This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to CityWide Home Care to the extent CityWide is required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule as a covered health care provider.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. These rights may include the following, subject to applicable law and any permitted limitations.
Get a copy of your health and claims records
You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of health information we maintain about you. We will provide access as required by law and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted.
Ask us to correct your records
You may ask us to correct health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny a request in some circumstances, but if we do, we will explain why as required by law.
Request confidential communications
You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at a particular phone number or mailing address. We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
You may ask us not to use or disclose certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not always required to agree, except in circumstances where the law requires a restriction.
Get a list of certain disclosures
You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information made during the period allowed by law, excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other permitted purposes.
Get a paper copy of this notice
You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
Choose someone to act for you
If you have given someone legal authority to act for you, such as through a health care proxy or other lawful authorization, we will recognize that person’s rights as permitted by law.
File a complaint
You may complain to CityWide Home Care if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
How We May Use and Share Health Information
Treatment
We may use or share health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and to communicate with other health care professionals involved in your treatment when permitted by law.
Payment
We may use or share health information to bill for services, determine coverage, obtain payment, or coordinate payment-related activities when permitted by law.
Health care operations
We may use or share health information for business and care operations such as quality improvement, staff training, compliance, auditing, care coordination, and other activities permitted by HIPAA.
Other permitted or required uses
HIPAA and other laws may allow or require us to disclose health information for certain purposes, including public health and safety activities, health oversight, workers’ compensation, law enforcement, judicial or administrative proceedings, and other purposes permitted or required by law.
Uses requiring your authorization
For uses and disclosures not otherwise permitted or required by law, we will obtain your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it.
Marketing, sale of health information, and psychotherapy notes
When HIPAA requires authorization for marketing, a sale of protected health information, or certain uses of psychotherapy notes, we will obtain authorization before making those uses or disclosures.
Substance use disorder records
Certain substance use disorder treatment records may receive additional protections under federal law. When such records are subject to special protections, CityWide will handle them as required by applicable law.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law, when HIPAA applies, to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information, provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
If a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of protected health information, we will provide notification as required by applicable law.
Changes to This Notice
We may change the terms of this notice, and the changes may apply to health information we already maintain. A current version will be available on this website and upon request.
Questions or Complaints
For questions about this notice, to exercise a privacy right, to request a copy of the notice, or to make a privacy complaint, contact CityWide Home Care:
This website notice is intended to provide a clear summary of CityWide’s privacy practices. CityWide should review this notice against its actual HIPAA policies, operations, business-associate arrangements, and applicable New York requirements before relying on it as its official HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.