PATIENT PRIVACY RIGHTS
Policy No. 6-004
PURPOSE
To encourage awareness of patient privacy rights and Bridges Home Care legal duties regarding these rights and the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI).
POLICY
Bridges Home Care will respect and safeguard all protected health information of the patients it serves.
Each patient will be provided with information about his/her privacy rights at the time of admission to Bridges Home Care.
To assist with fully understanding patient privacy rights and responsibilities, all policies will be available to the organization personnel, patients, and their representatives as well as other organizations and the interested public.
Definition:
Protected health information (PHI) is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual in ANY form (verbal, written, electronic). This is interpreted rather broadly and includes any part of a patient’s medical record or payment history. Examples of identifiers are: names, all geographical identifiers smaller than a state (except for the initial three digits of a zip code), dates (other than year) directly related to an individual, phone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, Health insurance beneficiary numbers, account numbers, certificate/license numbers, vehicle identifiers and serial numbers including license plate numbers, device identifiers and serial numbers, web Uniform Resource Locators (URLs),
Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers, biometric identifiers, including finger, retinal and voice prints, full face photographic images and any comparable images, and any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code except the unique code assigned by the investigator to code the data.
PROCEDURE
1. The patient will be provided with information about his/her privacy rights in the organization’s Notice of Privacy Practices, which will be given to the patient during the admission visit. The patient’s privacy rights include:
A. A right to adequate notice of the uses and disclosures of protected health information that may be made by Bridges Home Care. (See “Notice of Privacy Practices” Addendum 6-004.A.)
B. A right to request privacy protection for protected health information. (See “Patient
Requests for Privacy Restrictions” Policy No. 6-011 and “Patient Requests for
Confidential Communication” Policy No. 6-012.)
C. A right of access to inspect and retain a copy of his/her protected health information. (See “Patient Requests for Access to PHI” Policy No. 6-013.)
D. A right to request that the organization amend protected health information or a record
about the individual in a designated record set for as long as the protected health
information is maintained in the designated record set. (See “Patient Requests to
Amend PHI” Policy No. 6-014.)
E. A right to receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information made by Bridges Home Care in the six (6) years prior to the date on which the accounting is requested. (See “Patient Requests for Accounting of PHI Disclosures” Policy No. 6-015.)
2. Bridges Home Care will make a good faith effort to obtain the patient’s written acknowledgment of receipt of this notice. A separate signature/initials line for this acknowledgment may be located on the consent form. If an acknowledgment cannot be obtained, the admitting clinician will document his/her efforts to obtain the acknowledgment and the reason why it was not obtained in the clinical note.
A. The notice will be promptly revised and distributed whenever there is a material
change to the uses or disclosures, the individual’s rights, organization’s legal duties, or other privacy practices stated in the notice. A material change to any term of the notice will not be implemented prior to the revised notice’s effective date, unless required by law.
B. Bridges Home Care will prominently post the notice and make the notice available through its website.
C. The patient’s legal representative may exercise the patient’s rights when a patient is incompetent or a minor.
D. When a patient has questions about his/her privacy rights, requests additional information, or would like to exercise one (1) of these rights, he/she will be referred to the appropriate individual or office designated by Bridges Home Care on the Notice of Privacy Practices.
3. Interactive home telehealth patients will be assured of the following:
A. Patient will not be viewed through video or heard through audio without his/her knowledge and prior written consent.
B. When other staff members enter the telehealth viewing area, the patient will be immediately informed, and his/her verbal consent obtained for them to participate or view the interactive home telehealth encounter.
C. If an additional remote site is participating in the interactive telehealth encounter, the patient will be made aware of and approve of the participation of the additional site.
D. Patient photographs will not be utilized without the patient’s specific permission.
Patient will sign a consent to photograph.