Privacy Practices

Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This Notice applies to Retirement Housing Foundation (“we,” “our,” “us”) and its affiliated communities. The purpose of this Notice is to describe how we may use and disclose your protected health information (“PHI”) in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the “HITECH Act”) and the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule (the “Final Rule”).

This Notice also describes our obligations with respect to your protected health information, describes how your protected health information may be used or disclosed to carry out treatment, payment or healthcare operations, and describes your rights to control and access your protected health information. Please review it carefully.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
• Correct your paper or electronic medical record
• Request confidential communication
• Ask us to limit the information we share
• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
• Get a copy of this privacy Notice
• Choose someone to act for you
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

Your Choices

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:

• Tell family and friends about your condition
• Provide disaster relief
• Include you in our community directory
• Provide mental health care
• Market our services and sell your information
• Raise funds

Our Uses and Disclosures

We may use and share your information as we:

• Treat you
• Run our organization
• Bill for your services
• Help with public health and safety issues
• Do research
• Comply with the law
• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.  This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

GET AN ELECTRONIC OR PAPER COPY OF YOUR MEDICAL RECORD

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

ASK US TO CORRECT YOUR MEDICAL RECORD

• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
• To request an amendment, you have two choices on how to make the request. The first way to request an amendment is to make the request in writing using the Request to Amend Health Information form. The second way to request an amendment is to submit in writing to your community’s Medical Records Department an addendum regarding the alleged incomplete or incorrect item. The addendum should clearly state your desire for the addendum to become part of the record.

REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home, cell or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
• We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

ASK US TO LIMIT WHAT WE USE OR SHARE

• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

GET A LIST OF THOSE WITH WHOM WE’VE SHARED INFORMATION

• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

GET A COPY OF THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

You can ask for a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly. 

CHOOSE SOMEONE TO ACT FOR YOU

• If you have given someone healthcare power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

FILE A COMPLAINT IF YOU FEEL YOUR RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED

• If you feel we have violated your rights you can contact the Executive Director at your community with your concerns.
• You can contact the Retirement Housing Foundation Corporate Compliance and Privacy Officer at the address or phone at the end of this Notice.
• You may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

IN THESE CASES, YOU HAVE BOTH THE RIGHT AND CHOICE TO TELL US TO:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation
• Include your information in our community directory

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

IN THESE CASES WE NEVER SHARE YOUR INFORMATION UNLESS YOU GIVE US WRITTEN PERMISSION:

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information
• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

IN THE CASE OF FUNDRAISING:

• We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

TREAT YOU

• We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

RUN OUR ORGANIZATION

• We can use and share your health information to run our nursing facility, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

BILL FOR YOUR SERVICES

• We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities, including government agencies.

Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

HELP WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES

• We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
• Preventing disease
• Helping with product recalls
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

DO RESEARCH

• We can use or share your information for health research.

COMPLY WITH THE LAW

• We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

RESPOND TO ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION REQUESTS

• We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

WORK WITH A MEDICAL EXAMINER OR FUNERAL DIRECTOR

• We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

ADDRESS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT REQUESTS

• We can use or share health information about you:
• For workers’ compensation claims
• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
• With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
• For special government functions such as military, national security and presidential protective services

RESPOND TO LAWSUITS AND LEGAL ACTIONS

• We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
• We may also use or share your health information to a court-appointed investigator or others to determine your condition and need for a conservatorship or guardianship.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can change the terms of this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in our community’s office, and on our website.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• You can contact the Executive Director at your community if you have any questions regarding this Notice of Privacy Practices
• You can call, write or email the Retirement Housing Foundation Corporate Compliance and Privacy Officer at:

Corporate Compliance and Privacy Officer

Retirement Housing Foundation

911 N. Studebaker Road

Long Beach, CA 90815

Email: compliance@rhf.org

Phone: (562) 257-5150

Toll Free Compliance Phone Helpline at 1-888-832-5819

Effective Date: March 15, 2014

Revised: August 7, 2018

Our Faith

RHF is a faith-based organization, affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC). We were founded by two UCC clergy and a layperson in 1961. We are an organization that began with $7,000 and a vision to provide affordable housing to those who needed it. That vision has grown to include 198 communities in 29 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. We have more than 22,500 residents that call an RHF community “home.”

While our faith tradition is an important part of who we are, we offer our housing and services to those of every faith tradition or those with no faith tradition at all.

Our faith created RHF and that faith has helped us through the challenges we have faced as an organization over the nearly 60 years we have been in existence.

Our country, indeed the world, is facing an enormous challenge right now. We are asking that you strictly adhere to government mandates .  .  . practicing Social Distancing, frequently washing your hands, and self-isolating if you are not feeling well.

We are inviting you to join us, daily, in prayer. We would like to acknowledge those who are contributing to this effort:

Rev. Dr. Laverne R. Joseph – Former RHF President & CEO

Rev. Dr. David S. Moyer – Chair, RHF National Board of Directors

Rev. Dr. Norma DeSaegher – Vice-Chair, RHF National Board of Directors

Rev. Dr. Misi Tagaloa – Director, RHF National Board of Directors

Ray East – Director (and Past Chair) – RHF National Board of Directors

Brian Magnone – CIO and V.P. of Treasury, RHF

We ask that you stay safe. Know that you are not alone. As a community, as an organization, and as a country, we will get through this crisis together.