HIPAA Privacy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective: April 14, 2003

This notice describes how personal information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.

Please review it carefully.

Privacy Promise

The Geauga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (GCBMR/DD) understands that your personal information needs to be kept private. Protecting your personal information is important. We follow strict federal and state laws that require us to keep your personal information confidential.

How We Use Your Personal Information

When you receive services from the GCBMR/DD, we may use your personal information for such activities as providing you with services, billing for services, and conducting our normal board business known as health care operations.

If you have chosen a personal representative and have agreed to let your personal representative obtain your personal information, we will provide the information to your personal representative.  If you have a guardian we will provide the information to your guardian.

Examples of how we use your information include:

Treatment - We keep records of care and services provided to you within the GCBMR/DD.  For example, your Service and Support Administrator keep notes on all contacts made in coordinating and arranging for services.  If you see a nurse working for the GCBMR/DD, the nurse will keep records of any care you receive.  GCBMR/DD staff may share your personal information while helping to develop your service plan.  

If GCBMR/DD staff wants to share your personal information with anyone who is not employed by the GCBMR/DD, you must give them written permission first.

Some personal records, including confidential communications with a mental health professional and substance abuse records, may have additional restrictions for use and disclosure under state and federal law.

Payment – We keep records that include payment information and documentation of the services provided to you. Your information may be used to obtain payment for your services from Medicaid, insurance or other sources.  For example, we may disclose personal information about the services provided to you to confirm your eligibility for Medicaid and to obtain payment from Medicaid.  The GCBMR/DD may use your personal information to determine the amount and type of Medicaid services you need and send this information to the proper state department

Health Care Operations – We use personal information to improve the quality of care, train staff, manage costs, conduct required business duties, and make plans to better serve you and other individuals enrolled in the GCBMR/DD. For example, we may use your personal information to evaluate the quality of treatment and services provided by our service staff.

Other Services We Provide

We may also use your personal information to:

•   Determine whether you are eligible for services from the GCBMR/DD

•   Recommend to you service alternatives and other possible benefits

•   Tell you about other service providers who may be able to help you

•   Remind you of an appointment unless you tell the GCBMR/DD staff that you do not wish to be reminded

•   To allow the GCBMR/DD to review direct service contracts

•   Allow local, state, federal agencies to monitor your services

•   To investigate incidents affecting health and safety, to report these kinds of incidents and to take steps to protect your health and safety

•   To allow the GCBMR/DD to prepare reports required by the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

•   Contact you for assistance in passing levies, unless you notify the GCBMR/DD that you do not wish to be contacted for these purposes

More Information

For more information about the practices and rights described in this notice, contact the GCBMR/DD at the phone number and address on the back of this notice

Sharing Your Personal Information

There are limited situations when we are permitted or required to disclose personal information with-out your signed authorization. These situations are:

•   To protect victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

•   To reduce or prevent a serious threat to public health and safety

•   For health oversight activities such as investigations, audits, and inspections

•   For lawsuits and similar proceedings

•   For public health purposes such as reporting communicable diseases, work-related illnesses, or other diseases and injuries permitted by law; reporting births and deaths, and reporting reactions to drugs and problems with medical devices.

•   When required by law

•   When requested by law enforcement as required by law or court order

•   To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors

•   For organ and tissue donation

•   For workers’ compensation or other similar programs if you are injured at work and are covered by workers’ compensation or other similar programs

•   For specialized government functions such as intelligence and national security

All other uses and disclosures, not described in this notice, require your signed authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time with a written statement.

Our Privacy Responsibilities

The GCBMR/DD is required by law to:

•   Maintain the privacy of your personal information

•   Provide this notice that describes the ways we may use and share your personal information

•   Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

We reserve the right to make changes to this notice at any time and make the new privacy practices effective for all information we maintain.

Current notices will be posted in the GCBMR/DD facilities.

You may also request a copy of any notice from the GCBMR/DD Privacy Office.

Your Individual Rights

You have the right to:

•   Request restrictions on how we use and share your personal information. We will consider all requests for restrictions carefully but are not required to agree to any restriction.*

•   Request that we use a specific telephone number or address to communicate with you.

•   Inspect and copy your personal information, including service, medical and billing records. Fees may apply.*

•   Request corrections or additions to your per­sonal information. You must give the reasons for wanting the change.*

•   Request an accounting of certain disclosures of your personal information made by us. Your request must state the period of time desired for the accounting, which must be within the six years prior to your request. The first accounting is free but a fee will apply if more than one request is made in a 12-month period.*

•   Request a paper copy of this notice even if you agree to receive it electronically.

Requests marked with a star (*) must be made in writing. Contact the GCBMR/DD Privacy Office for the appropriate form for your request.

Our Organization

This notice describes the privacy practices of the GCBMR/DD. This notice also describes the privacy practices of persons or entities which have signed a contract with the GCBMR/DD and which are acting as business associates, and have promised to follow the same rules of confidentiality.

The GCBMR/DD includes: the Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center, the Metzenbaum School, the Metzenbaum Adult Services, the Metzenbaum Residence, the Metzenbaum Sheltered Industries, as well as employees and volun­teers at those facilities. 

If you want to know about the privacy practices of service providers who are not employed by the GCBMR/DD and who are not business associates, you should contact them directly.

Contact Us

If you would like further information about your privacy rights, are concerned that your privacy rights have been violated, or disagree with a decision that we made about access to your personal information:

Contact:            Geauga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities

Community & Residential Support Services

8200 Cedar Road, Chesterland, Ohio 44026

440-729-9406

We will investigate all complaints and will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

You also may file a written complaint with either:

•   The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington D.C., 20201 or call 1-877-696-6775 or

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