HIPAA Privacy Notice

17608 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44112

(216) 481-1907

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT CLIENTS MAY BE DISCLOSED AND HOW THEY CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

New Avenues to Independence, Inc. Providing services for individuals with disabilities since 1952.

HIPAA PRIVACY NOTICE

Site Map Webmaster Privacy Policy

Revised: September 13, 2008.

This Notice tells clients how we may use and disclose protected health information about them. Protected health information means any health information about clients that identifies them or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify clients. In the header above, that information is referred to as “medical information.” In this Notice, we simply call all of that protected health information, “health information.”

This Notice also tells clients about their rights and our duties with respect to health information about them. In addition, it will tell clients how to complain to us if they believe we have violated their privacy rights.

Who We Are

All of our nurses, medical business associates, and other health care professionals authorized to enter information about clients into their records.
All of our departments, including but not limited to, our Medical Records, Business Office, Nursing Department, Residential and Community Services, Section 8, and Volunteer Services.
All of our New Avenues to Independence service sites.
All of our employees, staff, consultants, volunteers and other personnel who work for us or on our behalf.

Our Pledge REGARDING CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH INFORMATION

Make sure that health information that identifies clients is kept private in accordance with relevant law.

Give clients this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to their personal health information.

Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect for all of their personal health information.

How We May Use and Disclose Clients Health Information

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose health information. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment: We may use health information about clients to provide clients with health care treatment or services or to facilitate health treatment or services by other providers. We may disclose health information about clients to the doctors, nurses, technicians, and others who are involved in their care. They may work at New Avenues or other health care provider to whom we may refer clients for treatment, consultation, lab tests, prescriptions or other health care service. They may also include doctors and other health care professionals who work at New Avenues, or elsewhere, whom we consult about their care. For example, New Avenues may disclose to an emergency room doctor who is treating clients for a sprained ankle that clients have diabetes, because diabetes may affect their body’s healing process. Likewise, we might disclose information about them prior to giving prescriptions to a pharmacist to determine if a pending prescription is contraindicative to prior prescriptions.

For Payment: We may use and disclose health information about clients to bill and collect payment from clients, their insurance company, including Medicaid and Medicare, or other third party that may be available to reimburse us for some or all of their health care. We may also disclose health information about clients to other health care providers or to their health plan so that they can arrange for payment relating to their care. For example, if clients have health insurance, we may need to share information about their office visit with their health plan in order for their health plan to pay us or reimburse clients for the visit. We may also tell the clients health plan about treatment clients need to obtain their health plan’s prior approval or to determine whether their plan will cover the treatment.

For Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose health information about clients for our day-to-day operations, and may disclose information about clients to other health care providers involved in their care or to their health plan for use in their day-to-day operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run New Avenues to Independence and to make sure that all of our clients receive quality care, and to assist other providers and health plans in doing so as well. For example, we may use health information to review the services that we provide and evaluate the performance of our staff in serving clients. We may also combine health information about our clients with health information from other health care providers to decide what additional services New Avenues should offer, what services are needed, whether new treatments are effective or to compare how we are doing with others and to see where we can make improvements. We may remove information that identifies clients from this set of health information so others may use it to study health care delivery without learning who our clients are.

Individuals Involved in Clients Care or Payment for Their Care: We may release health information about clients to a friend or family member who is involved in their health care or the person who helps pay for their care, with prior authorization from clients.

Organ and Tissue Donation: If clients are organ donors, we way disclose health information about them to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

As Required By Law: We will disclose health information about clients when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use and disclose health information about clients when necessary to prevent a serious threat to their health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

Workers’ Compensation: We may release health information about clients for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Activities: We may disclose health information about clients for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

To prevent or control disease, injury or disability.
To report births or deaths.
To report child abuse or neglect.
To report reactions to medications or problems with products.
To notify people of recalls of products.
To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting and spreading a disease or condition.
To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a client has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if clients agree or when required or authorized by law.

Thomas M. Lewins

Executive Director

2010 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Bruce Sherman, Ph.D.

President

Jonathon Good, Esq.

Vice President

Bob Angart

Treasurer

Donald Petrash

Secretary

Michael Primrose

Non-Officer Representative

Directors

Edward A. Boehmer

Joyce Bresler

Ronald Henderson, Esq.

Daniel Koster

Ken Light

Brian Mackert

Joan Potiker

Director Emeritus