PRIVACY NOTICES

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.

Use and Disclosure of Your Medical Information

TNC Community uses your medical information (Protected Health Information, PHI), to provide you with residential habilitation services, to receive payment for those services, and to assure your daily health needs are met.

Privacy: TNC Community is required by state and federal law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI). PHI includes any identifiable information about your physical or mental health, the health care you receive, and the payment for your health care. TNC Community is also required to provide you with this notice to tell you how it may use and disclose your PHI and to inform you of your privacy rights.

Treatment: TNC Community may disclose your medical information to those involved in your treatment such as TNC Community staff, your Support Coordinator, other staff, and volunteers who work directly with you.

Health Care Operations: TNC Community may disclose your medical information to your doctor and dentist, and any other health care providers. TNC Community staff may pick up/or sign for your medical prescriptions and other documents (medical supplies, x-rays, etc.) related to your care.

Payment: TNC Community may be required to use or disclose your medical information in order to obtain payment for services you receive through our agency.

Additional Uses and Disclosures That Do Not Require Your Consent

In certain situations, your consent is not required for the use or disclosure of your medical information. Those situations are described below. TNC Community may disclose your medical information:

To a public health authority in order to prevent or control disease, to report birth or death, and for the purpose of public health investigations.
For guardianship or commitment proceedings.
For protection of a person who may be a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
To an agency that oversees government health benefit programs for the purpose of audits, investigations, inspections, or other activities.
In response to a court order in a judicial or administrative proceeding, or in some cases, in response to a valid subpoena.
To law enforcement officials for a law enforcement purpose in the following situations: when required by law; for identification and location purposes; if you are suspected to be a victim of a crime; to report suspicion of death by criminal conduct; to report suspicion of criminal conduct occurring on the grounds of one of our facilities or your home; and in case of an emergency.
To a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director in the event of your death.
To organ donation organizations if you have made arrangements to donate your organs.
To authorities, limited health information may be disclosed if necessary to prevent an immediate threat to the health or safety of the public.
To authorities, in special government circumstances involving: military or veterans activities; national security and intelligence activities; protective services for the President; medical suitability determinations; law enforcement custodial situations; and government programs providing public benefit.
In accordance with laws related to workers’ compensation.
To avert a serious threat to your health or safety.
To your guardian and/or to someone who helps pay for your care.
To authorities or entities assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family may be notified about your condition, status, and location.
To authorities when reporting reactions to medications or problems with products.
To entities and agencies with governmental and regulatory oversight and accreditation organizations such as Department of Mental Health and CARF.
For federal and state oversight activities such as fraud investigations, incident reporting, and protection and advocacy activities.
To clergy, if you agree verbally or otherwise, your religious affiliation.
To family directly involved in your care or who pay for your care.

All other uses or disclosures of your medical information will be made only with your (or your guardian’s) written authorization. You or your guardian, as applicable, may revoke your written authorization at any time.

Your Rights

The federal law that protects the privacy of your health information gives you several rights:

You have the right to have a copy of this notice of privacy practices. To obtain a copy of this notice, contact TNC Community at (816) 373-5060.
You have the right to receive communication about your health information in a confidential manner and may request that TNC Community contact you by a preferred method (i.e., fax, e-mail, use of a specific address or telephone number to contact you, or other electronic means).
You have the right to inspect and request a copy of information in your case record. In some cases, TNC Community may not be required to comply with your request. If this should occur, you will be notified in writing as to the reason for denial.
You may also request changes to the information contained in your case record. If you do not agree with what the records say, you can write down what you believe is true and this will be placed in your record also. All requests must be signed and dated.
You have the right to restrict sharing of PHI with your health plan for any services that were paid for out-of-pocket.
You have the right to restrict health plan access to genetic information.
You have the right to prohibit the sale or marketing of PHI without authorization.
You have the right to request that restrictions be placed on the use and disclosure of your health information for reasons not otherwise required by law. TNC Community may approve or deny this request. The Support Team members will attempt to explain the advantages and disadvantages of a choice regarding nondisclosure of information. All requests must be in writing, signed and dated and will be placed in the Individual’s Record.
You have the right to be notified of a breach of unsecured PHI. You may request a list of uses and disclosures of your health information that were made in error. Certain limitations may apply.
You have the right to opt out of fundraising.
You have the right to obtain a copy of all authorizations of release of information.

Grievances:

If you believe that any of these rights or your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a grievance with TNC Community or you may contact the Department of Mental Health. You are protected from retaliation for any and all complaints you make. For additional information, or to file a grievance, contact the TNC Community Privacy and Security Officer at 816-373-5060, or the Department of Mental Health Consumer Affairs line at 1-800-364-9687.

TNC Community Is Obligated To

Maintain the privacy of your protected health information.
Abide by the terms of the privacy notice currently in effect.
Notify you when any changes are made to the privacy notice.

Changes To This Notice:

We have the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in the TNC Community administrative office. The notice will contain, on the first page in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. This notice of privacy practices will be reviewed periodically and updated/revised whenever there is a material change to the uses or disclosures, your rights, TNC Community’s legal duties, or other privacy practices stated in this notice. The revised document will be distributed to and reviewed with all individuals/guardians.