Notice of Privacy Practices

Our Legal Duty

This notice describes how health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. The privacy of your health information is important to us.

Federal and state laws require us to protect the privacy of your health information. We are also required to provide you with this notice about our privacy practices, your rights, and our legal responsibilities concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices we describe in this notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect on the date listed at the top, and will remain in effect until we replace it.

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time, as allowed by law. This includes the right to make changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. When we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this notice and make the new notice available on the RCare website (www.rcareinc.com) and upon request.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

The following are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health information that are permitted under HIPAA. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to describe the types of uses and disclosures that may be made of the health information that is collected on your RCare product.

To You: We must disclose your protected health information to you, or to someone who has the legal right to act on your behalf.

Treatment: Your protected health information may be used or disclosed by you or your authorized caregivers to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services.

Payment: Your protected health information may be used and disclosed, if needed, by you or your authorized caregivers to obtain payment for your health care services.

Health Care Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support the business activities of Response Care. Any use or disclosure would involve the minimum necessary information to do the activity, to the minimum number of people, and only to those who have been advised of your right to privacy. These activities include, but are not limited to, technical support, quality assessment and improvement activities, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.

We will share your protected health information with third party “business associates,” such as a Response Care Distributor, that performs various activities (for example, system sales and installation) for our company. These business associates are covered by the same privacy laws, and are legally obligated to protect the privacy of your protected health information.

We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about products and services that may be of interest to you. If you do not want to receive these materials, you can make a request in writing to Response Care.

With Your Authorization: You may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any uses or disclosures permitted by your authorization before the revocation.

People Involved in Your Health Care: Your protected health information will be available to users authorized to access your account on RCare devices.

News or Marketing Activities: A representative of Response Care may contact you or one of your family members to discuss whether or not you want to participate in a media or news story or marketing campaign. We will not use your health information for these types of communications without your written authorization.

If Required By Law: We may use or disclose your protected health information if the use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the requirements of the law. You will be notified, if required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.

Other Disclosures: We may use or disclose your health information in circumstances, but only as required by government regulation or law, or as permitted by HIPAA.

Your Rights

Access: You have the right to look at or receive copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. It is available to you by making a request in writing to Response Care. As permitted by law, we may charge you a reasonable fee for a copy of your records.

Restrictions: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency.) Make your request in writing to Response Care, and include the specific restriction requested and to whom the restriction to applies. Response Care is not required to agree with your request. If Response Care does agree, the agreement will be in writing.

Alternative Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. Make your request in writing to Response Care. Specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will accommodate reasonable requests. We will not request an explanation from you as to the basis for the request.

Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information. Make your request in writing to Response Care, and include why we should amend the information. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information over the last 6 years. That list will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, as authorized by you, and for certain other activities. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests. Make your request in writing to Response Care.

Copy of this Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us for a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to accept this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.

Complaints, Questions, and Requests

You may complain to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us. You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Privacy Official of your complaint. It is the Privacy Official’s responsibility for the investigation of the complaint, and the Company’s response. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Address complaints, questions or requests for more information to:

Privacy Official
Response Care, Inc.
38 Commercial St.
Webster, NY 14580
(585) 671-4144