PRIVACY POLICY

Changes
Life Touch Hospice reserves the right, at its discretion, to change the terms of this Agreement and/or change, suspend, discontinue or modify any aspect of the Web Site. Such modifications may include, without limitation, changes in content, in user priorities, and discontinuance of functional aspects of the Web Site.
You agree to review the terms and conditions of this Agreement periodically to be aware of such revisions. Additionally, your continued use of the Web Site after the posting of any notice of a change in the terms and conditions shall constitute your acceptance to be bound by the express terms of any such changes.

Privacy & Security Information
Life Touch Hospice may from time to time gather information from their web visitors. Any consumer information gathered on this Site may be used for aggregate research, promotional purposes and/or for future site development. In particular we may use information gathered about you for the following purposes: to send you or, where appropriate, your organization, information about us and promotional material about our services together with details of any offers we may have available from time to time; to monitor interest in our range of services and to assist us to tailor the content of our Site to your needs by collecting information about your preferences through tracking patterns of page views on this site; and to create a profile relating to you in order to show you the content that might be of interest to you and to display the content according to your preferences.

Disclosure of Information
We respect your private, personal information and take seriously your trust in providing this information to us through this site and its forms. Life Touch Hospice will not disclose personal identifiable information that you provide on this Site to any third parties outside of Life Touch Hospice, except: 1) in accordance with the terms of this privacy policy statement, or 2) to comply with valid legal requirements such as law, regulation, warrant, subpoena or court order.

Cookies
In common with many website operators, may use standard technology called cookies on this Site. Cookies are small data files that are downloaded onto your computer when you visit a particular website. You can disable cookies by turning them off in your browser; however, some areas of this Site may not function properly if you do so.

Contact Details
If at any time you wish to contact Life Touch Hospice with any question or complaint or to exercise any of the rights set out in this privacy policy statement you may do so by contacting using any contact information listed on this site.

NOTICE OF LIFE TOUCH HOSPICE
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.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Life Touch Hospice may use your health information, information that constitutes protected health information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations. The Hospice has established policies to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH
INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED:

To Provide Treatment. The Hospice may use your health information to coordinate care within the Hospice and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the Hospice interdisciplinary team and other health care professionals who have agreed to assist the Hospice coordinating care. For example, physicians involved in your care will need information about your symptoms in order to prescribe appropriate medications. The Hospice also may disclose your health care information to individuals outside of the Hospice involved in your care including family members, clergy who you have designated, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other health care professionals.

To Obtain Payment. The Hospice may include your health information in invoices to collect payment from third parties for the care you receive from hospice. For example, the Hospice may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care status so that the insurer will reimburse you or the Hospice. The Hospice also may need to obtain prior approval from your insurer and may need to explain to the insurer your need for hospice care and the services that will be provided to you.

To Conduct Health Care Operations. The Hospice may use and disclose health information for its own operations in order to facilitate the function of the Hospice and as necessary to provide quality care to all of the Hospice’s patients. Health care operations includes such activities as:

Quality assessment and improvement activities.
Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
Protocol development, case management and care coordination.
Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment.
Professional review and performance evaluation.
Training programs including those in which students, trainees or practitioners in health care learn under supervision.
Training of non-health care professionals.
Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs.
Business planning and development including cost management and planning related analysis and formulary development.
Business management and general administrative activities of the Hospice.
Fundraising for the benefit of the Hospice.

For example the Hospice may use your health information to evaluate its staff performance, combine your health information with other Hospice patients in evaluating how to more effectively serve all Hospice patients, disclose your health information to Hospice staff and contracted personnel for training purposes, use your health information to contact you as a reminder regarding a visit to you, or contact you as part of general fundraising and community information mailings (unless you tell us that you do not want to be contacted).

The Hospice may disclose certain information about you including your name, your general health status, your religious affiliation and where you are in the Hospice’s facility in a Hospice directory while you are in the Hospice inpatient facility. The Hospice may disclose this information to people who ask for you by name. Please inform us if you do not want your information to be included in the directory.

For Appointment Reminders. The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for a home visit.

For Treatment Alternatives. The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

When Legally Required. The Hospice will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any Federal, State or local law.

When There are Risks to Public Health. The Hospice may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

Prevent or control disease, injury or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions.
Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
Notify an employer about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect Or Domestic Violence. The Hospice is allowed to notify government authorities if the Hospice believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. The Hospice will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the patient agrees to the disclosure.

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities. The Hospice may disclose your health information to a health oversight hospice for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. The Hospice, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

In Connection With Judicial And Administrative Proceedings. The Hospice may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when the Hospice makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information.

For Law Enforcement Purposes. As permitted or required by State law, the Hospice may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes as follows:

As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.
For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.
To a law enforcement official if the Hospice has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct including criminal conduct at the Hospice.
In an emergency in order to report a crime.

To Coroners And Medical Examiners. The Hospice may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

To Funeral Directors. The Hospice may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law and if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to your funeral arrangements. If necessary to carry out their duties, the Hospice may disclose your health information prior to and in reasonable anticipation of your death.

For Organ, Eye Or Tissue Donation. Based upon your request, the Hospice may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplantation of organs, eyes or tissue for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.

For Research Purposes. Based upon your request, the Hospice may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research. Before the Hospice discloses any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process.

In The Event Of A Serious Threat To Health Or Safety. The Hospice may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the Hospice, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.

For Specified Government Functions. In certain circumstances, the Federal regulations authorize the Hospice to use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.

For Workers’ Compensation. The Hospice may release your health information for workers’ compensation or similar programs.

AUTHORIZATION TO USE OR DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION
Other than is stated above, the Hospice will not disclose your health information other than with your written authorization. If you or your representative authorizes the Hospice to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.

YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have the following rights regarding your health information that the Hospice maintains:

Right to request restrictions. You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on the Hospice’s disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. However, the Hospice is not required to agree to your request. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact the Privacy Official at 870-862-0337.
Right to receive confidential communications. You have the right to request that the Hospice communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that the Hospice only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. If you wish to receive confidential communications, please contact the Privacy Official at 870-862-0337. The Hospice will not request that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.
Right to inspect and copy your health information. You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, including billing records. A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information may be made to the Privacy Official at 870-862- 0337. If you request a copy of your health information, the Hospice may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.
Right to amend health care information. You or your representative have the right to request that the Hospice amend your records, if you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete. That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by the Hospice. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to Privacy Official, 2301 Champagnolle Road, El Dorado, Arkansas, 71730. The Hospice may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the amendment. The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by the Hospice, if the records you are requesting are not part of the Hospice’s records, if the health information you wish to amend is not part of the health information you or representative are permitted to inspect and copy, or if, in the opinion of the Hospice, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.
Right to an accounting. You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by the Hospice for certain reasons, including reasons related to public purposes authorized by law and certain research. The request for an accounting must be made in writing to Privacy Official, 2301 Champagnolle Road, El Dorado, Arkansas, 71730. The request should specify the time period for the accounting starting on or after April 14, 2003. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time in excess of six (6) years. The Hospice would provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.
Right to a paper copy of this notice. You or your representative have a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative have received this Notice previously. To obtain a separate paper copy of this Notice, please contact the Privacy Official at 870-862-0337.

DUTIES OF THE HOSPICE
The Hospice is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide to you and your representative this Notice of its duties and privacy practices. The Hospice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. The Hospice reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains. If the Hospice changes its Notice, the Hospice will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you or your appointed representative. You or your personal representative have the right to express complaints to the Hospice and to the Secretary of DHHS if you or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Any complaints to the Hospice should be made in writing to the Privacy Official, 2301 Champagnolle Road, El Dorado, Arkansas, 71730. The Hospice encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

CONTACT PERSON
The Hospice has designated the Privacy Official as its contact person for all issues regarding patient privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards. You may contact this person at 2301 Champagnolle Road, El Dorado, Arkansas, 71730.

EFFECTIVE DATE
This Notice is effective April 14, 2003. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE, PLEASE CONTACT THE

Privacy Official, 2301 Champagnolle Road, El Dorado, Arkansas, 71730.

Terms of Use

Copyright
The text, images, graphics, sound files, animation files, video files and their arrangement on the Life Touch Hospice web site are all subject to Copyright and other intellectual property protection. These objects may not be copied for commercial use or distribution, nor may these objects be modified or reposted to other sites. This includes any Trademarks and logos owned by Life Touch Hospice.

Restricted Use of the Site
You agree to use the Service Area and Information for lawful purposes only. You agree not to post or transmit any information through the Service Area which: (a) infringes the rights of others or violates their privacy or publicity rights, (b) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, libelous, vulgar, obscene, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable, or (c) is protected by patent, copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner of such right. You shall be solely liable for any damages resulting from any infringement of patent, copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from your use of the Service.

No Warranties or Representations
This information is provided by Life Touch Hospice "as is" and without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including (but not limited to) any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or non-infringement. While the information provided is believed to be accurate, it may include errors or inaccuracies. Accordingly, by using this information, you agree that Life Touch Hospice (including its subsidiaries, agents, officers, directors, employees and insurers) are not liable for damages of any kind, including (but not limited to) consequential or special damages resulting from your use or access.

Your Submission of Messages
You hereby grant to Life Touch Hospice a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, display and use for any purpose all messages or other materials posted by you on the Service or any e-mail sent by you to Life Touch Hospice (in whole or in part) and to incorporate any such messages or other materials or e-mails in any form, into other media or technology whether now known or hereafter developed.

Suggestions And Ideas
Unsolicited suggestions, ideas or other submissions to Life Touch Hospice will be treated as non-confidential and nonproprietary. Life Touch Hospice is not obligated to act upon any such suggestion, idea or other submission. If any action is taken on this site or within Life Touch Hospice as a whole it does so with no obligations to the solicitor whatsoever.

PRIVACY POLICY

NOTICE OF LIFE TOUCH HOSPICE PRIVACY PRACTICES

Terms of Use

NOTICE OF LIFE TOUCH HOSPICE
PRIVACY PRACTICES