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 READ IT CAREFULLY.
Jackson Parish Hospital and all associates at all locations are required by law to maintain the privacy of patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI) and to provide individuals with the following Notice of the legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and these new terms will affect all PHI that we maintain at that time.
In certain circumstances we may use and disclose PHI about you without your written consent:
For Treatment: We will use health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We will disclose PHI about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, students in health care training programs, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes might slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of Jackson Parish Hospital may share health information about you in order to coordinate the services you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We may disclose health information about you to people outside Jackson Parish Hospital who provide your medical care like nursing homes or other doctors.
For Payment: We will use and disclose information to other health care providers to assist in the payment of your bills. We will use it to send bills and collect payment from you, your insurance company, or other payers, such as Medicare, for the care, treatment, and other related services you receive. We may tell your health insurer about a treatment your doctor has recommended to obtain prior approval to determine whether your plan will cover the cost of the treatment.
For Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose PHI about you for the purpose of our business operations. These business uses and disclosures are necessary to make sure that our patients receive quality care and cost effective services. For example, we may use PHI to review the quality of our treatment and services, and to evaluate the performance of our staff, contracted employees and students in caring for you.
Business Associates: We may use or disclose your PHI to an outside company that assists us in operating our health system. They perform various services for us. This includes, but is not limited to, auditing, accreditation, legal services, and consulting
services. These outside companies are called “business associates” and they contract with us to keep any PHI received from us confidential in the same way we do. These companies may create or receive PHI on our behalf.
Family Members and Friends: If you agree, do not object, or we reasonably infer that there is no objection, we may disclose PHI about you to a family member, relative, or another person identified by you who is involved in your health care or payment for your health care. If you are not present or are incapacitated or it is an emergency or disaster relief situation, we will use our professional judgment to determine whether disclosing limited PHI is in your best interest under the circumstances. We may disclose PHI to a family member, relative, or another person who was involved in the health care or payment for health care of a deceased individual if not inconsistent with the prior expressed preferences of the individual that are known to Jackson Parish Hospital. But you also have the right to request a restriction on our disclosure of your PHI to someone who is involved in your care.
Appointments: We may use and disclose PHI to contact you for appointment reminders and to communicate necessary information about your appointment.
Contacting You: We may contact you about treatment alternatives or other health benefits or services that might be of interest to you.
Hospital Directory: When you are an inpatient admitted to the hospital, Jackson Parish Hospital hospitals may list certain information about you, such as your name, your location in the hospital, a general description of your condition that does not
communicate specific medical information, and your religious affiliation, in a hospital directory. The hospitals can disclose this information, except for your religious affiliation, to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to members of the clergy even if they do not ask for you by name. You may request that no information contained in the directory be disclosed. To restrict use of information listed in the directory, please inform the admitting staff or your nurse. They will assist you in this request. In emergency circumstances, if you are unable to communicate your preference, you will be listed in the directory.
Required or Permitted by Law: We may use or disclose your PHI when required or permitted to do so by federal, state, or local law.
Public Health Activities: We may use or disclose your PHI for public health activities that are permitted or required by law. For example, we may disclose your PHI in certain circumstances to control or prevent a communicable disease, injury or
disability; to report births and deaths; and for public health oversight activities or interventions. We may disclose your PHI to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to report adverse events or product defects, to track products, to enable product
recalls, or to conduct post-market surveillance as required by law or to a state or federal government agency to facilitate their functions. We also may disclose protected health information, if directed by a public health authority, to a foreign government agency that is collaborating with the public health authority.
Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. For example, these oversight activities may include audits; investigations; inspections; licensure or disciplinary actions; or civil,
administrative, or criminal proceedings or actions. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs, and government
agencies that ensure compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Other Legal Proceedings: We may disclose your PHI in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding or in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized). If certain conditions are met, we may also disclose your protected health information in response to a subpoena, a discovery request, or other lawful process.
Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your PHI to a government authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. Additionally, as required by law, if we believe you have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or
domestic violence, we may disclose your protected health information to a governmental entity authorized to receive such information.
Law Enforcement: Under certain conditions, we also may disclose your PHI to law enforcement officials for law enforcement purposes. These law enforcement purposes include, by way of example, (1) responding to a court order or similar process; (2)
as necessary to locate or identify a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; (3) reporting suspicious wounds, burns or other physical injuries; or (4) as relating to the victim of a crime.
To Prevent a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Consistent with applicable laws, we may disclose your PHI if disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We also may
disclose protected health information if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: We may release your PHI to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or to determine the cause of death. We may also release your PHI to a
funeral director, as necessary, to carry out his/her duties.
Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation: We will disclose PHI to organizations that obtain, bank or transplant organs or tissues.
Research: Jackson Parish Hospital may use and share your health information for certain kinds of research. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. In some instances, the law allows us to do some research using your PHI without your approval.
Workers’ Compensation: We will disclose your health information that is reasonably related to a worker’s compensation illness or injury following written request by your employer, worker’s compensation insurer, or their representative.
Employer Sponsored Health and Wellness Services: We maintain PHI about employer sponsored health and wellness services we provide our patients, including services provided at their employment site. We will use the PHI to provide you medical treatment or services and will disclose the information about you to others who provide you medical care.
Shared Medical Record/Health Information Exchanges: We maintain PHI about our patients in shared electronic medical records that allow the Jackson Parish Hospital associates to share PHI. We may also participate in various electronic health
information exchanges that facilitate access to PHI by other health care providers who provide you care. For example, if you are admitted on an emergency basis to another hospital that participates in the health information exchange, the exchange will allow us to make your PHI available electronically to those who need it to treat you.
Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes and disclosures that constitute the sale of PHI require your written authorization.
Other uses and disclosures of your PHI that are not described above will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide Jackson Parish Hospital with an authorization, you may revoke the authorization in writing, and this revocation will be
effective for future uses and disclosures of PHI. However, the revocation will not be effective for information that we have used or disclosed in reliance on the authorization.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI:
The Right to Access to Your Own Health Information: You have the right to inspect and copy most of your protected health information for as long as we maintain it as required by law. All requests for access must be made in writing. We may charge
you a nominal fee for each page copied and postage if applicable. You also have the right to ask for a summary of this information. If you request a summary, we may charge you a nominal fee. Please contact the Jackson Parish Hospital Health
Information/Medical Records Department with any questions or requests.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request certain restrictions of our use or disclosure of your PHI. We are not required to agree to your request in most cases. But if Jackson Parish Hospital agrees to the restriction, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. Jackson Parish Hospital will agree to restrict disclosure of PHI about an individual to a health plan if the purpose of the disclosure is to carry out payment or health care operations and the PHI pertains solely to a service for which the individual, or a person other than the health plan, has paid Jackson Parish Hospital for in full. For example, if a patient pays for a service completely out of pocket and asks Jackson Parish Hospital not to tell his/her insurance company about it, we will abide by this request. A request for restriction should be made in writing. To request a restriction you must contact Health Information/Medical Records Department. We reserve the right to terminate any previously agreed-to restrictions (other than a restriction we are required to agree to by law). We will inform you of the termination of the agreed-to restriction and such termination will only be effective with respect to PHI created after we inform you of the termination.
Right to Request Confidential Communications: If you believe that a disclosure of all or part of your PHI may endanger you, you may request in writing that we communicate with you in an alternative manner or at an alternative location. For example, you may ask that all communications be sent to your work address. Your request must specify the alternative means or location for communication with you. It also must state that the disclosure of all or part of the PHI in a manner inconsistent with your instructions would put you in danger. We will accommodate a request for confidential communications that is reasonable and that states that the disclosure of all or part of your protected health information could endanger you.
Right to be Notified of a Breach: You have the right to be notified in the event that we (or one of our Business Associates) discover a breach of unsecured protected health information involving your medical information.
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of PHI about you that may be used to make decisions about your health. A request to inspect your records may be made to your nurse or doctor while you are an inpatient or to the Health Information/ Medical Records Department while an outpatient. For copies of your PHI, requests must go to the Health Information/Medical Records Department. For PHI in a designated record set that is maintained in an electronic format, you can request an electronic copy of such information. There may be a charge for these copies.
Right to Amend: If you feel that PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information, for as long as Jackson Parish Hospital maintains the information. Requests for amending your PHI should be made to the Health Information/Medical Records Department. The Jackson Parish Hospital personnel who maintain the information will respond to your request within 60 days after you submit the written amendment request form. If we deny your request, we will provide you a written explanation. You may respond with a statement of disagreement to be appended to the information you wanted amended. If we accept your request to amend the information, we will make reasonable efforts to inform others, including people you name, of the amendment and to include the changes in any future disclosures of that information.
Right to an Accounting: With some exceptions, you have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI. A nominal fee will be charged for the record search.
Complaints: You may submit any complaints with respect to violations of your privacy rights to the Jackson Parish Hospital Privacy Officer. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you
feel that your rights have been violated. There will be no retaliation from Jackson Parish Hospital for making a complaint.
Changes to this Notice If we make a material change to this Notice, we will provide a revised Notice available at www.jphmd.com.
Contact Information Unless otherwise specified, to exercise any of the rights described in this Notice, for more information, or to file a complaint, please contact the JPH Privacy Officer at 318-259-4435.
Patient Non-Discrimination Policy
Jackson Parish Hospital complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Jackson Parish Hospital does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Jackson Parish Hospital:
- Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
- Qualified sign language interpreters
- Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)
- Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
- Qualified interpreters
- Information written in other languages
If you need these services, contact the JPH Civil Rights Coordinator.
If you believe that Jackson Parish Hospital has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: JPH Civil Rights Coordinator, 165 Beech Springs Road, Jonesboro, LA 71251, Phone# 318-259-0002, Fax# 318-395-4259, [email protected]. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the JPH Civil Rights Coordinator is available to help you.
You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 509F, HHH Building Washington, D.C. 20201.
Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
At Jackson Parish Hospital, we seek to provide exceptional care and the best possible experience for every patient and family. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring that each patient is treated with dignity and as an equal partner in care. We will care for you with skill, compassion, and respect. You can help us make your healthcare experience safe by being an active, involved, and informed partner with your healthcare team. Every patient, or his/her designated representative, shall whenever possible, be informed of the patient’s rights and responsibilities in advance of furnishing or discontinuing care.
Patient Rights
Patients have the right to have a family member, chosen representative, and his or her own physician notified promptly of admission to the hospital.
Patients have the right to receive treatment and medical services without discrimination based on race, age, religion, national origin, sex, sexual preferences, handicap, diagnosis, ability to pay, or source of payment.
Patients have the right to be treated with consideration, respect, and recognition of their individuality, including the need for privacy in treatment.
Patients have the right to be informed of the names and functions of all physicians and other health care professionals who are providing direct care to the patient. These people shall identify themselves by introduction and/or wearing a name tag.
Patients have the right to receive, as soon as possible, the services of a translator or interpreter to facilitate communication between the patient and the hospitals’ health care personnel.
Patients have the right to participate in the development and implementation of his/her plan of care.
Every patient or his or her representative (as allowed by state law) has the right to make informed decisions regarding his or her care.
The patient’s rights include being informed of his/her health status being involved in care planning and treatment, and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.
Patients have the right to be included in experimental research only when he or she gives informed, written consent to such participation, or when a guardian provides such consent for an incompetent patient in accordance with appropriate laws and regulations. The patient may refuse to participate in experimental research, including the investigations of new drugs and medical devices.
Patients have the right to be informed if the hospital has authorized other health care and/or educational institutions to participate in the patient’s treatment. The patient shall also have a right to know the identity, the function of these institutions, and may refuse to allow their participation in his/her treatment.
Patients have the right to formulate advance directives and have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.
Patients have the right to be informed by the attending physician and other providers of health care services about any continuing health care requirements after his/her discharge from the hospital. The patient shall also have the right to receive assistance from the physician and appropriate hospital staff in arranging for required follow-up care after discharge.
Patients have the right to have his/her medical records, including all computerized medical information, kept confidential.
Patients have the right to access information contained in his/her medical records within a reasonable time frame.
Patients have the right to be free from restraints of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation by staff. Restraint or seclusion may only be imposed to ensure the immediate physical safety of the patient, a staff member, or others and must be discontinued at the earliest possible time. The patient has the right to safe implementation of restraint or seclusion by trained staff.
Patients have the right to be free from all forms of abuse and harassment.
Patients have the right to receive care in a safe setting.
Patients have the right to examine and receive an explanation of the patient’s hospital bill regardless of source of payment and may receive, upon request, information relating to financial assistance available through the hospital.
Patients have the right to be informed of his/her responsibility to comply with hospital rules, cooperate in the patient’s own treatment, provide a complete and accurate medical history, be respectful of other patients, staff and property, and provide required information regarding payment of charges.
Except in emergencies, the patient may be transferred to another facility only with the right to a full explanation of the reason for transfer, provisions for continuing care and acceptance by the receiving institution.
Each patient or patient representative, subject to clinical restrictions or limitations and their consent, has the right to receive visitors who he or she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including same-sex domestic partner), another family member or a friend, and has his or her right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. Jackson Parish Hospital cannot and does not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. All visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences.
The dying patient has the right to comfort and dignity through treatment of primary and secondary symptoms that respond to therapies as desired by the patient or decision maker. Psychological and spiritual concerns of the patient and family regarding dying shall be acknowledged along with their individual expression of grief.
The patient has the right to wear appropriate personal clothing and religious or other symbolic items as long as they do not interfere with diagnostic procedures or treatment.
The patient has the right to information about pain and pain relief measures, to staff committed to responding quickly to reports of pain, and to state-of-the-art pain management. This includes assessment, management, and education of the patient or family/support person regarding their roles in managing pain, side effects, and treatment while taking into account personal, cultural, spiritual, and ethnic beliefs.
Patient Responsibilities
Patients are responsible for providing information about past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, allergies, and other matters related to health status. To participate effectively in decision making, a patient must be encouraged to take responsibility for requesting additional information or clarification about their health status or treatment.
Patients are responsible for ensuring Jackson Parish Hospital has a copy of their written advance directive if they have one.
Patients are responsible for providing necessary information for insurance claims, and for working with the hospital to make payment arrangements when necessary.
A person’s health depends on much more than health care service. Patients are responsible for recognizing the impact of their lifestyle on their personal health.
Patients are responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel and for assisting in the control of noise, smoking, and the number of visitors you may have while in the hospital. Under the Louisiana Smokefree Air Act of 2006, Jackson Parish Hospital is a no-smoking facility.
Patients are responsible for being respectful of the property of others persons and the hospital.
Patients are responsible for informing their physician and other caregivers if they anticipate problems in following prescribed treatment.
Patients have both the right and the responsibility to understandand help develop plans and goals to improve their health.
Patient Complaints
Patients have the right to be informed in writing about the hospital’s policies and procedure for initiation, review, and resolution of patient complaints, including the address and telephone number of where complaints may be filed.
Patients or their representatives have the right to contact the Jackson Parish Hospital Patient Complaint Coordinator to file a grievance or complaint. They can be contacted using the information below:
JPH Patient Complaint Coordinator
Jackson Parish Hospital
165 Beech Springs Road
Jonesboro, LA 71251
Phone: 318-259-4435
Email: [email protected]
Patients or their representatives have the right to contact the LA Department of Health and Hospitals Health Standards Section to file a grievance or complaint. They can be contacted using the information below:
Health Standard Section
P.O. Box 3767
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Toll-free: 866-280-7737
Call: 225-342-0138
Fax: 225-342-5292
Email: [email protected]
Patients or their representatives have the right to contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights to file a grievance or complaint. They can be contacted using the information below:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)
https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Reporting
Jackson Parish Hospital complies with applicable state and federal reporting requirements for the reporting of potential issues concerning fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds, including LA RS 24:523.1. If you believe you have information related to a potential issue, you can use the telephone number or website link below to report it to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor for investigation. Your name and telephone number, as well as the status of complaints, are confidential.
Telephone: 1-844-503-7283
Fax: 1-844-403-7283
Print & Mail Report Form to:
LLA Hotline
P.O. Box 94397
Baton Rouge, LA 70804