Health Information Privacy Practices

Damar Services, Inc.
Health Information Privacy Practices

This notice describes how health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can gain access to your protected health information. Damar Services, Inc. is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices. This document serves those purposes.

When and how we may disclose personal health information: The following categories describe different ways that we may use and disclose health information. While not every use or disclosure that is possible in each category will be listed, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose personal health information will fall into one of these categories. Please note that information may be used or disclosed in written, oral, or electronic forms.

For Treatment

We may use your personal health information to provide you with treatment or services. We may disclose your medical information to doctors, nurses, social workers, direct care workers, case managers, supervisors, students, or other personnel that may be involved in your care. For example - A doctor treating you with medication for behavioral issues may need to know if you are on medications for a seizure disorder because certain medications cannot be taken together. Different departments at Damar who are both providing services to you may share health information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need. We also may provide health information about you to people outside of Damar who may be involved in your health care.

For Payment

We may use and disclose your personal health information so that we can bill for the services we provide to you and so that we can collect payment. For example - We may give health information about the services you received to your insurance company or 3rd party payer so that they will pay us for the services we have provided to you. We may also tell your insurance company or 3rd party payer about services you are going to receive in the future to obtain prior approval or to find out whether they would pay for the service.

For Business Operations

We may use and disclose health information about you for the operation of Damar Services, Inc. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Damar and to make sure all of our clients receive quality services and care. For example - We may use your health information to review the services we have provided to you to determine whether you are actually benefiting from these services. We may combine the health information of many clients to decide what additional services are needed or not needed and/or whether new services are effective. We may disclose health information to certain personnel at Damar for review and for learning purposes.

To Business Associates

We may contract with outside individuals, professionals or organizations (business associates) to perform some operational tasks or services to you on our behalf. We may provide health information to these persons or organizations so that they can provide quality care to you. For example - We may contract with your family member or friend to provide a support service in the community for you. When these services are performed, we disclose the necessary health information so that they can perform the tasks to serve you. To protect your health information, we require the business associate to maintain the confidentiality of your health information.

For Research

In rare circumstances, we may use and disclose health information about you for research purposes. For example - We may provide health information to researchers preparing to conduct a research project that may need to know how many clients have a specific health problem. A research project may involve comparing clients who have received medication for a condition to clients who have not received medication who have the same condition. In all research projects you would not be identified or contacted by your health information may be used (and kept confidential).

For Considering Treatment Alternatives or Health Related Services

We may use and disclose health information about you to tell you about or to recommend possible service options or alternative service providers you may be interested in. For example - If you move to a different part of the city or state, we may disclose personal health information to prospective service providers to assist you in choosing a new provider. We may use health information to inform you about a new support service that we offer.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, or any other person you identify, your health information that relates to that person’s involvement in your health care or payment for your health care. If you are unable to agree or you object to such disclosure, we may disclose health information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment.

The Following Areas Are Required By Law:

To Avoid a Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose personal health information about you when it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. In these cases, any disclosure would be only to someone able to help prevent the threat.

Organ and Tissue Donation

If you are an organ donor, we may release health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation, or to an organ donor bank, as necessary to facilitate organ donation and/or transplantation.

Military and Veterans

If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Public Health Risks

We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally are for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, of reporting births and deaths, of reporting child abuse or neglect, of reporting reactions from medications, of notifying persons of product recalls, and of notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for spreading a disease.

Workers’ Compensation

We may release health information about you to workers’ compensation or other similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses. Lawsuits and Disputes

If you are involved in a lawsuit or legal dispute, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order. As required by Indiana Law, we may also disclose personal health information in response to a valid subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute.

Oversight Activities Conducted by Governing Bodies

We may disclose personal health information to oversight agencies for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities may include audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure reviews, among others. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor service care systems, government programs, and compliance with health, safety, and civil rights laws.

Law Enforcement

We may release medical information as requested by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant or summons, to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, to provide information related to a death as the result of criminal conduct, to provide information related to criminal activity at Damar Services, Inc., and in emergency situations to report a crime.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may release personal health information to a coroner or medical examiner upon request. We may also release information about clients to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

National Security and Intelligence Operations

We may release personal health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Protective Services for the President and Others

We may release personal health information about you to authorized federal officials so that they may provide protection for the President, or other authorized persons, or foreign heads of state.

Inmates/Prisoners

The rights listed in this notice do not apply to inmates of a correctional institution.

Other Uses of Health Information:

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or law will be made only with your written permission. If you do provide us permission to disclose your personal health information, you may revoke that permission, in written or oral form, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you, except to the extent that action has already been taken, for the reasons covered by your written authorization. Damar Services, Inc. is unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission.

Your Rights Relating to your Personal Health Information:

Right to Inspect - You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. This includes health and billing records but does not include psychotherapy notes. We may deny your request to inspect your record in some limited circumstances - particularly if we judge that access to your health information may be harmful to you. If you are denied access to your health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another service provider chosen by Damar Services, Inc. will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the same person who denied your original request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

Right to Amend - If you feel or find that the health information we have about you is incorrect, you have the right to request an amendment. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing to the creator of the entry. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that: Was not created by us; Is not part of the health information kept by Damar; Is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect; or is accurate and complete.

Right to Disclosure Information - You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you. You may request this information orally in written form to your primary service provider. You must provide a specific time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before March 1, 2003.

Right to Request Restrictions - You have the right to request a restriction of limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you. You also have the right to request to restrict the information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend.

We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request to limit or restrict your health information unless the information is needed to provide you emergency care.

Right to Request Confidential Communications - You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or in a certain location. All reasonable requests will be honored. Right to a Copy of this Notice - You have the right to a copy of this notice. You may ask for a copy of this notice at any time.

Changes to this Notice:

Damar Services, Inc. reserves the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future.

Complaints:

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Damar Services, Inc. or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized in any way and will not be refused services for filing a complaint.