Privacy, Rights, & Non-Discrimination

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.

Our Pledge Regarding Your Medical Information

The Lifecare Institute is committed to protecting the privacy of medical information we create or obtain about you.  This Notice tells you about the ways in which we may use and disclose your information.  It also describes your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information.  We are required by law to: (i) protect your medical information; (ii) give you this Notice describing our obligations and our privacy practices with respect to your medical information; and (iii) follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect.

Who This Notice Applies To

The privacy practices described in this Notice will be followed by all The Lifecare Institute health care professionals, employees, medical staff, trainees, students and volunteers at their delivery sites.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Medical Information       

We may use or disclose your information in the following ways.  Although not every use or disclosure will be listed, please be assured that we follow all applicable laws related to the protection of this information.  

• Treatment
  • We can use your medical information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.  
  • For example, we may use and disclose your medical information for treatment purposes if we need to request the services of an outside laboratory to perform blood tests.
• Payment
  • We can use and disclose your medical information to bill and receive payment for the treatment and services provided to you by The Lifecare Institute.
  • For example, your medical information will be disclosed when we contact your insurance company, such as Medicare, so it will pay for your services.
• Run Our Organization
  • We can use and disclose your medical information for The Lifecare Institute operations. These uses and disclosures are made for medical staff purposes, educational purposes, general business activities and to enhance the quality care and services The Lifecare Institute provides.
  • For example, we may share your medical information with physicians, nurses and other The Lifecare Institute personnel for performance improvement measurements. We may also include your health information in registry databases to evaluate treatment and outcomes at a state and national level.
• Health Information Exchanges
  • The Lifecare Institute may share information electronically through Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) in which we participate to ensure that your health care providers outside of The Lifecare Institute have access to your medical information regardless of where you receive care. In addition, we may use HIEs to obtain information about care you received from other health care providers outside of The Lifecare Institute when those providers participate in the same HIE. Exchange of health information can provide faster access, better coordination of care and assist providers and public health officials in making more informed decisions. 
  • The Lifecare Institute participates in the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, Inc. (CRISP), a regional Internet-based HIE.  We may share information about you through CRISP for treatment, payment, health care operations, or research purposes.  You may opt out of CRISP and disable access to your health information available through CRISP by contacting CRISP at 1-877-952-7477 or completing and submitting an Opt-Out form to CRISP by mail, fax, or through their website at crisphealth.org.  Even if you opt-out of CRISP, public health reporting and Controlled Dangerous Substances information, as part of the Maryland Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), will still be available to providers through CRISP as permitted by law.
  • Your health care provider may also participate in other HIEs, including HIEs that allow your provider to share your information directly through our electronic medical record system.  You may choose to opt out of these other HIEs by contacting The Lifecare Institute’s Director of Compliance to request a “Request to Opt-Out of Health Information Exchange (HIE)” form by calling 443-849-8294 or emailing LHGLICompliance@lhgli.org
• Fundraising Activities
  • As a nonprofit hospice provider, we may use certain information to contact you in an effort to raise money for The Lifecare Institute operations. The money raised will be used to expand and improve the services and programs we provide to the community.  If we do contact you for fundraising activities, you may ask for us not to contact you again for such purposes by calling 443-849-8294 or emailing LHGLICompliance@lhgli.org
• Patient Information Directory
  • If you are admitted to one of our inpatient centers, we may include certain limited information about you in our patient information directory, such as your name and room number. However, you can choose not to be listed by telling your caregivers.
• Research
  • The Lifecare Institute may use and disclose medical information about our patients for research purposes, as permitted by law.

Additional Uses and Disclosure of Your Medical Information.

• We may use or disclose your medical information without your authorization (permission) for other purposes permitted or required by law, including:
• To tell you about, or recommend, possible treatment alternatives
• To inform you of benefits or services we may provide
• In the event of a disaster, to organizations assisting in the disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified of your condition and location
• As required by state or federal law
• To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person
• To authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence or other national security activities
• To coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors, as authorized or required by law as necessary for them to carry out their duties
• To the military if you are a member of the armed forces and we are authorized or required to do so by law
• For Workers’ Compensation or similar programs providing benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses
• To authorized federal officials so they may conduct special investigations or provide protection to the U.S President or other authorized persons
• If you are an organ donor, to organizations that handle such organ procurement or transplantation or to an organ bank, as necessary to help with organ procurement, transplantation or donation
• To governmental, licensing, auditing and accrediting agencies
• To a correctional institution as authorized or required by law if you are an inmate or under the custody of law-enforcement officials
• To third parties referred to as “business associates” that provide services on our behalf, such as billing, software maintenance and legal services
• Unless you say no, to anyone involved in your care or payment for your care, such as a friend, family member, or any individual you identify
• For public health purposes
• To Courts and attorneys when we get a court order, subpoena or other lawful instructions from those courts or public bodies or to defend ourselves against a lawsuit brought against us
• To law enforcement officials as authorized or required by law

Part 2 Records – Substance Use Disorder Patient Records

If The Lifecare Institute has substance use disorder patient records about you, subject to 42 CFR Part 2, we cannot use or share information in those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without (1) your consent or (2) a court order and a subpoena.

Other Uses of Health Information          

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this Notice will be made only with your written authorization.  If you provide us with such authorization, you may revoke (withdraw) that authorization, in writing, at any time.  However, uses and disclosures made before your withdrawal are not affected by the revocation.

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information              

The records of your medical information are the physical property of The Lifecare Institute, but the information belongs to you.  You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

• Right to See and Copy Your Health Record

With certain exceptions, you have the right to review or get a copy of your health or billing records or any other records used to make decisions about you. Your request can be made in writing to the Medical Records Department at The Lifecare Institute. The Lifecare Institute may charge a reasonable cost-based fee. You may also access or download your record through MyChart, The Lifecare Institute’s patient portal.

• Right to Amend (Update) Your Health Record

You have the right to ask us to modify, but not delete, your health and/or billing information for as long as the information is kept by us. Requests should be made in writing. We may deny your request, under certain circumstances, and we will tell you why in writing.

• Right to a List (Accounting) of Whom We’ve Shared Information

You have the right to a list of disclosures we have made of your health information in the six years prior to your request.  The list will not contain disclosures made for purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one list a year for free, but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

• Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to ask us to contact you in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may ask that we call your cell phone with appointment reminders instead of your home phone. We will say yes to reasonable requests.  However, if we can’t reach you as requested, we may contact you using the information that we have.

• Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to ask us to limit how we use and disclose your health information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request and we may say “no”, for example, if it could affect your care. If we do agree, we may still share this information if you need emergency treatment. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or health care operations purposes. We will say yes unless a law requires us to share that information.

• Right to Notification following a Breach of PHI 

You have the right to be notified a breach that compromises the privacy or security of your health information. If a breach should occur, you will receive a notice with all relevant details, including contact information to ask questions.

• Right to File a Complaint

You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting The Lifecare Institute’s Director of Compliance. You can also 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  https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

• Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice     

You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically.

Future Changes to The Lifecare Institute Private Practices and This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you.  We will post a copy of the current Notice on The Lifecare Institute website, gilchristcares.org/thelifecareinstitute.  In addition, at any time you may request a copy of the Notice currently in effect.

Use of Unsecure Electronic Communications.

If you choose to communicate with us or any of you’re the Lifecare Institute providers via unsecure electronic communication, such as regular email or text message, we may respond to you in the same way the communication was received. Before using any unsecure electronic communication to correspond with us, note that there are certain risks, such as interception by others, misaddressed/misdirected messages, shared accounts, messages forwarded to others, or messages stored on unsecured, portable electronic devices.  By choosing to correspond with us via unsecure electronic communication, you are acknowledging and agreeing to accept these risks. 

If you have questions or would like further information about this Notice, please contact:

Director of Compliance

The Lifecare Institute

​2000 Medical Parkway, Suite 607
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: (301) 791-6360
Email: LHGLICompliance@lhgli.org

Non-Discrimination

The Lifecare Institute complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate, exclude or treat people differently based on age, gender, sex (consistent with the scope of sex discrimination described at 45 CFR 92.101(a)(2)), race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disabilities. 
 
The Lifecare Institute provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and language assistance for those whose primary language is not English. These aids and services include, but are not limited to: 
 
– Qualified interpreters for American sign language.  
– Qualified interpreters for those whose primary language is not English.  
 
If you need these services, contact your nurse, your doctor and/or the department manager. You have the right, without recrimination, to voice complaints regarding your care and to have those complaints reviewed, and when possible, resolved. 
 
If you believe that The Lifecare Institute has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way, you may file a grievance by contacting our Quality Specialist at 844.774.0242. You can also forward your concerns by email to LHGLIqualitysafety@lhgli.org, regular mail to the attention of the Quality Specialist, 2000 Medical Parkway, Suite 607, Annapolis, MD 21401. Our Quality Specialist will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have. For general questions related to The Lifecare Institute’s compliance with federal civil rights laws, you can email LHGLICompliance@lhgli.org. 
 
You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at: Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, D.C. 20201, Phone: 1-800-368-1019, TDD: 1-800-537-7697. Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.