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.

1. General Information

This Privacy Notice describes how the United Methodist Homes ("UMH") may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or healthcare operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. This notice also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. "Protected health information" is information about you that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.

UMH is required to follow the terms of this notice but we may change the terms of the notice at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. Upon your request, UMH will provide you with any revised notice, which you can obtain by contacting the privacy officer at UMH as stated below.

2. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

Treatment: UMH may use or disclose your protected health information, as needed, to provide, coordinate or manage your health care and any related services. For example, we may disclose your protected health information to health care professionals who become involved in your care such as physicians, hospice personnel, or pharmacist in order to fill a prescription or a radiologist to fulfill a physician’s order.

Payment: UMH may use or disclose your protected health information, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, UMH anticipates that your protected health information may be provided to third-party payers, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Medical Assistance or insurance companies, for billing purposes.

Healthcare Operations: UMH may use or disclose your protected health information in order to support the business activities of UMH. These activities include, but are not limited to, health care consulting, auditing, fund raising and marketing. UMH may use your name and address to send you a newsletter or other information about healthcare treatment options or other related benefits and services that may be of interest or beneficial to you. UMH may use your demographic information and dates you received treatment or fund raising activities. If you do not want to receive fund raising materials, please contact our privacy officer as noted below. UMH may use or disclose your protected health information to remind you of an appointment. Whenever UMH has an arrangement with a third party where we share your protected health information, we will have a written agreement with that third-party "business associate" that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your protected health information.

Authorizations: Other disclosures and uses will be made only with your written authorization unless otherwise permitted by law as described below. You may revoke the authorization to release protected health information at any time except to the extent that UMH has relied on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

Uses and Disclosures Unless You Object:

Unless you object, we will use and disclose in our facility directory your name, location, general condition, and your religious affiliation, to members of the clergy or individuals who ask for you by name. You have the right to notify us that you do not want to be included within the facility directory.

Unless you object, UMH may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, or any person you identify, your protected health information that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care. If you are not able to agree or object to such disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based upon our professional judgment.

Other Uses and Disclosures:

We may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law.

Your protected healthcare information may be disclosed to a public health organization or federal organization in the event of a communicable disease or to report a defective device or untoward event involving a biological product (food or medication), or when required by law.

Your protected health information may be disclosed for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information.

UMH may disclose protected health information to a public health authority authorized to receive reports of abuse or neglect or where we believe you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.

We may disclose your protected health information as required by the Food and Drug Administration.

UMH may disclose your protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal, in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

UMH may disclose protected health information for law enforcement purposes, to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death, or for other duties of the coroner or medical examiner authorized by law.

We may disclose protected health information to researchers when an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your protective health information has approved their research. We must also make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the privacy regulations.

3. Your Rights

You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your protected health     information. However, UMH is not required to agree to that request. UMH may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment situation.

You have the right to receive confidential communications of protected health information about your health status.

You have the right to inspect and copy any and all portions of your protected health information.

You have the right to request an amendment to your protected health information.

You have the right to know who has accessed your protected health information and for what purpose.

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Privacy Notice from UMH upon request even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically.

UMH is required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide individuals with notice of UMH’s legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information.

UMH is required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect. UMH reserves the right to make changes to this notice and the new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. Upon your request, we will provide you with a copy of the revised notice. UMH will mail a copy of the revised Privacy Notice to residents when there is a material change to the notice. A revised notice reflecting a material change will be mailed promptly after making the change.

4. Complaints

You have the right to complain to UMH and the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your rights to privacy have been violated. If you feel your privacy rights have been violated and have been unresolved by the facility administrator, please mail your complaint to UMH:

                ATTN: Louis J. Shiber, Privacy Officer
                United Methodist Homes
                10 Acre Place
                Binghamton, NY 13904
 

All complaints will be investigated. The individual making the complaint will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

For further information about this Privacy Notice, please contact:

                Louis J. Shiber, Privacy Officer
                (607) 775-6400, ext. 234 (NY)
                (570) 883-5635, ext. 3 (PA)

 
This notice is effective as of January 31, 2007.