For Our Web Site Visitors and Donors: 

Privacy Policy Statement

The Community Hospice Inc. takes very seriously the privacy of its web site visitors and donors, and the security of personal information. We provide this privacy statement because you have the right to know what information we collect, how it is protected and used, and the circumstances under which it may be disclosed.

How Information Is Gathered, Collected and Used Via Our Website

When you visit our Web site, we only collect personally identifying information about you if you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary.

  • Reading or Downloading

When you access our Web site, we collect and store only the following information about you: the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account), the date and time you access our site, and the Internet address of the Web site from which you linked to our site.

We use this information to measure the number of visitors to the different sections of our site, and to help us make our site more useful to visitors.

  • Online Profile Updates and Donations

If you complete the Profile update form and share your personally identifying information, this information will be used only to provide you with more targeted content about The Community Hospice Foundation, Inc. In addition, we may use your contact information to send further information about our organization or to contact you when necessary. You may always opt out of receiving future mailings; see the "Opt Out" section below.

Sending of Email and Information Gathered

You also may decide to send us personally identifying information by sending an electronic mail message containing a question or comment or by filling out a Web form that provides us this information. We use personally identifying information from email primarily to respond to your requests. We may forward your email to other employees who are better able to answer your questions. We may also use your email to contact you in the future about programs of ours that may be of interest.

If you sign up for one of our email lists, we will only send you the kinds of information you have requested. We won't share your name or email address with any outside parties.

Sharing of Information

We DO NOT share personal information with any third parties unless required by law.

Kids and Privacy

We do not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13. Do not provide any personal information to us unless you are at least 13 years of age, and please caution your children not to provide any such information. If a child under age 13 has provided personal information, a parent or guardian may so inform us by writing to:

Community Hospice Administrative Offices
295 Valley View Blvd.
Rensselaer, NY 12144

Use of Links

Throughout our Web pages, we might provide links to other servers which may contain information of interest to our readers. We take no responsibility for, and exercise no control over, the organizations, views, privacy practices, or accuracy of the information contained on other servers. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

Creating a text link from your Web site to our site does not require permission. If you have a link you'd like us to consider adding to our Web site, please send an email to webmaster@communityhospice.org with the subject "Link request."

Use of Text and Images

If you would like to publish or reproduce information that you find on our Web site, please send your request to webmaster@communityhospice.org. Where text or images are posted on our site with the permission of the original copyright holder, a copyright statement appears at the bottom of the page.

Accessibility

This Web site is designed to be accessible to visitors with disabilities and to comply with federal guidelines concerning accessibility. We welcome your comments. If you have suggestions on how to make the site more accessible, please contact us at webmaster@communityhospice.org.

Users who have completed a Profile may access the Profile by logging in and selecting the Update My Profile link.

Security

This Web site takes every precaution to protect our users' information. All of our users' information is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information. Furthermore, employees are kept up to date on our security and privacy practices. The servers that store personally identifiable information are in a secure environment. This website uses Digit encryption of 128bit SSL, provided by Thawte.

Opt-Out or Changing Your Contact Information

Our site provides users the opportunity to opt out of receiving communications from us through a special online form. You may choose to receive only specific communications or none at all. You may also update your contact information previously provided to us through another online form. You can not remove yourself from our database, but you can prevent unwanted communication.

Notification of Changes

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post a notification of such changes on our Web site.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you may contact us by email at webmaster@communityhospice.org  or by writing to:

Community Hospice Administrative Offices
295 Valley View Blvd.
Rensselaer, NY 12144

For Our Patients: 

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 at The Community Hospice, along with all of St. Peter’s Health Partners — the hospitals, nursing homes, home care, physician practices, senior residences, other providers and other affiliates listed at the end of this notice, and all of our medical staffs — are committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of your protected health information. This notice describes not only the practices of our facilities and programs, but those of any health care professional authorized to enter information in your medical record.

We are required by law to maintain patient privacy. We will use and disclose your information only as described in this notice.

What Is Protected Health Information?

Protected health information is any data we create or receive that relates to your past, present or future health care or medical condition that may be used to identify you. Protected health information includes written information such as your medical chart or billing data. It also includes information that is disclosed orally.

Typical Uses and Disclosures

Typically, we will use or disclose your protected health information for the following purposes, or to the following persons:

For Treatment

For example, we will allow your physician or nurse to access your medical record for the purpose of treating you. Others involved in your care, such as laboratory technicians, a consulting physician or a social worker, may also see your information.

For Payment

For example, we may give your health insurer enough information about your condition and treatment to support its payment for your care.

For Health Care Operations

For example, we may review your information to evaluate the performance of our staff or to confirm our compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.

To a St. Peter’s Health Partners Affiliate

We may share your protected health information among St. Peter’s Health Partners affiliates named in this notice for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes.

To Trinity Health

We may share your protected health information with our parent company, Trinity, and providers within that system, for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes.

To a Business Associate

We may disclose information to a person or entity we contract with to perform some of our business functions – for example, a billing service or attorney.

To You

We may disclose information to you or to someone authorized to act on your behalf.

To a Facility Directory

We may include limited information about you in our facility directory while you are at our facility. This information may include your name, location in the facility and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except your religious affiliation, may be released to people who ask for you by name. You have the right to request that your name not be included in this directory. If you request to opt-out of the facility directory, we cannot inform visitors of your presence, location or general condition.

To Clergy

Directory information, including your religious affiliation, may be given to a member of the clergy who is part of the health care team, even if he or she does not ask for you by name. You have the right to request that your name not be given to any member of the clergy.

To Family and Friends Involved in Your Care

We may disclose information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care, or paying for such care. You have a right to request that your information not be shared with some or all of your family or friends.

For Treatment Reminders and Alternatives

We may contact you to remind you of appointments you’ve scheduled with us. We may also use or disclose your information to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Less Typical Uses and Disclosures

Less typically, we may use or disclose your protected health information in special situations set forth in federal and state laws, such as the following:

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your protected health information when we are required by law to do so, such as to comply with a court order.

Public Health

For example, we may disclose such information to a public health authority that is authorized to receive such information for the purpose of controlling disease, injury or disability.

Abuse or Neglect

We may disclose your protected health information to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse, elder abuse or neglect. In addition, if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, we may disclose your protected health information to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information.

Health Oversight

We may disclose your information to a health agency for its oversight activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions.

Legal Proceedings

We may disclose protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal or, in certain circumstances, in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose protected health information for law enforcement purposes, including disclosures in response to limited information requests for identification and location purposes, disclosures pertaining to victims of a crime, and disclosures about persons who have died.

Coroners, Funeral Directors and Organ Donation

We may disclose protected health information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director to permit them to carry out their functions. Protected health information may be used and disclosed for organ, eye or tissue donation purposes.

Research

We may disclose your protected health information to researchers if an institutional review board reviews and approves the research proposal and protocols to ensure your privacy.

Health or Safety Threat

We may disclose your protected health information if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose protected health information if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.

Specialized Governmental Functions

We may use or disclose protected health information for specialized governmental functions, such as disclosing information about a member of the armed services to the military to assure the proper execution of a military mission, or disclosing information about inmates to a correctional facility for security or other important purposes.

Workers’ Compensation

Your protected health information may be disclosed to comply with workers’ compensation laws and other legally-established programs.

Fundraising

We may use the basic identifying information from patient lists to send you material in connection with our efforts to raise funds. If we do, we will let you know how to opt out of receiving any future fundraising materials.

Uses and Disclosures with Your Authorization

We can use or disclose protected health information for any other purpose, if you give us your written, signed authorization for that specific purpose. For example, you may give us an authorization to give information to a prospective employer as part of a pre-employment physical. You may revoke any authorization you previously signed.

 

The following uses and disclosures of protected health information, among others, will generally require your authorization:

  • Uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes
  • Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes
  • The sale of protected health information

Specially Protected Information

Separate federal and state laws provide special protection to the following health information:

  • Drug and alcohol treatment information
  • Genetic information
  • HIV/AIDs information
  • Mental health treatment information

We will protect such information as required by law, and we may not be able to use or disclose such information to the same extent as we can with other protected health information.

Your Rights

Under the Notice of Privacy Practices, you have the following rights. 

  • To obtain and inspect a copy of your protected health information that we maintain in a medical or billing record for as long as we maintain the record. However, under federal and state law, you may not inspect or copy the following records: information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding; and, protected health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to protected health information. In some circumstances, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed.
  • To ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations. You may also request that any part of your information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.We are not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If we believe that it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of your protected health information, it will not be restricted. But if we do agree to the restriction, we may not use or disclose your information in violation of that restriction except for emergency treatment. With this in mind, please discuss any restriction you wish to request with your treating health care professional.
  • To request a restriction on disclosure of your information to a health plan (for purposes of payment or health care operations) in cases where you paid out of pocket, in full, for the items received or services rendered.
  • To request to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. We will accommodate reasonable requests, but we may ask you how payment will be handled or to give an alternate address or other method of contact. We will not request an explanation from you about your request.Please make this request in writing to: Privacy Contact Official, The Community Hospice, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY 12144.
  • To request an amendment of protected health information about you in our records for as long as we maintain the record. In certain cases, we may deny your request. If we do, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement. We will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal. Please contact our Privacy Contact Official if you have questions about amending your medical record.
  • To receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your protected health information. This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. It excludes disclosures we may have made to you, for a facility directory, to family members or friends, or for notification purposes. You have the right to receive specific information regarding these disclosures. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations.
  • To be notified of a breach of your unsecured information.
  • To obtain a paper copy of this notice from us, upon request, even if you have agreed to accept this notice electronically.
  • To 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 the Privacy Contact Official identified in this notice. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Service Delivery Sites

This notice applies only to services delivered by, or at sites operated by, The Community Hospice and the St. Peter’s Health Partners affiliates named in this notice. It does not apply to services provided by members of the medical staffs of The Community Hospice and St. Peter’s Health Partners affiliates at non-St. Peter’s Health Partners sites.

Organized Health Care Arrangement

The Community Hospice and St. Peter’s Health Partners affiliates participate in organized health care arrangements (i) with their medical staffs, and (ii) with their parent organization CHE-Trinity in order to jointly participate in utilization review and/or quality assessment activities.

Health Information Exchange

The Community Hospice  and St. Peter’s Health Partners affiliates may store your health records electronically with Health Information Exchange of New York (HIXNY). If you sign a separate written consent, or in limited emergency circumstances, other health care providers will be able to access your information from HIXNY for the purpose of treating you. HIXNY has implemented administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality and integrity of your information.

Providers and Affiliates, and Their Privacy Contact Officials

If you have any questions or concerns, or require assistance in exercising your privacy rights, you may contact the Privacy Contact Official for The Community Hospice: 518-285-8150.

ST. PETER’S HEALTH PARTNERS AFFILIATES 

Acute Care

  • Samaritan Hospital - Albany Memorial Campus
  • Samaritan Hospital
  • Samaritan Hospital - St. Mary's Campus
  • St. Peter’s Hospital

Medical Group

  • St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates, P.C.

Nursing Homes/Rehabilitation

  • Eddy Memorial Geriatric Center
  • Eddy Village Green at Beverwyck
  • Eddy Village Green at Cohoes
  • Eddy Heritage House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
  • Our Lady of Mercy Life Center
  • Schuyler Ridge
  • St. Peter’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
  • Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

Home Care/Hospice/PACE

  • The Community Hospice
  • Eddy Licensed Home Care Agency
  • Eddy SeniorCare
  • Eddy Visiting Nurse and Rehab Association
  • Empire Home Infusion Services
  • Northeast Home Medical Equipment  

Enriched Housing/Alzheimer Residences

  • Beverwyck
  • Glen Eddy
  • Eddy Hawthorne Ridge
  • Eddy Memorial 
  • Marjorie Doyle Rockwell Center
  • The Glen at Hiland Meadows

More About This Notice

This notice is effective October 1, 2014. We will provide you with a copy of this notice upon request. We may periodically change the terms of our notice at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time.