What’s New
Resident’s Association
Each resident is independent and acts in his own behalf at Springmoor. If the resident has limitations, the person designated by the resident as power of attorney acts in behalf of the resident. In addition, residents are represented by the Springmoor Residents' Association.
Annually, residents of Springmoor elect officers and committees to represent them in matters relating to management and to provide leadership in matters of common interest. These elected officials and committee representatives comprise the officers and committees of the Springmoor Residents' Association. The Residents' Association is a non-profit corporation established at the inception of Springmoor to represent residents in all aspects of Springmoor life.
Overall leadership is provided by the Association's Executive Committee, which consists of the Association President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three elected Directors. There is also a working committee in each major area of Springmoor life,including health care, food service, activities and recreation, housekeeping, and transportation.
The Residents' Association is highly effective in its leadership in representing the interests of residents to management and others, and in providing information and recommendations to residents on specific issues that impact on them, such as legislation and federal/state health care programs.
Further information on the activities of this important organization and its work is available from the Springmoor Business Office or from officers of the Residents' Association.
Notice of Privacy Practices
SPRINGMOOR LIFE CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
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.
We respect the privacy of your personal health information and are committed to maintaining our confidentiality. This Notice applies to all information and records related to your care that our facility has received or created. It extends to information received or created by our employees, staff, volunteers and physicians. This Notice informs you about the possible uses and disclosures of your personal health information. It also describes your rights and our obligations regarding your personal health information.
We are required by law to:
- maintain the privacy of your protected health information;
- provide to you this detailed Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices relating to your personal health information; and
- abide by the terms of the Notice that are currently in effect.
Providers within the affiliated organized health care arrangement (OHCA) will share information for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations.
1. WITH YOUR CONSENT WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION FOR TREATMENT, PAYMENT AND HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
2. You will be asked to sign a Consent allowing us to use and disclose your personal health information for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations. We have described these uses and disclosures below and provide examples of the types of uses and disclosures we may make in each of these categories.
For Treatment. We will use and disclose your personal health information in providing you with treatment and services. We may disclose your personal health information to facility and non-facility personnel who may be involved in your care, such as physicians, nurses, nurse aides, and physical therapists. For example, a nurse caring for you will report any change in your condition to your physician. We also may disclose personal health information to individuals who will be involved in your care after you leave the facility.
For Payment. We may use and disclose your personal health information so that we can bill and receive payment for treatment and services you receive at the facility. For billing and payment purposes, we may disclose your personal health information to your representative, an insurance or managed care company, Medicare, or another third party payor. For example, we may contact Medicare or your health plan to confirm your coverage or to request coverage information for a proposed treatment or service.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose your personal health information for facility operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to manage the facility and to monitor our quality of care. For example, we may use personal health information to evaluate our facility’s services, including the performance of our staff.
We may require that you sign a Consent as described above as a condition of our providing treatment to you because the uses and disclosures of your personal health information are essential to our ability to care for you.
3. WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU FOR OTHER SPECIFIC PURPOSES
Facility Directory. Unless you object, we will include certain limited information about you in our facility directory. This information may include your name and your location in the facility.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. Unless you object, we may disclose your personal health information to a family member or close personal friend, including clergy, who is involved in your care.
As Required By Law. We will disclose your personal health information when required by law to do so.
Public Health Activities. We may disclose your personal health information for public health activities. These activities may include, for example:
- reporting to a public health or other government authority for preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, or reporting abuse or neglect;
- reporting to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning adverse events or problems with products for tracking products in certain circumstances, to enable product recalls or to comply with other FDA requirements;
- to notify a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition or
- for certain purposes involving workplace illness or injuries.
Reporting Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence. If we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, we may use and disclose your personal health information to notify a government authority if required or authorized by law, or if you agree to the report.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your personal health information to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law. These may include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections and licensure actions or other legal proceedings. These activities are necessary for government oversight of the health care system, government payment or regulatory programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose your personal health information in response to a court or administrative law. We also may disclose information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose your personal health information for certain law enforcement purposes, including:
- as required by law to comply with reporting requirements;
- to comply with a court order, warrant, subpoena, summons, investigative demand or similar legal process;
- to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
- when information is requested about the victim of a crime if the individual agrees or under other limited circumstances;
- to report information about a suspicious death;
- to provide information about criminal conduct occurring at the facility;
- to report information in emergency circumstances about a crime; or
- where necessary to identify or apprehend an individual in relation to a violent crime or an escape from lawful custody.
Research. We may allow personal health information of patients from our facility who choose to participate in research studies. Your personal health information may be used for research purposes only if the privacy aspects of the research have been reviewed and approved by a special Privacy Board of Institutional Review Board, if the researcher is collecting information in preparing a research proposal, if the research occurs after your death, or if you authorize the use or disclosure.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, Funeral Directors, Organ Procurement Organizations. We may release your personal health information to a coroner, medical examiner, funeral director or, if you are an organ donor, to an organization involved in the donation of organs and tissue.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose your personal health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of the public or another person. However, any disclosure would be made only to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may use and disclose your personal health information as required by military command authorities.
We may also use and disclose personal health information about foreign military personnel as required by the appropriate foreign military authority.
Workers’ Compensation. We may use or disclose your personal health information to comply with laws relating to workers’ compensation or similar programs.
Appointment Reminders. We may use or disclose personal health information to remind you about appointments.
Treatment Alternatives. We may use or disclose personal health information to inform you about treatment alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may use or disclose personal health information to inform you about health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
1. YOUR AUTHORIZATION IS REQUIRED FOR OTHER USES OF PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
2. We will use and disclose personal health information (other than as described in this Notice or required by law) only with your written Authorization. You may revoke your Authorization to use or disclose personal health information in writing, at any time. If you revoke your Authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your personal health information for the purposes covered by the Authorization, except where we have already relied on the Authorization.
3. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
4. You have the following rights regarding your personal health information at the facility:
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request restrictions on our use or disclosure of your personal health information for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to restrict the personal health information we disclose about you to a family member, friend or other person who is involved in your care or the payment for your care.
We are required to agree to your requested restriction unless your are being transferred to another health care institution, the release of records is required by law, or the release of information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
Right of Access to Personal Health Information. You have the right to request, either orally or in writing, your medical or billing records or other written information that may be used to make decisions about your care. We must allow you to inspect your records within 24 hours of your request. If you request copies of the records, we must provide you with copies within 2 days of that request. We may charge a reasonable fee for our costs in copying and mailing your requested information.
5. COMPLAINTS
6. If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint in writing with the facility or with the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the facility, contact Jim Cox, Human Resource Director, 919-848-7088.
We will not retaliate against you if you file a complaint.
7. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
8. We will promptly revise and distribute this Notice whenever there is a material change to the uses or disclosures, your individual rights, our legal duties, or other privacy practices stated in this Notice. We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised or new Notice provisions effective for all personal health information already received and maintained by the facility as well as for all personal health information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current Notice in the facility. In addition, we will provide a copy of the revised Notice to all patients via U.S. mail or Springmoor in-house mail system.
9. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this Notice please contact Fred Conner, Executive Director, 919-848-7103.
