditing, and practice management services may be provided by contracting with outside entities to perform those services. In those situations, protected health information will be provided to those contractors as is needed to perform their contracted tasks. Business associates are required to enter into an agreement maintaining the privacy of the protected health information released to them.
  9. Research. The Company may use or disclose protected health information for research purposes if the relevant limitations of the Federal HIPAA Privacy Regulation are followed. 45CFR 164.512(i).
  10. Audit. The Company will periodically be required to participate random audit of client records the Office of Behavioral Health for the purpose of licensure. Your records may he reviewed as part of that process.
  11. Emergencies. In life threatening emergencies Company staff will disclose information necessary to avoid serious harm or death.

B. Client Release of Information or Authorization. The Company may not use or disclose protected health information in any other way without a signed Release of Information or Authorization. When you sign a Release of Information or an Authorization, it may later be revoked. provided that the revocation is in writing. The revocation will apply except to the extent the Company has already taken action in reliance thereon.

YOUR RIGHTS AS A CLIENT.

  1. Access to Protected Health Information. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the protected health information the Company has regarding you. in the designated record set. There are some limitations to this right, which will be provided to you at the time of your request. If any such limitation applies. To make a request. ask Company staff for the appropriate request form.
  2. Amendment of Your Record. You have the right to request that the Company amend your protected health information. The Company is not required to amend the record if it is determined that the record is accurate and complete. There are other exceptions, which will be provided to you at the time of your request, if relevant, along with the appeal process available to you. To make a request. ask Company staff for the appropriate request form.
  3. Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures the Company has made regarding your protected health information. However, that accounting does not include disclosures that were made for the purpose of treatment. payment, or health care operations. In addition, the accounting does not include disclosures made to you. disclosures made pursuant to a signed Authorization, or disclosures made prior to April 14. 2003. There are other exceptions that will be provided to you, should you request an accounting. To make a request, ask Company staff for the appropriate request form.
  4. Additional Restrictions. You have the right to request additional restrictions on the use or disclosure of your health information. The Company does not have to agree to that request, and there are certain limits to any restriction, which will be provided to you at the time of your request. To make a request. ask Company staff for the appropriate request form.
  5. Alternative Means of Receiving Confidential Communications . You have the right to request that you receive communications of protected health information from the Company by alternative means or at alternative locations. For example. If you do not want the Company to mail bills or other materials to you home, you can request that this information be sent to another address. There are limitations to the granting of such requests, which will be provided to you at the time of the request process. To make a request. ask Company staff for the appropriate request form.
  6. Copy of this Notice. You have a right to obtain another copy of this Nestice upon request.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  1. Privacy Laws. The Company is required by State and Federal law to maintain the privacy of protected health information. In addition, the Company is required by law to provide clients with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information That is the purpose of this Notice.
  2. Terms of the Notice and Changes to the Notice. The Company is required to abide by the terms of this Notice, or any amended Notice that may follow. The Company reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all protected health information that it maintains. When the Notice is revised, the revised Notice will be posted in the Company's service delivery sites and will be available upon request.
  3. Complaints Regarding Privacy Rights. If you believe the Company has violated your privacy rights. you have the right to complain to Company management. To file your complaint, call the privacy officer at 572-6100. You also have the right to complain to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services by sending your complaint to the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 200 Independence Avenue. S.W.. Room 515F. III Bldg.. Washington. D.C. 20201. It is the policy of the Company that there will be no retaliation for your filing of such complaints.
  4. Additional Information. If you desire additional information about your privacy rights at the Company, please call 572-6100 and ask to speak to the privacy officer.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS

  1. The confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records maintained by this company is protected by Federal law and regulations. Generally, the program may not say to a person outside the program that a patient attends the program, or disclose any information identifying a patient as an alcohol or drug abuser. unless:
    1. The patient consents in writing:
    2. The disclosure is allowed by a court order: or
    3. The disclosure is made to medical personnel in a medical emergency or to qualified personnel for research, audit. or program evaluation.
  2. Violation of the Federal Law and regulations by a program is a crime. Suspected violations may be reported to appropriate authorities in accordance with Federal regulations.
  3. Federal law and regulations do not protect any information about a crime committed by a patient either at the program or against any person who works for the program or about any threat to commit such a crime.
  4. Federal laws and regulations do not protect any information about suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under State law to appropriate State or local authorities.

(See 42 U.S.C. 290dd-33 and 42 U.S.C.290ee-3 for Federal laws and 42 CFR Part 2 for Federal regulations) (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control No. 0930-0099) EFFECTIVE DATE, THIS NOTICE IS EFFECTIVE APRIL. 14.2003)

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