SUNSTONE PRIVACY POLICY

HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RESIDENTS MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW A RESIDENT CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Sunstone is required by law to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of a resident’s health information and to provide the resident with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to personal health information. Residents should also respect the privacy of others they encounter while at Sunstone.

Sunstone collects personal and health information about residents with their consent and stores it in an electronic record.  This is the resident data record. The resident data record is the property of Sunstone, but the information in the record belongs to the resident.  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires Sunstone to maintain the privacy of the resident record. HIPAA generally requires that any uses or disclosures of information in the record be limited to the minimum necessary to the purposes of the uses or disclosures.  HIPAA also provides the resident certain rights with respect to the information in their record which is described below.

Information relating to a resident’s treatment by their healthcare providers is protected by federal regulations specific to drug and alcohol treatment, which are known as 42 CFR Part 2. These regulations protect the confidentiality of information relating to the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of any patient in a drug or alcohol treatment program. Sunstone may not disclose records relating to a resident’s treatment without their written consent, except in narrowly limited circumstances. Under 42 CFR Part 2, the terms of a written consent to disclose information must specify the scope and types of information to be disclosed, the parties to whom the information may be disclosed, the purpose of the disclosure and the timeframe of the consent. A resident may revoke consent to disclose information relating to drug and alcohol verbally or in writing at any time.

Sunstone may ask for written consent to disclose treatment information for certain purposes, including releasing treatment information to or obtaining information from other medical providers, contacting family either for treatment purposes or in the case of a medical or other emergency.  Sunstone will not disclose treatment information for these purposes without consent.

Sunstone may disclose treatment information without written consent under certain narrow circumstances as permitted by 42 CFR Part 2.  For treatment purposes, Sunstone is permitted to use and disclose treatment information internally and to entities with which it shares administrative control. Sunstone is permitted to share treatment information as necessary with qualified service organizations that agree to maintain the confidentiality of the information. Sunstone may also disclose treatment information to outside auditors, regulatory agencies, and evaluators and for certain research purposes. Sunstone may disclose treatment information without written consent when necessary in a life-threatening medical emergency and may disclose to report a crime on the premises or against Sunstone personnel. Sunstone may also disclose patient information without consent where the state mandates child abuse and neglect reporting; when cause of death is being reported; or when required by a valid court order that contains specific required findings.

 

I. Your Health Information Rights

In addition to protecting privacy and confidentiality, HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 afford the resident the following rights with respect to their medical record and drug or alcohol treatment information:

1. Residents have the right to a paper copy of this written notice of Sunstone’s privacy practices.
2. Residents have a right to request a copy of their personal data record or to receive their health information through a reasonable alternative means or at an alternative location. Sunstone requires that all such requests be put in writing.
3. Residents have the right to request that Sunstone amend information that is incorrect or incomplete. If Sunstone determines not to amend the information, it will provide the resident with an explanation of the reason for the denial and their rights to disagree with the denial.
4. Residents have the right to request restrictions on otherwise permitted uses and disclosures of their health information. Sunstone is not obligated to comply with such requests.
5. Residents may request that Sunstone provide them with a written accounting of all disclosures made during a specific time period (not to exceed 6 years).  Sunstone asks that such requests be made in writing. Please note that an accounting will not apply to any of the following types of disclosures: disclosures made with a resident’s written consent for reasons of treatment or health care operations; disclosures made to a resident or their legal representative, or any other individual involved with their care.

 

II. Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

Sunstone reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and to make the new provisions effective for all information that it maintains, including information that was created or received prior to the date of such amendment. Until amendment is made, Sunstone is required by law to comply with this Notice. Should our privacy practices change, we will provide all current and future patients with a copy of the revised Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective September 20, 2022

 

III. Complaints Regarding Privacy Practices

Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Practices or how Sunstone manages a resident’s personal health information should be directed to:

Attn: Executive Director
Sunstone Life, Inc.
1080 Nimitzview Road, Suite 400
Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:

Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, DC 20201

You may also address your complaint to one of the regional U.S Department of Health and Human Services Offices for Civil Rights. A list of these offices can be found online at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/addresses.html