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Notice of Nondiscrimination
As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City (TRIKC) does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the ground of race, color, or national origin, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs or activities, whether carried out by TRIKC directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which TRIKC arranges to carry out its programs and activities.
The statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to these statues at Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 80. 84, and 91.
In case of questions, please contact:
The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City
Ms. Peri John, Compliance Officer
816-751-7832
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date February 10, 2003
Revised February, 2006
Our Responsibilities
This notice is intended to inform you about our practices related to the protection of the privacy of your medical and vocational records. Generally, we are required by law to ensure that medical information that identifies you is kept private. Further, we must give you this information related to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to any medical information we create or receive about you. We are required by law to follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
Uses and Disclosures
This notice will explain how we may use and disclose your medical information, our obligations related to the use and disclosure of your medical information, and your rights related to any medical information that we have about you. This notice applies to the medical records that are generated in or by The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City.
How we may use and disclose Health Information about you:
With a few exceptions, we are required to obtain your authorization for the use or disclosure of information for reasons other than for treatment, payment or health care operations. We have listed some of the reasons why we might use or disclose your medical information and some examples of the types of uses or disclosures below. Not every use or disclosure is covered, but all of the ways that we are allowed to use and disclose information will fall into one of the categories.
For Treatment: To provide you with medical treatment or services, we may need to use or disclose information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students or other Institute personnel who are involved in your treatment. Departments within the Institute may share medical information about you to coordinate your care. For instance, the therapists may request information to complete an evaluation. We may also disclose medical information about you to people who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the Institute, such as home health agencies, your family and clergy members. We may also disclose information to other covered entities that are not affiliated with the Institute for your treatment (e.g. durable medical equipment providers, emergency medical providers, and hospitals you may transfer to).
For Payment:
We may use and disclose your medical information for the Institute to bill and receive payment for the treatment that you received here. For example, we may use or disclose your medical information to your insurance company about a service you received at the Institute so that your insurance company can pay us or reimburse you for the service. We may also ask your insurance company for prior authorization for a service to determine whether the insurance company will cover it.
For Health Care Operations:
We can use and disclose medical information about you for Institute operations. These include uses and disclosures that are necessary to run the Institute and make sure that our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use or disclose medical information about you to evaluate our staff?s performance in caring for you. Medical information about you and other Institute patients may also be combined to allow us to evaluate whether the Institute should offer additional services or discontinue other services and whether certain treatments are effective. We may also compare this information with other organizations to evaluate whether we can make improvements in the care and services that we offer.
Uses and Disclosures of Medical Information that do not Require Your Authorization:
We can use or disclose health information about you without your authorization when there is an emergency or when we are required by law to treat you, when we are required by law to use or disclose certain information, or when there are substantial communication barriers to obtaining consent from you.
Further, we may use or disclose your health information without your consent or authorization in any of the following circumstances:
| When it is required by law; |
| When reporting information about victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence; |
| When disclosing information for the purpose of health oversight activities, such as audits, investigations, licensure or disciplinary actions or legal proceedings or actions; |
| When disclosing information for judicial and administrative proceedings in accordance with state and/or federal law, for instance, in response to a court order; |
| When disclosing information for law enforcement purposes, for instance, to locate or identify a suspect, fugitive, witness or missing person or regarding a victim of a crime who can not give consent or authorization because of incapacity; |
| When disclosing information related to a research project when a waiver of authorization has been approved by the Privacy Committee; |
| When we believe in good faith that the disclosure is necessary to avert a serious health or safety threat to you or to the public?s safety; |
| When disclosure is necessary for specialized government functions, such as military service, for the protection of the president or for national security and intelligence activities; |
| When disclosure is necessary to comply with worker?s compensation laws or purposes. |
Planned Uses or Disclosures to Which You May Object
We will use or disclose your health information for any of the purposes described in this section unless you affirmatively object to or otherwise restrict a particular release. You must direct your written objections or restrictions to our Privacy Officer, 3011 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO 64108.
| We may use or disclose your health information to contact you and remind that you have an appointment for therapy or medical care. |
| We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with information about or recommendations of possible treatment options or alternatives that may interest you. |
| We may use and disclose your health information to inform you about health benefits or services that may interest you. |
| We may use or disclose your health information in order to include you in the Institute?s patient directory. Directory information includes your name, location in the Institute and your general condition. We may disclose this information to people that ask for you by name. |
| We may use health information about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for the Institute. A Foundation related to the Institute may receive contact information, which includes your name, address and phone number and the dates that you received services from the Institute. |
| We may release health information about you to a friend and/or family member who is involved in your care. We can tell your family and/or friends of your condition and that you are in the Institute for treatment or services. We can also give this information to someone who will help or is helping to pay for your care. |
| We can disclose health information about you to a public or private entity that is authorized by law or its charter to assist in disaster relief efforts, i.e., the American Red Cross, for the purpose of notification of family and/or friends of your whereabouts and condition. |
Other Uses/Revocation of Authorization
Uses or disclosures not covered in this Notice of Privacy Practices will not be made without your written authorization. If you provide us written authorization to use or disclose information, you can change your mind and revoke your authorization at any time, as long as it is in writing. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose the information. However, we will not be able to take back any disclosures that we have made pursuant to your previous authorization.
Your Rights with Respect to Health Information
Right to Request Restrictions:You have the right to request that we restrict any use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to any restriction that you request. If we do agree to adhere to your restrictions, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you treatment. Any request to restrict uses or disclosures must be made in writing to our Privacy Officer. Your request must indicate (1) what information you want limited; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply.
Right to Receive Information in Certain Form and Location:You have the right to receive information about your health in a certain form and location. For instance, you can request that we not contact you at work. To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. The request must tell us how and/or where you want to receive information. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to Inspect and Copy Protected Health Information:You have the right to inspect and copy your health information that may be used to make decisions about your care, with the exception of psychotherapy notes. If you want to see or copy your medical information, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. If you request copies of information, we will charge a fee for any costs associated with your request, including the cost of copies, mailing or other supplies.
In limited circumstances we can deny access to your health information. If access is denied, you can request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the Institute will review your request and the denial. We will adhere to the decision of the reviewer.
Right to Request Amendment to Protected Health Information:You have a right to request that your health information be changed if you believe that it is incorrect or incomplete. You have a right to request changes for as long as the information is kept by the Institute. To request a change in your information, you must submit it in writing to our Privacy Officer. In addition, you must give the reason that you want the information changed, including why you think the information is incorrect or incomplete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures:You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of medical information that we have made, with some exceptions. This is a list of certain disclosures we make of your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations where an authorization was not required.
Complaints
If you believe that we have violated any of your privacy rights or have not adhered to the information contained in this Notice of Privacy Practices, you can file a complaint by putting it in writing and sending it to: Privacy Officer, The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City, 3011 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO 64108 (816-751-7832). You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint with either the Institute or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Changes to This Notice of Privacy Practices
We reserve the right to change or modify the information contained in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Any changes that we make can be effective for any health information that we have about you and any information that we might obtain. Each time you receive services from the Institute, we will provide the most current copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices. The most recent version of Privacy Practices will be posted in our building and on our website, www.rehabkc.org. Also, you can call or write our contact person, whose information is included on the first page of this Notice of Privacy Practices, to obtain the most recent version of this notice.
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