Privacy Policy

Saint Joseph HealthCare, Inc.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: April 1, 2006
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.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Saint Joseph HealthCare Privacy Officer at 859.313.2707. All written requests mentioned in this document should be sent to the attention of the department referred to in the document at the following address:

For Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East
Saint Joseph HealthCare
One Saint Joseph Drive
Lexington, KY 40504

For Saint Joseph Berea
Saint Joseph Berea
305 Estill Street
Berea, KY 40403

Saint Joseph HealthCare is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information; give you notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information; and follow the terms of this notice. This notice applies to all of your health records generated by Saint Joseph HealthCare, whether made by our personnel or your personal physician.

This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose your health information in Saint Joseph HealthCare and with other entities. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE?
Associates of Saint Joseph HealthCare's affiliated entities including Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Berea, Continuing Care Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital Diabetes Treatment Center; Saint Joseph Home Care Services; and Members of the Medical Staff and Practitioners with clinical privileges to practice at Saint Joseph HealthCare.

NON-COVERED FUNCTIONS
This notice does not apply to the following non-covered functions that do not conduct standard electronic transactions: Community Health Fairs, Wellness Services at the YMCA, School Physicals completed by the Mobile Clinic, Saint Joseph Hospital Children's Center, Wise and Well Program, Appalachian Outreach Program (AOP), Saint Joseph Connection (our physician referral service), Employee Health/Human Resource Services, Kentucky Inn, Medical Office Buildings, and wellness or screening functions (including but not limited to the HeartAware program) using different vehicles for information collection such as internet, phone or face to face interviews.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.
Treatment. We will use your health information to provide you with health care treatment and to coordinate or manage services with other health care providers, including third parties. We may disclose all or any portion of your health information to your attending physician, consulting physician(s), nurses, technicians, medical students, or other facility or health care personnel who have a legitimate need for such information in order to take care of you. Different departments of the facility will share your health information in order to coordinate the health care services you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and X-rays. We may disclose your health information to family members or friends, guardians or personal representatives who are involved with your medical care. We may also use and disclose your health information to contact you for appointment reminders, and to provide you with information about possible treatment options or alternatives, and other health-related benefits and services. We also may disclose your health information to people outside the facility who may be involved in your health care after you leave the facility, such as other physicians involved in your care, specialty hospitals, skilled nursing care facilities and other health care-related services. We may also use and disclose your health information to your employer for employment or pre-employment physicals, drug testing or other health related services.

Organized Health Care Arrangement. Saint Joseph HealthCare is a clinically integrated health care setting. You receive health care services from your personal physician and other physicians who are members of the Medical staff and practitioners who have clinical privileges to practice at Saint Joseph HealthCare and from Saint Joseph HealthCare employees. Your physician, practitioners and Saint Joseph HealthCare must be able to share your health information in order to provide you with quality health care, receive payment and conduct health care operations.

The members of the Medical Staff, practitioners and Saint Joseph HealthCare have agreed to follow uniform health information practices when using or disclosing your health information while you are at Saint Joseph HealthCare, either as an inpatient or for outpatient services. This arrangement is called an organized health care arrangement. This arrangement only applies when you receive the health care services at Saint Joseph HealthCare. It does not apply to the information practices at the physician's office or other private practices.

The organized health care arrangement includes Saint Joseph HealthCare, the physicians and members of the Medical Staff and the independent practitioners who have clinical privileges to practice at Saint Joseph HealthCare. This also includes independent practitioners who practice exclusively at Saint Joseph HealthCare, such as the radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and emergency room physicians.

An example of how Saint Joseph HealthCare and members of the Medical Staff and independent practitioners share your health information include hospital committees to discuss the quality of care and ways to improve health care services to you and the community.

You will receive one Notice of Privacy Practices on behalf of Saint Joseph HealthCare, members of the Medical Staff and independent practitioners for the health care services received at Saint Joseph HealthCare. You will receive a separate Notice of Privacy Practices from your personal physician or practitioner that describes his/her own office information practices when you are seen in his/her office.

Payment. We will use and disclose your health information for activities that are necessary to receive payment for our services, such as determining insurance coverage, billing, payment and collection, claims management, and medical data processing. For example, we may tell your health plan about a treatment you are planning in order to receive approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the proposed treatment. We may disclose your health information to other health care providers so they can receive payment for health care services that they provided to you, such as ambulance services. We may also give information to other third parties or individuals who are responsible for payment for your health care, such as the named insured under the health policy who will receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) for all beneficiaries who are covered under the insured's plan.

Health Care Operations. We may disclose your health information for routine facility operations, such as business planning and development, quality review of services provided, internal auditing, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities, including the licensing or credentialing activities of healthcare professionals, medical research and education for staff and students, to assess your satisfaction with our services and to other healthcare entities that have a relationship with you and need the information for operational purposes. We may use and disclose your health information to the external agencies responsible for oversight of healthcare activities such as the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), patient satisfaction survey organizations, external quality assurance and peer review organizations, and credentialing organizations. We may also disclose health information to business associates we have contracted with to perform services for or on our behalf and to others such as medical device manufacturers or pharmaceutical companies in order for those companies to carry out their legal obligations to state and federal agencies.

Facility Directory. We may include your name, location in the facility, and your general condition (for example, fair or stable, or even the death of a person) in the facility directory. The directory information may be released to people who ask for you by name. The facility directory is available so your family, friends and clergy can visit you and generally know how you are doing. You must notify the Patient Access Department at 859.313.1267, if you are a patient at Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East. If you are a patient at Saint Joseph Berea you will need to call 859.986.6700. This information can be taken orally or at the time of registration if you do not want us to release information about you in the facility directory. If you do not want information released in the facility directory, we cannot tell members of the public, flower or other service persons and organizations, and even your friends and family that you are here and your general condition.

Future Communications. We may communicate to you via newsletters or other means regarding treatment options, health related information, disease management programs, wellness programs, or other community based initiatives or activities our facility is participating in.

Fundraising Activities. We may use your health information, or disclose your health information to a foundation related to us for Saint Joseph HealthCare's fundraising efforts. We would only release information such as your name, address and phone number and the dates that you received treatment or services from us. If you do not want us to contact you for fundraising efforts you must notify the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation orally at 859.313.1705 or in writing at the address listed above, stating that you do not want to receive the information.

Research. We may use and disclose your health information to researchers when the Institutional Review Board approves the research study and the use of your health information.

Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may release your health information to organizations that handle organ procurement and transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT ARE REQUIRED OR PERMITTED BY LAW
Subject to requirements of federal, state and local laws, we are either required or permitted to report your health information for various purposes. Some of these reporting requirements include:

Public Health Activities. We may disclose your health information to public health officials for activities such as the prevention or control of communicable disease, injury or disability; to report births and deaths; to report suspected child, elder or spouse abuse or neglect; to report reactions to medications or problems with medical products; to report information to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or to national cancer registries for their data aggregation.

Disaster Relief Efforts. We may disclose your health information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition and location.

Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. Such agencies include federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and state medical or nursing boards. These oversight activities may include audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs and compliance with civil rights laws.

Judicial or Administrative Proceeding. We may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order, a valid subpoena, discovery request, civil or criminal proceedings, or other lawful process.

Law Enforcement. We may release your health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official or if we have a legal obligation to notify the appropriate law enforcement or other agencies:
" In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar legal process;
" Regarding a victim or death of a victim of a crime in limited circumstances;
" In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime, including crimes that may occur at our facility, such as theft, diversion or attempts to obtain drugs illegally.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release health information to a coroner or a medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a person who died or determine the cause of death. We may also release health information to help a funeral director to carry out his/her duties.

Workers' Compensation. We may release your health information for workers' compensation benefits or to similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness, including disclosing information to the worker's compensation carrier and your employer.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may disclose your health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another person or the public.

National Security. We may disclose your health information to federal official(s) for national security activities and for the protection of the President and other Heads of State.

Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your health information as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or in the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release your health information to the institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; or (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

OTHER USES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.

Other uses and disclosures of your health information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us with authorization to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. When we receive your written revocation we will no longer use or disclose your health information for the purpose of that authorization. However, we are unable to retrieve any disclosures already made based on your prior authorization.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.

You have the following rights regarding health information in your designated record set:

Right to Inspect and Copy. . You have the right to inspect and/or receive a copy of your health information (medical, billing or other records that may be used to make decisions about your care). Submit your request in writing, using an Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) form, to the Medical Records Department at the address listed above.

In accordance with Kentucky House Bill 250, you are entitled to one free copy of your medical record. For additional copies, we charge a fee for document requests to cover the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies.

In limited circumstances we may deny your request to inspect and copy your health information. If you are denied access to your health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. A licensed health care professional chosen by Saint Joseph HealthCare will review your request and the denial. The person who conducts the review will not be the same person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

To obtain a paper copy of the Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information form, contact the Medical Records Department for the appropriate facility at the address listed above or at 859.313.1185 (for Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East) or 859.986.6555 (for Saint Joseph Berea).

Right to Amend. You have the right to request an amendment to your health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.

Submit your request in writing, using a Request for Amendment to Protected Health Information form, and include your reason for the amendment, to the Medical Records Department at the address listed above.

We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. We may also deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
" Was not created by Saint Joseph HealthCare, Inc.; unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
" Is not part of the medical information kept by or for Saint Joseph HealthCare, Inc.;
" Is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or;
" Is accurate and complete.
To obtain a paper copy of the Request for Amendment to Protected Health Information form, contact the Medical Records Department for the appropriate facility at the address listed above or at 859.313.1185 (for Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East) or at 859.986.6555 (for Saint Joseph Berea).

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. We are required to maintain a list of disclosures of your health information. However, we are not required to maintain a list of disclosures that we made by acting upon your written authorizations. You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures that were not subject to your written authorization.

Submit your request in writing, using a Request for Accounting form, to the Medical Records Department at the address listed above. Your request must state a time period, not longer than six years, and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. Accounting for Disclosures will be released in paper form. The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before any costs are incurred.

To obtain a paper copy of the Request for Accounting form, contact the Medical Records Department for the appropriate facility at the address listed above or at 859.313.1185 (for Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East) or at 859.986.6555 (for Saint Joseph Berea).

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on how much of your health information we use or disclose for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a restriction on the disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or payment for your care, such as a family member or friend.

We are not required to agree to your request. However, if we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment.

Submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department at the address listed above by completing a Request for Restrictions on the Use/Disclosure of Protected Health Information form. You must include: (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply.

To obtain a paper copy of the Request for Restrictions of Use/Disclosure of Protected Health Information form, contact the Medical Record Department for the appropriate facility at the address listed above or at 859.313.1185 (for Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East) or 859.986.6555 (for Saint Joseph Berea).

Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health care matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at an alternative location from your home address, such as work, or only contact you by mail instead of by phone.

You must make your request orally to the Registrar at the time of registration. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We do not require a reason for the request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You will receive a paper copy of the Notice upon your first encounter with Saint Joseph HealthCare. You may obtain an additional copy at any time through our website: www.saintjosephhealthcare.org or by contacting the Business Office Information Representatives at 859.313.4200 (for Saint Joseph Hospital or Saint Joseph East) or at 859.986.6700 (for Saint Joseph Berea) or at the address for the appropriate facility listed above.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in the facility and on the website at www.saintjosephhealthcare.org. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. Upon your initial registration or admittance to the facility for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect. Whenever the notice is revised, it will be available to you upon request.

COMPLAINTS
You may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that we have not complied with our privacy practices. You may file a complaint with us orally or in writing by contacting the Saint Joseph HealthCare Privacy Officer at 859.313.2707 or in writing at Saint Joseph HealthCare, One Saint Joseph Drive, Lexington, KY 40504.

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.