Privacy Policy

Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc.
Notice of Privacy Practices

Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. (“ARH”) is dedicated to protecting your medical information. We are required to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide you with this Notice of our duties and your rights with respect to this information. ARH is required to abide by the terms of this Notice.

HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION WILL BE USED AND DISCLOSED:
We will use your medical information as part of rendering patient care. For example, your medical information may be used by the doctor or nurse treating you, by the business office to process your payment, and by administrative personnel reviewing the quality of the care you receive.

We may also use and disclose your medical information, in accordance with federal and state laws, for the following purposes:

Appointment Reminders - We may contact you to provide appointment reminders.

Treatment Alternatives - We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

Fundraising Activities - We may use your medical information to contact you in an effort to raise money for ARH and its operations. We may disclose information to a foundation so that the foundation may contact you to raise money for ARH. We would only release contact information, such as name, address, phone number and the dates you received treatment or services. Any such communication addressed to you would contain instructions describing how you may “opt out” of receiving these kinds of communications in the future.

Disclosure to the Department of Health and Human Services - We may disclose information when required by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an investigation or determination of our compliance with relevant laws.

Facility Directories - Unless you object, we will include your name, your location at the ARH facility where you are receiving treatment, your condition described in general terms, and your religious affiliation in our directory of individuals. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, will then be released to people who ask for you by name. If you agree to be included in the directory, religious affiliation may be given to members of the clergy, even if they do not ask for you by name.

Family and Friends - Unless you object we may disclose your medical information to family members, other relatives or close personal friends when the medical information is directly relevant to that person’s involvement with your care.

Notification - Unless you object we may use or disclose your medical information to notify a family member, a personal representative or another person responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death.

Disaster Relief – We may disclose your medical information to a public or private entity, such as the American Red Cross, for the purpose of coordinating with that entity to assist in disaster relief efforts.

Health Oversight Activities – We may use or disclose your medical information for public health activities, including the reporting of disease, injury, vital elements and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigation or intervention. We may disclose your medical information to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions, and administrative or legal proceedings.

Abuse or Neglect – We may disclose your medical information when it concerns abuse, neglect or violence to you, in accordance with federal and state law.

Legal Proceeding - We may disclose your medical information in the course of certain judicial or administrative proceedings such as in a suit or criminal action.

Law Enforcement – We may disclose your medical information for law enforcement purposes or other specialized governmental functions.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors – We may disclose your information to a coroner, medical examiner or a funeral director.

Organ Donation – If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your medical information to an organ donation and procurement organization or as required by state or federal law.

Research – We may use or disclose your medical information for certain research purposes, if an institutional Review Board or privacy board has altered or waived individual authorization, the review is preparatory to research, or the research is limited to information about a decedent.

Public Safety – We may use or disclose your medical information to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the health or safety of another person or to the public.

Workers' Compensation – We may disclose your medical information as authorized by laws relating to workers’ compensation or similar programs.

Business Associates – We may disclose your health information to a business associate with whom we contract to provide services on our behalf. To protect your health information, we require our business associates to appropriately safeguard the health information of our patients.

AUTHORIZATIONS

We will not use or disclose your medical information for any other purposes without your written authorization. Once given, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time. To request a Revocation of Authorization form, you may contact:

Chief Privacy Officer, ARH System Center, 100 Airport Gardens Road, Hazard, KY 41701 •Phone: (606) 439-6967

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

You have the following rights with respect to your medical information:

• You may ask us to restrict certain uses and disclosures of your medical information. We are not required to agree to your request but if we do, we will honor it.
• You have the right to receive communications from us in a confidential manner.
• Generally, you may inspect and copy your medical information. This right is subject to certain specific exceptions, and you may be charged a reasonable fee for any copies of your records.
• You may ask us to amend your medical information. We may deny your request for certain specific reasons. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation for the denial and information regarding further rights you may have.
• You have the right to receive an accounting of the disclosures of your medical information made by ARH during the last six years (but not prior to April 14, 2003), except for disclosures for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, disclosures which you have authorized, and certain other specific disclosure types.
• You may request a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices.

You have the right to complain to us or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you believe we have violated your privacy rights. If you choose to file a complaint, you will not be retaliated against in any way. To complain to us, or if you would like further information regarding your rights or about the uses and disclosures of your medical information, you may contact the Chief Community Regulatory Affairs Officer (CCRAO) at the local ARH facility where you received your treatment, or you may contact:

Chief Privacy Officer, ARH System Center, 100 Airport Gardens Road, Hazard, KY 41701 •Phone (606) 439-6967

REVISION OF NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice, making any revision applicable to all the protected health information we maintain. If we revise the terms of this Notice, we will post a revised notice at all our facilities and will make copies of the revised Notice of Privacy Practices available to our patients upon request.

THIS NOTICE IS EFFECTIVE AS OF APRIL 14, 2003

ARH Website

Legal Disclaimer
Appalachian Regional Healthcare provides health-related information on this site for educational purposes only. The information provided through this site should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or a disease, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult a doctor or other health care provider. The health information provided on this site adds to and does not replace the relationship that exists between you and your physician or other health care provider.

Website Privacy Statement
Appalachian Regional Healthcare wants you to learn as much as possible about the information you can get from our web site and wants your online visit to be enjoyable, safe and secure. We take your privacy very seriously. Only those online visitors who expressly ask for information from us will receive e-mail communications or any other materials from us. Your e-mail address will not be sold or provided to third parties. You will not receive advertising or promotional material from anyone other than us, and you will receive information from us only if you ask for it.

Security and Liability
Appalachian Regional Healthcare has taken steps to make all information received from our online visitors as secure as possible against unauthorized access and use. All information is protected by our security measures, which are periodically reviewed and updated.
We strive to protect control of this site, within the constraints of resources and current Internet technology. However, you must be aware, it is possible that third parties may obtain unauthorized access to this site. You agree to use this site and submit information at your own risk. You agree that ARH has no liability for any unauthorized access by third parties.
You are responsible for your activities and conduct while on this site and for the use of any information obtained from this site. You agree that Appalachian Regional Healthcare and its affiliated entities, agents and employees are not liable for damages, costs or expenses (including attorneys’ fees) that you may have due to your violation of these Terms of Service or your activities in connection with this site.

An Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc., (ARH) to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, political affiliation, diabling condition or service in the uniformed services, in accordance with applicable law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Correct Information
Although we have made every effort to assure that the contents of this site are correct and complete, we cannot be responsible for the accuracy of the information on this site. We may change the information or update it without notice to you. We are not obligated to update this site; therefore, any information presented may be out of date.

External Sites
It is our intent to link with reputable sources. However, since these organizations, associations, agencies and sources are independent outside sources, ARH is not responsible for their content or services. Please use your discretion when dealing with any external sources.