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HIPPA Privacy Notice
Washburn Center for Children
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
As required by HIPAA privacy regulations, this
notice describes how protected health information about Washburn
clients may be used and disclosed, and client rights to access and
amend their information. The following policies and procedures are
based on HIPAA Privacy requirements and applicable Minnesota State
Law. Please review it carefully. This Notice is first in effect
on April 13, 2003.
- Washburn Center for Children is permitted
to use and disclose protected health information (PHI) for treatment,
payment and health care operations, as described in the following
examples:
- For treatment – (example, multidisciplinary
team case consultation).
- For payment – (examples: determining
a client’s insurance eligibility or coverage, obtaining
prior authorization from an insurance company for a service,
or billing a client’s insurance for a service provided).
- For health care operations – (examples,
outcomes evaluation or quality assessment activities).
- Washburn Center for Children is permitted
or required, under specific circumstances, to use or disclose
protected health information without written authorization from
the individual. (If a use or disclosure for any purpose prescribed
in the Privacy Regulation is prohibited or materially limited
by applicable Minnesota State law, the description of such use
or disclosure reflects the more stringent law.)
- An “individual” refers to an individual
client or to the parent/legal guardian of a child client.
- Other uses and disclosures will be made only
with the individual’s written authorization and the individual
may revoke such authorization.
- Individuals may be contacted for appointment
reminders.
- Washburn Center for Children does not solicit
clients currently receiving services from the agency. Former clients
can receive updates and information by completing a Client Update
Form. This form is mailed to all clients when they have completed
services and is completely voluntary. Those that sign up to receive
information and updates from the agency can opt out at any time
by contacting the Development Department via phone, fax, email
or through the agency Web site.
Client Rights
- Individuals have the following rights regarding
protected health information; the extent of and exceptions to
these rights are defined in the Privacy Regulation:
- The right to request restrictions on certain
uses and disclosures of protected health information. Washburn Center for Children is not required to agree to a requested
restriction, however.
- The right to receive confidential communications
of protected health information, as applicable.
- The right to inspect and copy protected
health information as applicable.
- The right to amend protected health information,
as applicable.
- The right to receive an accounting of
disclosures of protected health information, as applicable.
- The right to obtain a paper copy of the
Notice from the covered entity upon request. This right extends
to an individual who has agreed to receive the Notice electronically.
- Federal and State laws grant clients of this
Agency the right to strict privacy in regard to information about
themselves. This means that no information by which a client could
be identified will be given by us to anyone else at any time without
written consent of the individual, unless specifically required
or permitted for treatment, payment, or health care operations
purposes by law. Important exceptions are that center staff are
required by law to report suspected abuse and neglect of children
or vulnerable adults and records may be subpoenaed if a client
is involved in a court action.
- Individuals are not required to give any information
about themselves. However, refusal to give needed information
will hamper service planning. The information that is requested
about clients is needed for one or more of the following reasons:
- To help us evaluate clients’ needs
for services and develop a plan to meet those needs;
- To determine financial eligibility for
reduced service fees;
- To meet Federal, State, and Local statistical
requirements.
- No audio or video recording of a treatment
session will be made without client permission. No one except
Center staff involved in treatment will view or listen to a treatment
session or recording of a session, or read a verbatim transcript
of a session unless the client gives permission.
- Individuals have the right to view their protected
health information, with a few exceptions:
1. If a doctor or licensed provider believes that it will be harmful
to the client or others.
2. Information compiled in anticipation of, or for use in, a civil,
criminal or administrative action or proceeding.
- Clients may have the information explained
to them by an agency clinician and may request corrections, additions,
or amendments to any information in their client chart. If individuals
have any questions about data privacy or client privacy rights,
they may contact the agency’s privacy official or their
clinician.
- Washburn Center for Children is required
by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information
and to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and
Privacy practices with respect to protected health information.
- Washburn Center for Children is required
to abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
- Washburn Center for Children reserves the
right to change the terms of this Notice. The new Notice provisions
will be effective for all protected health information that it
maintains.
- Washburn Center for Children will provide
individuals with a revised Notice by providing clients with a
revised copy of the Notice at the individual’s next session.
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Complaints may be made to Washburn Center for Children and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and
Human Services, without fear of retaliation by the organization,
if an individual believes their privacy rights have been violated.
A description of how a complaint may be filed follows:
Client Grievance/Complaint Procedure
- What is a grievance?
A grievance is any complaint or concern that a client, referring
agency, or person(s) in the community has about the service and/or
treatment associated with Washburn staff and/or the facility.
Washburn is committed to processing grievances in a timely manner
respectful to all parties involved.
- Filing a grievance
Grievances may be communicated in writing, by phone, or in person.
However, we encourage individuals to use the written method whenever
possible and ask that those complaints be filed within a month
of when the situation occurred.
- If you wish to file a grievance or make a complaint,
the following procedure is available to you:
- We suggest as the first step that a complaint
or concern be shared with the individual(s) with whom you
have a grievance.
- If a satisfactory solution to the situation
is not obtained through discussion with the individual(s),
then you may contact the unit supervisor. That person will
assess the level of urgency of the matter from the information
you have provided. The response time for contacting the complainant
on emergency matters is within 24 hours; urgent matters with
48 hours and non-urgent matters within 5 days. The supervisor
will assist you with the next step(s) to be taken in resolution
of the grievance.
- If the grievance is not resolved through
the above process, the Director of Clinical Services, Arlene
Schatz, is available for consultation at (612) 871-1454.
- If the grievance is still not resolved
through the above steps, the Executive Director, Steve Lepinski,
is available at (612) 871-1454.
- All efforts will be made to obtain resolution
on grievances in the shortest amount of time possible with the
goal being no more than 30 days. The timeliness to achieve this
may be affected by factors such as the availability of the person(s)
involved that may result in unavoidable delays. In such cases,
the person making the complaint will be notified about the circumstances.
- If you do not feel the grievance procedure
has yielded a satisfactory resolution and/or if you do not want
to utilize this procedure, you may contact the State of Minnesota
Department of Health to register a grievance (651) 282-5600. You
may also contact one of the following: Board of Social Work (612)
617-2100; Board of Psychology (612) 617-2220; Board of Nursing
(612) 617-2183; Board of Medical Practice
(612) 617-2130; or to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Rev 03-27-2006
Click
here to download a copy of the HIPPA Privacy PDF
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