Notice of 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 review it carefully.
Required HIPAA notice
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.
About this notice
Margaret Home Health Inc. (“Margaret Home Health,” “we,” “us”) is a licensed California home health agency (CDPH License #550009195) required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) and California law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (“PHI”), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice for as long as it is in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time, and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we maintain.
How we use and disclose your information
HIPAA permits us to use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes:
For treatment
We use your PHI to coordinate care among the nurses, therapists, aides, and physicians involved in your treatment. For example, your nurse may share information with your primary care physician to ensure your medications and care plan remain aligned.
For payment
We use your PHI to bill and collect payment from Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurers, or you directly. This may include verifying coverage, submitting claims, and confirming services rendered.
For healthcare operations
We use your PHI to run our agency — including quality assessment, caregiver credentialing, internal audits, accreditation activities (such as ACHC), case review, and improving the services we provide.
Appointment reminders and care communications
We may contact you to remind you of appointments, follow up on your care, or share information about services or community resources we believe may benefit you.
To people involved in your care
Unless you object, we may share PHI with family members, friends, or others you have identified as involved in your care or the payment of your care.
Required by law or for public welfare
We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law, including: reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; reporting communicable diseases to public health authorities; responding to court orders, subpoenas, or warrants; and reporting to FDA, OSHA, CDPH, or law-enforcement agencies as required.
For research, organ donation, and other limited circumstances
We may disclose PHI for research approved by an Institutional Review Board with appropriate privacy protections, for organ donation purposes, to coroners or funeral directors as permitted by law, or to avert a serious threat to health or safety.
Your rights
You have the following rights regarding the PHI we maintain about you:
Right to inspect and copy
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical and billing records, in paper or electronic form. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies.
Right to request an amendment
If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny the request in limited circumstances; if we do, we will tell you why in writing and you may submit a statement of disagreement.
Right to an accounting of disclosures
You have the right to receive a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or where you authorized the disclosure. This list covers the six years prior to your request.
Right to request restrictions
You have the right to ask us to restrict how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or to family members involved in your care. We are not required to agree, except for restrictions on disclosures to health plans regarding services you paid for in full out of pocket.
Right to confidential communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a specific way or at a specific location — for example, only at your work address or only by mail.
Right to a paper copy of this notice
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. Contact our Privacy Officer to obtain a copy.
Right to be notified of a breach
You have the right to be notified if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you in accordance with the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.
Right to choose someone to act for you
If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. We will verify that person’s authority before taking action.
To exercise any of these rights, please submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer (see contact section below).
Our duties
Margaret Home Health is required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
- Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
- Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
- Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI.
- Honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.
- Provide a paper copy of this Notice upon request.
- Comply with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules and equivalent California laws (including the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act).
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or directly with the federal government. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
File a complaint with us
Submit a written complaint to our Privacy Officer using the contact information below. We will respond within 30 days.
File a complaint with the federal government
You may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone1-877-696-6775
Websitehhs.gov/ocr/complaints/
Changes to this notice
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. Any changes will apply to all PHI we maintain. When we make a material change, we will post the revised Notice on this page, update the effective date, and make a paper copy available in our office. The current Notice will also be provided to you at your first service date after the change.
Contact our Privacy Officer
For questions about this Notice, to request a paper copy, to exercise any of your rights, or to file a complaint:
Privacy Officer · Margaret Home Health
- Phone(747) 777-4024
- Fax(747) 777-4016
- Emailinfo@margarethomehealth.com
- Mail18663 Ventura Blvd, Suite 216
Tarzana, CA 91356
A paper copy of this Notice is also available at our office and will be provided to you upon request.
