PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

You have the right to be fully informed of the following, before care begins:

• You have the right to participate and make decisions in planning your own care and treatment, including any changes; be involved in developing your plan of care and be advised in advance of the disciplines that will furnish care, and the frequency of visits proposed to be furnished.
• You have the right to receive all the information necessary to make informed decisions about care and treatment plans, to receive information about the services covered under the hospice benefit, receive information about the scope of services that the hospice will provide and specific limitations on those services, to receive that information in a way that is understandable (i.e. information must be given in the language of the client, and provisions made for clients who are speech and hearing impaired), and to have access to your records;
• You have the right to accept or refuse treatment, services or supplies, and to be informed of what refusing could mean;
• You have the right to receive written information about the Agency’s policy on patient/client Advance Directives, including your rights under state law and how such rights are implemented by this Agency;
• You have the right to formulate Advance Directives, either through a Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney, or the appointment of a health care representative;
• You have the right to choose your attending physician;
• You have the right to receive service without regard to whether or not an Advance Directive has been executed;
• You have the right to receive effective pain management and symptom control from the hospice for conditions related 
to the terminal illness;
• You have the right not to receive any experimental treatment unless you agree to it, and only after it has been fully explained in a way that you can understand;
• You have the right to receive necessary professional services 24 hours a day, 7 days per week;
• You have the right to receive continuous and consistent services in a timely manner;
• You have the right to receive service without regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, or handicap;
• You have the right to know the names and professional qualifications of the people who will be caring for you before treatment begins; and the frequency of visits proposed to be furnished.
• You have the right to be free from mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, misappropriation of patient property including damage to or theft of property, and exploitation of any kind;
• You have the right to have your property treated with respect by the employees of this Agency;
• You have the right to be informed of, and to understand, the way all billing and payment is handled by this Agency; you have the right to be informed of the services and supplies dispensed by this Agency (directly or through contract), for your individual needs, and the right to be provided upon request with a monthly itemized statement of specific charges, including those submitted to the payor. You have the right to be informed orally and in writing of your insurance coverage and any direct pay responsibilities prior to starting your plan of care and to be notified of any changes in payment information as soon as possible, but not later than 30 days from the date the Agency becomes aware of the change.
• You have the right to be informed of this Agency’s ownership and control, as well as any relationships which may bring profit to this Agency when it makes referrals;
• You have the following rights with respect to the privacy of your health information: to receive a copy of the Agency’s Notice of Privacy Practices at the time of first service delivery; to lodge complaints about the Agency’s privacy practices; to request restrictions on the uses and disclosures of health information; to request to receive confidential communication; to access your protected health information for inspection and/or copying (a reasonable, cost based fee for copying, labor and supplies will be charged); to amend your health care information; and, to request an accounting 
of disclosures of health information.
• You have the right to be told if this Agency’s liability insurance will cover injuries to its employees when they are in your home, and if this Agency’s insurance will cover theft or property damage that occurs while you are being treated;
• You have the right to be told, in advance, of treatment options, transfers, and when and why care will be discontinued;
• You have the right to be referred to another agency if you are not satisfied with this Agency or if this Agency cannot meet your needs;
• You have the right to education, instructions, and a list of requirements for continuing care when the services of this Agency are over;
• You have the right to voice grievances about this Agency, treatment or care by the caregiver, or lack of respect for property by anyone furnishing services for this Agency, and must not be subjected to discrimination or reprisal for voicing such a grievance. You have the right to receive a written response from this Agency about its investigation of that grievance and its resolution.
• You have the right to be advised of the availability of toll-free home health hotline numbers:

Notice of Agency Privacy Practices

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

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Stillwater Hospice (“Agency”) 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. The Agency has established policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

Who will follow this Notice:

• Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your medical record
• All departments of the Agency
• All employees and volunteers
• All entities, sites and locations under the Agency follow the terms of this notice

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. The Agency may use and disclose your health information to coordinate care within the Agency and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the Agency interdisciplinary team and other health care professionals who have agreed to assist the Agency in coordinating care. For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms in order to prescribe appropriate medications. The Agency also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside of the Agency involved in your care including family members, clergy who you have designated, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other health care professionals.

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

To Conduct Health Care Operations. The Agency may use and disclose health information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of the Agency and as necessary to provide quality care to all of the Agency’s 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 the Agency.
• Fundraising for the benefit of the Agency.

For example the Agency may use your health information to evaluate its staff performance, combine your health information with other Agency patients in evaluating how to more effectively serve all Agency patients, disclose your health information to Agency staff and contracted personnel for training purposes, use your health information to contact you as a reminder regarding a visit to you, or contact you as part of general fundraising and community information mailings (unless you tell us you do not want to be contacted).

The Agency may disclose certain information about you including your name, your general health status, your religious affiliation and where you are in the Agency’s facility in an Agency directory while you are in the Agency inpatient facility. The Agency may disclose this information to people who ask for you by name. Please inform us if you do not want your information to be included in the directory.

For Fundraising Activities. The Agency may use information about you including your name, address, phone number and the dates you received care in order to contact you or your family to raise money for the Agency. An individual may opt out of fundraising communications. If you do not want the Agency to contact you or your family, notify the Agency’s Chief Development Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111 and indicate that you do not wish to be contacted.

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

For Treatment Alternatives. The Agency may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

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. The Agency 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. The Agency 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. The Agency is allowed to notify government authorities if the Agency believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. The Agency 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. The Agency may disclose your health information to a health oversight Agency for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. The Agency, 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. The Agency 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 the Agency 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, the Agency 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 the Agency has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct including criminal conduct at the Agency.
• In an emergency in order to report a crime.

To Coroners And Medical Examiners. The Agency may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

To Funeral Directors. The Agency may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law and if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to your funeral arrangements. If necessary to carry out their duties, the Agency may disclose your health information prior to and in reasonable anticipation of your death.

For Organ, Eye Or Tissue Donation. The Agency may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplantation of organs, eyes or tissue for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.

For Research Purposes. The Agency may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research. Before the Agency 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. The Agency may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the Agency, 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 the Agency 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. The Agency may release your health information for worker’s compensation or similar programs.

Authorization to Use or Disclose Health Information

Other than is stated above, the Agency will not disclose your health information other than with your written authorization. If you or your representative authorizes the Agency to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time for worker’s compensation or similar programs.

Your Rights with Respect to Your Health Information

Right To Request Restrictions On How Agency Uses and Discloses Your Health Information. You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on the Agency‘s disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. However, the Agency is not required to agree to your request. For example, if you pay for a particular service in full, out-of-pocket, on the date of service, you may ask Agency not to disclose any related health information to your health plan. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111.

Right to Receive Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that the Agency communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that the Agency 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 contact the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111. The Agency 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 in either paper or electronic format, including billing records. A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information may be made to the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111. If you request a copy of your health information, the Agency may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.

Right To Request Amendments To Your Health Care Information. You or your representative has the right to request that the Agency 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 the Agency. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111. The Agency 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 the Agency, if the records you are requesting are not part of the Agency‘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 the Agency, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.

Right To An Accounting Of Disclosures. You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by the Agency 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 the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111. 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 seven (7) years. The Agency 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 Receive Notice Of A Breach. You have the right to receive written notice in the event the Agency learns of any unauthorized acquisition, use or disclosure of your health information that was not otherwise properly secured as required by HIPAA. The Agency will notify you of the breach as soon as possible but no later than sixty (60) days after the breach has been discovered.

Right To A Paper Copy Of This Notice. You or your representative has a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative has received this Notice previously. To obtain a separate paper copy, please contact the Agency Chief Program Officer at 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111. The patient or a patient’s representative may also obtain a copy of the current version of the Agency’s Notice of Privacy Practices at its website, www.stillwater-hospice.org.

Duties of the Agency

The Agency 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. The Agency is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. The Agency 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 the Agency changes its Notice, the Agency will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you or your appointed representative. You or your personal representative has the right to express complaints to the Agency and to the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Service if you or your representatives believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Any complaints to the Agency should be made in writing to the Stillwater Hospice Chief Program Officer, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46814. The Agency 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

The Agency has designated the Chief Program Officer as its contact person for all issues regarding patient privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards. You may contact this person at 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46814 or 260-435-3222/1-800-288-4111.

Effective Date

This Notice is effective April 14, 2003.

Questions Regarding This Notice? 

Please contact the Stillwater Hospice Chief Program Officer, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46814, 260-435-3222 or 1-800-288-4111.

Revised 5.2022