Notice of Privacy Practices

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

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Your health information may be used and disclosed in the following ways without your written authorization:

  • To provide treatment. For example, we may use your health information to coordinate care within The Elizabeth We may also share your health information with others outside of the Hospice involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the interdisciplinary team, pharmacists and suppliers of medical equipment and other health care providers involved in your care.
  • To obtain payment. For example, we may use or disclose information to make determinations regarding insurance coverage, to coordinate benefits, and to bill and obtain payment from your health plan for the services we provide to We may also need to share your health information in order to obtain prior approval from your health plan for hospice and palliative care services that will be provided to you.
  • To conduct health care operations. For example, we may use or disclose information in order to make sure that our patients receive quality care and to evaluate our staff’s performance when they provide services to you. Our health care operations may also include, training programs for health care professionals and volunteers, accreditation and licensing activities, medical reviews and auditing and other business

Health Information Exchange Participation
The Elizabeth Hospice participates in the Carequality Electronic Health Information Exchange (HIE), which allows authorized healthcare professionals involved in your care to securely access accurate, up-to-date medical information. This exchange supports continuity of care and enables providers, including emergency personnel, to view critical health information such as allergies, medications, and medical conditions in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Participation in the HIE is voluntary. If you choose to opt out, your health information will not be available to providers through Carequality. To opt out, please email medical.records@ehospice.org. For additional information, visit https://carequality.org.

OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Your health information may be used and disclosed in additional ways without your written authorization. We may have to meet other conditions in the law before we can share your health information in these circumstances:

  • To disclose your health information to other persons or organizations when requested by you. This disclosure may require your written
  • To individuals involved in your care or payment for your care. For example, unless there is a specific written request from you to the contrary, we may tell your friend or family member who is involved in your care about your condition and the services we are providing to
  • For our non-profit fundraising activities. We may use certain information about you including your name, address, phone number and dates you received care in order to contact you or your family for the purpose of raising awareness about our services or soliciting charitable funds. You have the right to opt out of receiving fundraising If you receive a fundraising communication, it will tell you how to opt out. If you do not want us to contact you or your family for this purpose, please notify our Privacy Officer at 800-797-2050 or sent an e-mail to nocontact@ehospice.org and indicate that you do not wish to be contacted.
  • When required by any Federal, State or local law or in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding. For example, such as in response to a subpoena, legally enforceable discovery request, or other lawful process.
  • For public health activities and purposes. For example, to prevent, control or report disease, injury, disability or vital events and to notify you of the recall of products you may be using. We may also notify the appropriate government authority if we believe you have been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
  • To our business associates who perform certain functions or provide services to us when they require the use and disclosure of health information, such as quality assurance and accreditation functions or consulting
  • To a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law. For example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure verification necessary for the government to monitor the health care system and health care
  • For law enforcement purposes. For example, to report certain types of injuries or in response to Court-ordered search warrants and subpoenas, to identify or locate a suspect or missing person, or in emergencies to report a
  • To Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors, as necessary to carry out duties under the
  • For organ, eye or tissue donation, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and
  • For research purposes. This is subject to approval by policy review boards, and subject to certain representations by researchers regarding the necessity of using your health information and treatment of the information during a research
  • In an event of a serious and imminent threat to health or safety of the public.
  • For specified government functions, such as for National Security and intelligence activities and security If you are a member of the armed forces, we may also release health information about you as required by military command authorities.
  • For worker’s compensation or similar programs, which provide benefits for work-related injuries or
  • For special categories of health information, restrictions may limit or preclude some uses or disclosures described in this For example, special restrictions may apply to tests for HIV or treatment for mental health conditions or alcohol or drug abuse.
  • Substance Use Disorder Treatment If we receive or maintain any information about you from a substance use disorder treatment program that is covered by 42 CFR Part 2 (a “Part 2 Program”) through a general consent you provide to the Part 2 Program to use and disclose the Part 2 Program record for purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations, we may use and disclose your Part 2 Program record for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes as described in this Notice. If we receive or maintain your Part 2 Program record through specific consent you provide to us or another third party, we will use and disclose your Part 2 Program record only as expressly permitted by you in your consent as provided to us.

In no event will we use or disclose your Part 2 Program record, or testimony that describes the information contained in your Part 2 Program record, in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings by any Federal, State, or local authority, against you, unless authorized by your consent or the order of a court after it provides you notice of the court order.

USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION
Other than stated above, the Hospice will not disclose your health information without your written authorization. For example, the following uses and disclosures will be made only with your authorization:

  • Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes;
  • Uses and disclosures that constitute the sale of your health information;
  • Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes; and
  • Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice

If you authorize the Hospice to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the activities covered by the authorization, except if we have already acted in reliance on your permission. We are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your authorization, and we are required to retain records of health information.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have the following rights regarding your health information maintained by the Hospice:

“You” in this Notice means a Hospice patient or, if applicable, the patient’s personal representative. A personal representative is any person authorized by State law to act on behalf of the patient with respect to his/her health care. For example, a personal representative may include the parent or guardian of a minor (unless the minor has the authority under California law to act on his/her own behalf), the guardian or conservator of the patient or the person authorized by law to act on behalf of a deceased patient.

  • Right to request restrictions – you have the right to request a limit on the Hospice’s disclosure of your health information in certain For example, you may request that the Hospice not make disclosures to a family member or that we limit the amount of information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in the payment for your care. Requests for restrictions must be in writing. However, the Hospice is not required to agree to your request, unless your request is for a restriction on a disclosure to a health plan for purposes of payment or healthcare operations and is not for purposes of treatment, and the health information you are requesting to be restricted from disclosure pertains solely to a healthcare item or service for which you have paid out-of-pocket in full. If we do not agree to your request, we will reply to you in writing with the reason.
  • Right to receive confidential communications – you have the right to request communications in a certain way, or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work, rather than at your We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will work to accommodate all reasonable requests, and will say “yes” if you tell us you would be in danger if we do not accommodate the request. You must specify how or where you wish to be contacted in writing.
  • Right to inspect and copy your health information – you have the right to inspect and obtain a paper or electronic copy of your health information, including billing We may deny your request in limited circumstances and, if we do so, you may request that the denial be reviewed. If you request a copy of your health information, the Hospice may charge a fee to cover the cost of providing your health information records to you.
  • Right to amend health care information – you have the right to request that the Hospice amend your records, if you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete. To request an amendment, you must file a written request with the Hospice’s Privacy In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. If your health information is accurate and complete, or if the information was not created by the Hospice, we may deny your request to amend. If we deny your amendment, we will do so in writing. You have the right to submit a written statement disagreeing with our denial and, if we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to submit a written addendum with respect to any item or statement in your record that you believe is incomplete or incorrect.
  • Right to an accounting of disclosures – you have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by the This accounting is a list of the disclosures we made of your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other purposes consistent with law. The request for accounting must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer. The request should specify the time period for the accounting which may not be for periods of time in excess of six (6) years. If you request an accounting more than once during a twelve-month period, we will charge you a reasonable fee.
  • Right to a paper copy of this notice – you have the right to a copy of this Notice, which will be provided at the time of admission and at any time you request You may also obtain a copy of the current version of the Hospice’s Notice of Privacy Practices at its website: www.elizabethhospice.org.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

  • The Hospice is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information and to provide to you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health.
  • The Hospice is committed to safeguarding your health information and proactively works to prevent health information breaches from If a breach of unsecured health information occurs, we will notify you in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
  • The Hospice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect, as may be amended from time-to-time.
  • The Hospice reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it If the Hospice changes its Notice, the Hospice will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you, and will also post the most current Notice on its website: www.elizabethhospice.org.

COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint directly with the Hospice and with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Hospice encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Any complaint to the Hospice must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer. You may contact the Privacy Officer at: The Elizabeth Hospice, 800 West Valley Parkway, Suite 100, Escondido, CA 92025, or by phone at 1-800-797-2050.

To file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you may do so by mailing a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20201 or by calling 1-877-696-6775 or by visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.

EFFECTIVE DATE
This Notice is effective February 4, 2026

Download a PDF version of this Privacy Notice: Privacy Notice

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