THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION

AABCO Medical may use your health information, information that constitutes protected health information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations. AABCO Medical has established policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information. 

THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED:

To Provide Treatment. AABCO Medical may use your health information to coordinate care within AABCO Medical and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of AABCO Medicals' staff and other health care professionals who have agreed to assist AABCO Medical in coordinating care.  For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms in order to prescribe appropriate medical equipment.  AABCO Medical also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside of AABCO Medical involved in your care including family members, clergy who you have designated, pharmacists, other suppliers of medical equipment or other health care professionals.

To Obtain Payment. AABCO Medical may include your health information in invoices to collect payment from third parties for the care you receive from AABCO Medical.  For example, AABCO Medical may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care status so that the insurer will reimburse you or AABCO Medical. AABCO Medical also may need to obtain prior approval from your insurer and may need to explain to the insurer your need for medical equipment and the services that will be provided to you.

To Conduct Health Care Operations. AABCO Medical may use and disclose health information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of AABCO Medical and as necessary to provide quality care to all of AABCO Medicals’ patients.  Health care operations includes such activities as: 

-     Quality assessment and improvement activities. 

-     Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
 

-     Protocol development, case management and care coordination.

-     Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment.

-     Professional review and performance evaluation.

-     Training programs including those in which students, trainees or practitioners in health care learn under supervision.

-     Training of non-health care professionals.

-     Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.

-     Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs.

-     Business planning and development including cost management and planning related analyses and formulary development.

-     Business management and general administrative activities of AABCO Medical.

For example, AABCO Medical may use your health information to evaluate its staff performance, combine your health information with other AABCO Medical patients in evaluating how to more effectively serve all AABCO Medicals’ patients, disclose your health information to AABCO Medicals’ staff and contracted personnel for training purposes or use your health information to contact you as a reminder regarding a visit to you.

For Appointment Reminders. AABCO Medical may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for a home visit.

For Equipment Alternatives. AABCO Medical may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible equipment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you. 

For Equipment Needs.  AABCO Medical may use and disclose your health information to contact other equipment companies if AABCO Medical does not have the equipment in stock or for consultation regarding your equipment needs.

            THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY ALSO BE USED AND DISCLOSED

            When Legally Required. AABCO Medical will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any Federal, State or local law.

            When There Are Risks to Public Health. AABCO Medical may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

-     Prevent or control disease, injury or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions.

-         Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.

-     Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.

-         Notify an employer about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect Or Domestic Violence. AABCO Medical is allowed to notify government authorities if AABCO Medical believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. AABCO Medical will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the patient agrees to the disclosure.

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities. AABCO Medical may disclose your health information to a health oversight for AABCO Medical activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. AABCO Medical, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

In Connection With Judicial And Administrative Proceedings. AABCO Medical may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when AABCO Medical makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information. 

For Law Enforcement Purposes.  As permitted or required by State law, AABCO Medical may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes as follows:

-     As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.

-     For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.

-     Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.

-     To a law enforcement official if AABCO Medical has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct including criminal conduct at AABCO Medical.

-     In an emergency in order to report a crime.

         For Research Purposes. AABCO Medical may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research.  Before AABCO Medicals discloses any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process. 

         In the Event of A Serious Threat To Health Or Safety. AABCO Medical may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if AABCO Medical, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.

For Specified Government Functions.  In certain circumstances, the Federal regulations authorize AABCO Medical to use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.

For Worker's Compensation. AABCO Medical may release your health information for worker's compensation or similar programs.

AUTHORIZATION TO USE OR DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION

            Other than is stated above, AABCO Medical will not disclose your health information other than with your written authorization.  If you or your representative authorizes AABCO Medical to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. 

YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

            You have the following rights regarding your health information that AABCO Medical maintains:

-         Right to request restrictions.  You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information.  You have the right to request a limit on AABCO Medical’s disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care.  However, AABCO Medical is not required to agree to your request.  If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact a AABCO Medical representative.

-     Right to receive confidential communications.  You have the right to request that AABCO Medical communicate with you in a certain way.  For example, you may ask that AABCO Medical only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present.  If you wish to receive confidential communications, please communicate your wishes to a AABCO Medical representative. AABCO Medical will not request that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.

-     Right to inspect and copy your health information.  You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, including billing records.  A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information may be made to our office. If you request a copy of your health information, AABCO Medical may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.

-     Right to amend health care information.  You or your representative have the right to request that AABCO Medical amend your records, if you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete.  That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by AABCO Medical.  A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to our office. AABCO Medical may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the amendment.  The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by AABCO Medical, if the records you are requesting are not part of AABCO Medical‘s records, if the health information you wish to amend is not part of the health information you or your representative are permitted to inspect and copy, or if, in the opinion of AABCO Medical, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.

-     Right to an accounting.  You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by AABCO Medical for certain reasons, including reasons related to public purposes authorized by law and certain research. The request for an accounting must be made in writing to our office.  The request should specify the time period for the accounting starting on or after April 14, 2003.  Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time in excess of six (6) years. AABCO Medical would provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge.  Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.

-         Right to a paper copy of this notice.  You or your representative have a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative have received this Notice previously.  To obtain a separate paper copy, please contact our office.  The patient or a patient’s representative may also obtain a copy of the current version of the Hospice’s Notice of Privacy Practices at its website, www.aabcomedical.net

DUTIES OF AABCO Medical

            AABCO Medical is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide to you and your representative this Notice of its duties and privacy practices. AABCO Medical is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. AABCO Medical reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains.  If AABCO Medical changes its Notice, AABCO Medical will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you or your appointed representative.  You or your personal representative have the right to express complaints to AABCO Medical and to the Secretary of DHHS if you or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated.  Any complaints to AABCO Medical should be made in writing to the Director, Trini Valdez, or to the Vice President, Joe Valdez, at 4115 Business Park Drive, Amarillo, Texas 79110.  AABCO Medical encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information.  You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint. 

CONTACT PERSON

            AABCO Medical has designated the Compliance/Privacy Official as its contact person for all issues regarding patient privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards.  You may contact the Compliance/Privacy Official, Lynn, or the Director, Donna, at 582, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482, 903-439-1118 or 1-888-439-1119 (Texas only).

EFFECTIVE DATE

            This Notice is effective April 14, 2003.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE, PLEASE CONTACT THE ABOVE MENTIONED PERSONS OR VISIT WITH YOUR AABCO MEDICAL REPRESENTATIVE.