• basis for planning your care and treatment
• means of communication among the many health professionals that contribute to your care
• legal document describing the care you received
• means by which you or a third party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided
• tool in educating health professionals
• source of information for public health officials charged with licensing this facility and improving the health care of the nation
• source of data for facility planning and marketing
• tool to evaluate and improve the care we give you

Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to:

• ensure its accuracy
• better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may look at your health information
• make more informed decisions when allowing disclosure to others

Your Health Information Rights
Although your health record is the physical property of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

• request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information.
• obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request.
• inspect and get a copy your health record.
• correct or add to health record as provided.
• obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information.
• request communications of your health information by other means (for example by Email) or at other locations
• revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information unless the action has already taken place

Our Responsibilities
Grand Rapids Home for Veterans is required to:

• keep you health information private
• provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices concerning information we collect and maintain about you
• abide by the terms of this notice
• notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
• accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by other means or at other locations

We have the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will provide you with a revised notice.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.

For More Information or to Report a Problem If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Privacy Officer at Grand Rapids Home for Veteran's either in writing at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans 3000 Monroe NE Grand Rapids, MI 49505 or calling 616 364-5300 and asking for the Privacy Officer. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Officer or with the secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations

Treatment
Information obtained by a nurse, doctor or other member of your healthcare team will be recorded in your medical record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. We will also provide your doctors or other healthcare providers with copies of various reports that should assist him or her in treating you once you leave the facility.

Payment
A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you as well as your diagnosis and procedures.

Healthcare Operations
Information in your medical record may be used by the facility in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the services we provide you.

Business Associates
Some of the services we provide are through contracts. When services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associates so they can perform the job we are asking them to do and to allow them to bill for the services they provide. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Directory
Unless you tell us that you object, we will use your name, location in the facility, general condition and religious affiliation for directory purposes. This information may be provided to members of the clergy and to others people who ask for you by name.

Notification
We may use or disclose information about your location, care and general condition when notifying or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or other person responsible for your care.

Communication with Family
We may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.

Research
We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved and includes protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Funeral Director/Medical Examiner
We may disclose health information to funeral directors and the medical examiner consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.

Marketing/Fundraising We may contact you, unless you tell us otherwise, to ask your opinion of our services, or provide information about other health related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. With your permission, your health information may be used for telling others about our facility or to help raise money for the facility to provide care and services.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to product and product defects or most marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls or replacements.

Workers Compensation
We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Public Health/Health Oversight
As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability. Information may be disclosed to agencies responsible for reviewing or surveying GRHV.

Law Enforcement or Specific Government Functions
We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena. We may disclose health information about you to federal officers for national security activities authorized by law.

Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more members, workers or the public.