Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective: April 14, 2003
Revision Date: August 1, 2013, June 6, 2019

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Printable Format

This Notice of Privacy Practices (the “Notice”) describes the legal obligations of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and its covered entity affiliates (the “Organization”) and your legal rights regarding protected health information held by the Organization under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). HIPAA protects only certain health information known as “protected health information.” Generally, protected health information is individually identifiable health information, including demographic information, collected from you or created or received by a health care provider, a health care clearinghouse, a health plan, or your employer on behalf of a group health plan, that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition or the payment for health care services. This information can be transmitted or maintained in any form by the Organization.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

This Notice describes the Organization’s practices and that of:

All employees, staff, volunteers, contractors and other personnel.
All departments and units of the Organization.
Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in our care.
Any physician or allied health professional who is a member of the Medical Staff and involved in your care.
All entities, sites and locations will follow the terms of this Notice. When this Notice refers to “we” or “us”, it is referring to the following entities, sites and locations. In addition, these entities may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or health care operations purposes described in this Notice.

The Organization, its’ Medical Staff, and other health care providers affiliated with the Organization participate in an Organized Health Care Arrangement (OHCA) under HIPAA for the purpose of sharing protected health information for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Participants include Our Lady of the Angels Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Heart Hospital of Lafayette, St. Francis Medical Center, St. Dominic's Jackson Memorial Hospital, Senior Services, Health Centers in Schools, Affiliated Organization Physician Groups, Health Leaders Network Next Generation ACO, Community Connect and RX One. Please note that this list is not all inclusive.

In addition, the Organization utilizes a HIPAA compliant unified electronic medical record system to support efficient care, services and to promote healthcare continuity. Finally, designated facilities within the organization serve as teaching sites for LSU Health Sciences Center. LSU faculty are clinically integrated at sites of care for training and educational purposes.

OUR PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at our Organization. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all the records of your care generated by our Organization, whether recorded in your medical record, invoices, payment forms, videotapes or other ways, that include protected health information. Physicians and other care providers who are not employed by the Organization may have different policies or notices regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information created in the physician’s office or clinic.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT OF THIS NOTICE

You will be asked to provide a signed acknowledgement of receipt of this Notice. Our intent is to make you aware of the possible uses and disclosures of your protected health information and your privacy rights. The delivery of health care services will in no way be conditioned upon your signed acknowledgement. If you decline to provide a signed acknowledgement, we will continue to provide your treatment, and will use and disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment and health care operations when necessary.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

In some circumstances we are permitted or required to use or disclose your protected health information without obtaining your prior authorization and without offering you the opportunity to object. The following categories describe these different circumstances. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and list an example. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment. We may use and disclose your protected health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose your protected health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other health care providers 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 may 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 the hospital also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as medications, lab work and x-rays and we may disclose your protected health information to third parties with whom we coordinate and manage your care.

For Payment. We may use and disclose your protected health information so that the treatment and services you receive at the hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may inform your health insurance company of your diagnosis and treatment in order to assist the insurer in processing our claim for the health care services provided to you or share information with a person who helps pay for your care.

For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose your protected health information for our day-to- day operations and functions. For example, we may we may compile your protected health information, along with that of other patients, in order to allow a team of our health care professionals to review that information and make suggestions concerning how to improve the quality of care provided at our Organization. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, members of our quality improvement team, and other participants in our organized health care arrangements for review and learning purposes and to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services you receive. The entities and individuals covered by this Notice may share information for their joint health care operations.

To Business Associates. We may contract with individuals or entities known as Business Associates to perform various functions on our behalf or to provide certain types of services. In order to perform these functions or to provide these services, Business Associates will receive, create, maintain and/or transmit protected health information about you, but only after they agree in writing with us to implement appropriate safeguards regarding your protected health information.

Health Information Exchange. We may share your information for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations purposes through a Health Information Exchange (HIE) in which we participate in order for participants to efficiently access and use your pertinent medical information necessary for treatment and other lawful purposes. A HIE is a secure electronic system that helps health care providers and entities such as health plans and insurers managed care and treat patients. We will send your health information to the Epic Care Everywhere HIE, the Cerner CommonWell HIE and other HIEs as we choose to participate in them. Information about your past medical care and current medical conditions and medicines is available not only to us but also to non-Organization health care providers who participate in the HIE. You have the right to opt out of the HIE. However, even if you do, some of your health information will remain available
to certain health care entities as permitted by law.

Appointment Reminders. We may contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our Organization.

Treatment Alternatives. We may contact you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may contact you about health-related benefits or services such as disease management programs and community-based activities in which we participate that may be of interest to you.

Fundraising Activities. We may contact you as part of our effort to raise funds for our Organization. You have a right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications and all fundraising communications will include information about how you may opt out of future communications.

Research. Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your protected health information for research purposes through a special approval process designed to protect patient safety, welfare, and confidentiality. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. 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. We may also disclose your protected health information to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the information they review does not leave the hospital.

As Required By Law. We will disclose your protected health information when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose your protected health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your protected health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may disclose your protected health information as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Workers' Compensation. We may disclose your protected health information for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks. We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
to report births and deaths;
to report to state and federal tumor registries;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
to provide proof of immunization to a school that is required by state or other law to have such proof with agreement to the disclosure by a parent or guardian of, or other person acting in loco parentis for an un-emancipated minor;
to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe that a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose your protected health information in response to and in accordance with a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your protected health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute after we have received assurances that efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement. We may disclose your protected health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the victim's agreement;
About a death we suspect may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at the Organization; and
In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may disclose your protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or to determine cause of death. We may also release health information about patients of the Organization to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose your protected health information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be permitted (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

National Security and Intelligence Activities. We may release your protected health information to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities authorized by law.

We may also use or disclose your protected health information in the following circumstances. However, except in emergency situations, we will inform you of our intended action prior to making any such uses and disclosures and will, at that time, offer you the opportunity to object.

Hospital Directory. We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient at the hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they don’t ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may disclose your protected health information to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also tell your family or friends your condition and that you are in the hospital. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

With few exceptions, we must obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures of your protected health information involving (1) certain marketing communications about a product or service and whether financial remuneration is involved, (2) a sale of protected health information resulting in remuneration not permitted under HIPAA; and (3) psychotherapy notes, except for certain treatment, payment and health care operations purposes, if the disclosure is required by law or for health oversight activities, or to avert a serious threat.

Except as permitted under HIPAA or as described above, disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time, in writing, unless we have acted in reliance upon your prior authorization, or if you signed the authorization as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage.

YOUR RIGHTS:

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

Except as provided below, we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.

Effective September 23, 2013, we will comply with any restriction request if (1) except as otherwise required by law, the disclosure is to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations (and is not for purposes of carrying out treatment); and (2) the protected health information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which the Organization has been paid out-of-pocket in full. The Organization is not responsible for notifying subsequent healthcare providers of your request for restrictions on disclosures to health plans for those items and services, so you will need to notify other providers if you want them to abide by the same restriction.

To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer of your facility as designated below. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.

Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer of your facility as designated below. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to Inspect and Copy Health Information. You have the right to inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes, information complied in anticipation of or for use in civil, criminal or administrative proceedings, or certain information that is governed by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act. If the requested protected health information is maintained electronically and you request an electronic copy, we will provide access in an electronic format you request, if readily producible, or if not, in a readable electronic form and format we mutually agree upon. We may charge a reasonable cost-based fee consistent with HIPAA and applicable state law.

Despite your general right to access your protected health information, access may be denied in limited circumstances. For example, access may be denied if you are an inmate at a correctional institution or if you are a participant in a research program that is still in progress. Access may be denied if the federal Privacy Act applies. Access to information that was obtained from someone other than a health care provider under a promise of confidentiality can be denied if allowing you access would reasonable be likely to reveal the source of the information. The decision to deny access under these circumstances is final and not subject to review. Otherwise, we will provide a written explanation on the basis for the denial and your review rights.

To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department of your facility as designated below. If you request a copy of the information, in accordance with applicable state law, you will be charged a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

Right to Request Amendment. If you feel that protected health information, we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Organization. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the hospital;
Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Medical Records Department of your facility as designated below. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. If we deny your request, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and any future disclosures of the disputed information will include your statement.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an "accounting" of certain disclosures of your protected health information made during the six-year period preceding the date of your request. However, the following disclosures will not be accounted for: (i) disclosures made for the purpose of carrying out treatment, payment or health care operations unless HIPAA provides otherwise, (ii) disclosures made to you, (iii) disclosures of information maintained in our patient directory, or disclosures made to persons involved in your care, or for the purpose of notifying your family or friends about your whereabouts, (iv) disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes, (v) disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials who had you in custody at the time of disclosure, (vi) disclosures that occurred prior to April 14, 2003, (viii)disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you, (viii) disclosures that are part of a limited data set, (ix) disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, or (x) disclosures made to a health oversight agency or law enforcement official, but only if the agency or official asks us not to account to you for such disclosures and only for the limited period of time covered by that request. The accounting will include the date of each disclosure, the name of the entity or person who received the information and that person’s address (if known), and a brief description of the information disclosed and the purpose of the disclosure for the period requested unless the period or right to receive the accounting is limited under HIPAA.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department of your facility as designated below. Your request must state a time period. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we will charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice.

You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may obtain a copy of this Notice at the websites designated below. To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, contact the Compliance and Privacy Officer as designated below.

OUR DUTIES

We are required by law to make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private;
We are required to provide you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices;
We are required to notify you in the event that we discover a breach of unsecured protected health information, as that term is defined under federal law; and
We are required to follow the terms of this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make those changes applicable to all protected health information that we maintain. Any changes to this Notice will be posted on our website and at our facility and will be available from us upon request.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, please contact the Patient Advocate as designated below. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized, or in any other way retaliated against, for filing a complaint.

Our Lady of the Angels
433 Plaza Street, Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 730-6800
www.oloah.org
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
5000 Hennessy Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 765-4321
www.ololrmc.com
St. Dominic's Jackson Memorial Hospital

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center
4801 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Lafayette, LA 70508
(337) 470-2100
www.lourdesrmc.com
St. Francis Medical Center
309 Jackson St., Monroe, LA 71201
(318) 966-4000
www.stfran.com

969 Lakeland Drive
Jackson, MS 39216
(601) 200-2000
www.stdom.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

You may contact the appropriate Compliance and Privacy Officer below if you have questions about this notice.

Our Lady of the Angels
(985) 730-2303

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
(225) 765-5216

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center
(337) 470-2825

Senior Services
(225) 765-5216

St. Francis Medical Center
(318) 966-4879

St. Dominic's Jackson Memorial Hospital
(601) 200-6302

Privacy Policy Baton Rouge, Louisiana (LA), Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Please read the following information carefully. By choosing to use FMOLHS websites, you acknowledge and agree to the terms of our Legal Notices and our Disclaimer. Continuing to use FMOLHS websites indicates your acceptance of all terms and conditions of our Legal Notices and our Disclaimer. If you do not accept and agree to these terms and conditions, exit the website immediately.

FMOLHS reserves the right to revise these terms and notices, and therefore encourages you to review them regularly, because using the websites will indicate your acceptance of, and agreement with, all terms and notices.

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
www.fmolhs.org
www.lourdesrmc.com
www.oloah.com
www.ololrmc.com
www.stfran.com
www.stdom.com
are the trademarks and service marks of FMOLHS and its affiliates. All other trademarks, service marks and logos used in these websites are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners.

FMOLHS and its sponsored organizations do not provide medical advice, diagnosis or instruction through its websites. If you need emergency treatment or services, call 911. FMOLHS is not responsible for how the information in its websites is used.

Content and information on FMOLHS websites are protected by copyright law, and may not be reproduced, modified, distributed, in entirety or part, without the prior written consent of FMOLHS. The sole exception is that, unless otherwise stated, users may print or download information from FMOLHS websites for personal, non-commercial use only, provided they identify the source of the material and include a statement that the materials are protected by copyright law. Permission to reprint or otherwise reproduce any document in whole or in part is prohibited, unless prior written consent is obtained from the copyright owner.

1. Limitation of Liability

FMOLHS and its affiliates, suppliers, and other third parties mentioned on this site are neither responsible nor liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, punitive, or other damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, those resulting from lost profits, lost data, or business interruption) arising out of or relating in any way to the site, site-related services and products, content or information contained within the site, and/or any hyperlinked website, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages. Your sole remedy for dissatisfaction with the site, site-related services, and/or hyperlinked websites is to stop using the site and/or those services. Applicable law may not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

2. Accuracy and Integrity of Information

Although FMOLHS attempts to ensure the integrity and accurateness of its websites, it makes no guarantees whatsoever as to the correctness or accuracy of the Site. It is possible that the Site could include typographical errors, inaccuracies or other errors, and that unauthorized additions, deletions and alterations could be made to the Site by third parties. In the event that an inaccuracy arises, please inform FMOLHS so that it can be corrected. Information contained on the Site may be changed or updated without notice.

3. Visitor Chat Rooms and Other Interactive Areas

FMOLHS may, but is not obligated to, monitor or review any areas of the Site where visitors transmit or post Communications or communicate solely with each other, including, but not limited to, chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other user forums, and the content or any such Communications. FMOLHS, however, will have no liability related to the content of any such Communications, whether or not arising under the laws of copyright, libel, privacy, obscenity, or otherwise. FMOLHS retains the right to remove, in its sole discretion, Communications that include any material deemed abusive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.

4. Links or Pointers to Other Sites

FMOLHS makes no representations whatsoever about any other website that you may access through this Site. When you access a non-FMOLHS site, please understand that it is independent from FMOLHS, and that FMOLHS has no control over the content on that website. In addition, a hyperlink to a non-FMOLHS website does not mean that FMOLHS endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content, or the use, of the linked site. It is up to you to take precautions to ensure that whatever you select for your use or download is free of such items as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other items of a destructive nature. If you decide to access any of the third-party sites linked to this Site, you do this entirely at your own risk.

Persons or organizations who have other websites are permitted to link any complete page on FMOLHS websites. Linking to specific elements on these websites, such as logos, trademarks, photographs, illustrations, online forms or surveys, is not permitted. Copying onto any other website or server of information, content, or material, including logos, trademarks, photographs, illustrations, online forms or surveys, in its entirety or part, is not permitted.

Terms and conditions stated in our Disclaimer and Legal Notices are entered into in the State of Louisiana and will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, exclusive of its choice of law rules. Each party to these terms and conditions submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and waives any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such courts. In any action to enforce these terms and conditions, the prevailing party will be entitled to costs and attorneys fees. In the event that any of the terms and conditions are held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, such provisions shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these terms and conditions shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.

FMOLHS Website Privacy Policy

All staff of FMOLHS recognize that an individual's health is a private matter. This privacy policy tells you how we handle the information we learn from you when you visit the websites of FMOLHS and its sponsored organizations, herein referred to as FMOLHS websites. The information we receive depends on what you do during your visit to our websites.

By using FMOLHS websites, you agree to accept this privacy policy. This policy may be changed, as needed, so please read this policy regularly and carefully.

We respect your privacy and, accordingly, you may use FMOLHS websites without disclosing personally identifiable information. We will not gather such information about you unless you choose to submit it to us.

Web Server

Our web server collects and stores the following general information about you:

the originating name of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, cox.net, if you are connecting from a Cox Communications account);
the date and time you access our service;
the pages you visit;
the internet address of the website from which you linked directly to us (for example abc6.com, if you use one of their links to our sites);
the name and version of web browser software you are using.

This information is collected automatically and is not linked to your personal identity. It is used to help us improve our websites by tabulating the number of visitors to our websites in terms of new users, the popularity of pages, amount of use, and types of errors, and to make the websites more useful to you. Occasionally we may provide data to third parties concerning the number of visitors to our websites. This data will not contain individual information.

We may, or may not, use "cookies," which are small files stored on your computer's hard drive that are used to store and track personal information.

Online Forms & E-mail Communication

If you choose to identify yourself by sending an e-mail, using a form, or subscribing to a service or product such as an e-newsletter, some FMOLHS staff may see the material you submit. The information you send may be entered into our electronic database, to share with our health care professionals, researchers, or our internet services staff. Your information will NOT be sold to any organization.

If you subscribe to one of an e-newsletter, you may un-subscribe at any time by clicking on the "Un-subscribe" button at the bottom of the e-newsletter.

Please be aware that e-mail and other internet communications channels may not be secure against interception, and we cannot guarantee the security or confidentiality. While we take precautions, such as encrypting communications where appropriate, if your communication is very personal or sensitive, or includes information like your diagnosis or medical history, you may prefer to send it by postal mail instead.

We will not disclose personal information about individual medical conditions or interests to a third party, except, in limited circumstances, when we believe that the law requires it.

Information may be kept for different lengths of time. From time to time, this website may provide links to other helpful websites that are not affiliated with, or owned or controlled by FMOLHS. We are not responsible for, and cannot vouch for, the privacy practices of these other websites.

Privacy Policy Baton Rouge, Louisiana (LA), Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center

Privacy Policy Bogalusa, Louisiana (LA), Our Lady of the Angels Hospital

What information do we collect?

We collect information from you when you fill out a form. When contacting us through our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your: name, e-mail address, mailing address or phone number.

What do we use your information for?

Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:

To improve customer service (your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs).
To send periodic emails. The email address you provide may be used to send you information and updates pertaining to your inquiry, in addition to receiving occasional company news, updates, related product or service information, etc.

How do we protect your information?

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you enter, submit, or access your personal information.

Do we use cookies?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computers hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the sites or service providers systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information.

We use cookies to compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.

Use of Remarketing with Google Analytics and/or Google AdWords

We collect cookies on our Web site to capture information about page visits. This information is anonymous and we use this information only internally - to deliver the most effective content to our visitors. Information from the cookies is used to gauge page popularity, analyze traffic patterns on our site and guide development of other improvements to our site. We do not require that you accept cookies; however, some functionality on our Web site, our product or service check-out process, and products and services may be disabled if you decline to accept cookies. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether or not to accept it. You may also change your cookie settings through preferences options in our products and/or services, where applicable. We never give away information about our users. If you choose to e-mail us and provide personally identifiable information about yourself, we will use this information only to respond to your inquiry. We will not sell, rent or otherwise disclose that information to third parties unless such disclosure is necessary for the purposes set forth in this Policy, by law or a policy or notice contained or associated with a specific product or service.

We use analytics data and the DoubleClick cookie to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website. This enables us to match the right site visitors with the right advertising message. Site visitors may opt out of the DoubleClick cookie by visiting the Google advertising opt-out page (https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb) or they may opt out of Google Analytics by visiting theGoogle Analytics opt-out page (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout)

You can also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies by visiting theNetwork Advertising Initiative opt-out page:

(http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp)

You may also use the following cookie opt-outs:

Google Advertising Cookie Opt-Out Plugin (http://www.google.com/ads/preferences/plugin/)
Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout)

Do we disclose any information to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Third party links

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), we do not collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age. Our website, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older.

Online Privacy Policy Only

This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

Your Consent

By using our site, you consent to our online privacy policy.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page.

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital
433 Plaza Street Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 730-6700

This policy is powered by Trust Guard, your PCI compliance (http://www.trust-guard.com/PCI-Compliance-s/65.htm) authority.

Privacy Policy Lafayette, Louisiana (LA), Our Lady of the Lourdes Regional Medical Center

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Inc.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
In compliance with Federal Law, Effective: June 6, 2019

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Who Will Follow This Notice?

This notice describes the Organization's practices and that of:

All employees, staff, volunteers, contractors and other personnel.
All departments and units of the organization.
Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in our care.
Any physician or allied health professional who is a member of the Medical Staff and involved in your care.
All entities, sites and locations will follow the terms of this notice. When this notice refers to 'we‛ or 'us‛, it is referring to the following entities, sites and locations. In addition, these entities may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or health care operations purposes described in this notice.

St. Mary's Imaging, St. Agnes Breast Center, Lourdes Home health, Lourdes Apothecary Pharmacy, Acadiana Heart Institute, Northside High Clinic, Scott Family Clinic, KidMed, Lourdes lab at Cedars MOB, St. Bernadette Clinic, all Lourdes owned physician practices, Lourdes skilled nursing facility, Lourdes Rehabilitation unit, Lourdes Research and Grants Department and Lourdes Medical Staff (for hospital care only) who have chosen to participate in the Organized Healthcare Arrangement.

Our Pledge Regarding Health Information:

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at our organization. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by our organization, whether recorded in your medical record, invoices, payment forms, videotapes or other ways. Physicians who are not employed by the Organization may have different policies or notices regarding the use and disclosure of your health information created in the physician's office or clinic.

Acknowledgement of Receipt of This Notice

your treatment, and will use and disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment and healthcare operations when necessary.

How We May Disclose Medical Information About You

In some circumstances we are permitted or required to use or disclose your health information without obtaining your prior authorization and without offering you the opportunity to object. The following categories describe these different circumstances. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and list an example. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment

We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the hospital. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may 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 the hospital also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as medications, lab work and x-rays.

For Payment

We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may inform your health insurance company of your diagnosis and treatment in order to assist the insurer in processing our claim for the health care services provided to you.

For Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose health information about you for our day-to-day operations and functions. For example, we may we may compile your health information, along with that of other patients, in order to allow a team of our health care professionals to review that information and make suggestions concerning how to improve the quality of care provided at our organization. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other hospital personnel for review and learning purposes.

Appointment Reminders

We may contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our organization.

Treatment Alternatives

We may contact you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

Health-Related Benefits and Services

We may contact you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

Fundraising Activities

We may contact you as part of our effort to raise funds for our Organization. All fundraising communications will include information about how you may opt out of future fundraising communications.

Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose health information about you for research purposes. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. 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. We may also disclose health information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the information they review does not leave the hospital.

As Required By Law

We will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose health information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

Special Situations

Organ and Tissue Donation

If you are an organ donor, we may release health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

Military and Veteran

If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Workers' Compensation

We may release health information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks

We may disclose health information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
to report births and deaths;
to report to state and federal tumor registries;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Law Enforcement

We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement; About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at the organization; and in emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors

We may release health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or to determine cause of death. We may also release health information about patients of the organization to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Inmates

If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

We may also use or disclose your health information in the following circumstances. However, except in emergency situations, we will inform you of our intended action prior to making any such uses and disclosures and will, at that time, offer you the opportunity to object.

Hospital Directory

We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient at the hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they don't ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also tell your family or friends your condition and that you are in the hospital. In addition, we may disclose health information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

Except as described above, disclosures of your health information will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time, in writing, unless we have taken action in reliance upon your prior authorization, or if you signed the authorization as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage.

Your Rights:

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy and Data Security Coordinator of Our Lady of Lourdes, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508 In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.

Right to Request Confidential Communications.

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

To request communications, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy and Data Security Coordinator of Our Lady of Lourdes, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to Inspect and Copy Health Information

You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes, information complied in anticipation of or for use in civil, criminal or administrative proceedings, or certain information that is governed by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act.

Despite your general right to access your Protected Health Information, access may be denied in limited circumstances. For example, access may be denied if you are an inmate at a correctional institution or if you are a participant in a research program that is still in progress. Access may be denied if the federal Privacy Act applies. Access to information that was obtained from someone other than a health care provider under a promise of confidentiality can be denied if allowing you access would reasonable be likely to reveal the source of the information. The decision to deny access under these circumstances is final and not subject to review.

To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508. If you request a copy of the information, in accordance with LA state law, you will be charged a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

Right to Request Amendment

If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Organization. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the hospital;
Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.

To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Director of Medical Records of Our Lady of Lourdes, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures" made during the six-year period preceding the date of your request.

However, the following disclosures will not be accounted for: (i) disclosures made for the purpose of carrying out treatment, payment or health care operations, (ii) disclosures made to you, (iii) disclosures of information maintained in our patient directory, or disclosures made to persons involved in your care, or for the purpose of notifying your family or friends about your whereabouts, (iv) disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes, (v) disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials who had you in custody at the time of disclosure, (vi) disclosures that occurred prior to April 14, 2003) (viii) disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you, (viii) disclosures that are part of a limited data set, (ix) disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, or (x) disclosures made to a health oversight agency or law enforcement official, but only if the agency or official asks us not to account to you for such disclosures and only for the limited period of time covered by that request. The accounting will include the date of each disclosure, the name of the entity or person who received the information and that person's address (if known) and a brief description of the information disclosed and the purpose of the disclosure.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department of Our Lady of Lourdes, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508. Your request must state a time period. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12 month period will be free. For additional lists, we will charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice.

You have the right to a paper copy of this notice.

You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, lourdesrmc.com (/)

To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact the Privacy and Data Security Coordinator at (337) 470-2825.

Our Duties

We are required by law to make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private;
We are required to provide you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices; and
We are required to follow the terms of this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make those changes applicable to all health
information that we maintain. Any changes to this Notice will be posted on our website and at our facility,and will be available from us upon request.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, please contact the Patient Representative of Our Lady of Lourdes, 4801 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette, LA 70508; (337) 470-2810. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint in good faith.

Contact Information

You may contact the Privacy and Data Security Coordinator of Our Lady of Lourdes, (337) 470-2825 for further information about the complaint process or for further information about this document.

Privacy Policy Monroe, Louisiana (LA), St. Francis Medical Center

St. Francis Medical Center
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
In compliance with Federal Law, Effective: June 6, 2019

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

This Notice of Privacy Practices (the "Notice") describes the legal obligations of St. Francis Medical Center (the "Organization") and your legal rights regarding protected health information held by the Organization under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). HIPAA protects only certain health information known as "protected health information." Generally, protected health information is individually identifiable health information, including demographic information, collected from you or created or received by a health care provider, a health care clearinghouse, a health plan, or your employer on behalf of a group health plan, that relates to:

Your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition;
The provision of health care to you; or
The past, present or future payment for the provision of health care to you.

If you have any questions about this Notice or about our privacy practices, please contact St. Francis Medical Center Compliance and Privacy Officer at 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201 at (318) 966-4000.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

This Notice describes the Organization's practices and that of:

All employees, staff, volunteers, contractors and other personnel.
All departments and units of the Organization.
Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in our care.
Any physician or allied health professional who is a member of the Medical Staff and involved in your care.
All entities, sites and locations will follow the terms of this Notice. When this Notice refers to "we" or "us", it is referring to the following entities, sites and locations. In addition, these entities may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or health care operations purposes described in this Notice.

The Organization, the members of its Medical Staff, and other health care providers affiliated with the Organization typically work together in a clinically integrated setting to provide you with health care. In such settings, HIPAA permits the use of a single Notice to describe how the Organization, Medical Staff members, and other health care providers who participate in our health care arrangements will use or disclose your health information. For example, St. Francis Medical Center, Inc., St. Francis Medical Group, L.L.C., St. Francis Ambulatory Services, Inc.

OUR PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at our Organization. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by our Organization, whether recorded in your medical record, invoices, payment forms, videotapes or other ways, that include protected health information. Physicians and other care providers who are not employed by the Organization may have different policies or notices regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information created in the physician's office or clinic.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT OF THIS NOTICE

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

In some circumstances we are permitted or required to use or disclose your protected health information without obtaining your prior authorization and without offering you the opportunity to object. The following categories describe these different circumstances. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and list an example. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment

We may use and disclose your protected health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose your protected health information todoctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other health care providers 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 may 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 the hospital also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as medications, lab work and x-rays and we may disclose your protected health information to third parties with whom we coordinate and manage your care.

For Payment

We may use and disclose your protected health information so that the treatment and services you receive at the hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may inform your health insurance company of your diagnosis and treatment in order to assist the insurer in processing our claim for the health care services provided to you or share information with a person who helps pay for your care.

For Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your protected health information for our day-to-day operations and functions. For example, we may compile your protected health information, along with that of other patients, in order to allow a team of our health care professionals to review that information and make suggestions concerning how to improve the quality of care provided at our Organization. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, members of our quality improvement team, and other participants in our organized health care arrangements for review and learning purposes and to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services you receive.

To Business Associates

We may contract with individuals or entities known as Business Associates to perform various functions on our behalf or to provide certain types of services. In order to perform these functions or to provide these services, Business Associates will receive, create, maintain and/or transmit protected health information about you, but only after they agree in writing with us to implement appropriate safeguards regarding your protected health information.

Appointment Reminders

We may contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our Organization.

Treatment Alternatives

We may contact you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

Health-Related Benefits and Services

We may contact you about health-related benefits or services such as disease management programs and community-based activities in which we participate that may beof interest to you.

Fundraising Activities

We may contact you as part of our effort to raise funds for our Organization. You have a right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications and all fundraising communications will include information about how you may opt out of future communications.

Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your protected health information for research purposes through a special approval process designed to protect patient safety, welfare, and confidentiality. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. 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. We may also disclose your protected health information to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the information they review does not leave the hospital.

As Required By Law

We will disclose your protected health information when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose your protected health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

Organ and Tissue Donation

If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your protected health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

Military and Veterans

If you are a member of the armed forces, we may disclose your protected health information as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose your protected health information for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks

We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
to report births and deaths;
to report to state and federal tumor registries;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
to provide proof of immunization to a school that is required by state or other law to have such proof with agreement to the disclosure by a parent or guardian of, or other person acting in loco parentis for an un-emancipated minor;
to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe that a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose your protected health information in response to and in accordance with a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your protected health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute after we have received assurances that efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose your protected health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the victim's agreement;
About a death we suspect may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at the organization; and
In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors

We may disclose your protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or to determine cause of death. We may also release health information about patients of the Organization to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose your protected health information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be permitted (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution. We may release your protected health information to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities authorized by law. We may also use or disclose your protected health information in the following circumstances. However, except in emergency situations, we will inform you of our intended action prior to making any such uses and disclosures and will, at that time, offer you the opportunity to object.

Inmates

If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose your protected health information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be permitted (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

National Security and Intelligence Activities

We may release your protected health information to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities authorized by law.

Hospital Directory

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

We may disclose your protected health information to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also tell your family or friends your condition and that you are in the hospital. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

Except as permitted under HIPAA or as described above, disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time, in writing, unless we have taken action in reliance upon your prior authorization, or if you signed the authorization as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you

Right to Request Restrictions

Except as provided below, we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment

To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing during the registration process to our registration staff or after the initial registration to the St. Francis Medical Center Compliance and Privacy Officer, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

To request communications, you must make your request in writing during the registration process to our registration staff or after the initial registration to the St. Francis Medical Center Compliance and Privacy Officer, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to Inspect and Copy Health Information

You have the right to inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes, information complied in anticipation of or for use in civil, criminal or administrative proceedings, or certain information that is governed by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act. If the requested protected health information is maintained electronically and you request an electronic copy, we will provide access in an electronic format you request, if readily producible, or if not, in a readable electronic form and format we mutually agree upon. We may charge a reasonable cost-based fee consistent with HIPAA and Louisiana law.

To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department of St. Francis Medical Center, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. If you request a copy of the information, in accordance with Louisiana state law, you will be charged a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

Right to Request Amendment

If you feel that protected health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Organization.

We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the hospital;
Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.

To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Manager of Medical Records of St. Francis Medical Center, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. If we deny your request, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and any future disclosures of the disputed information will include your statement.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an "accounting" of certain disclosures of your protected health information made during the six-year period preceding the date of your request. However, the following disclosures will not be accounted for: ( disclosures made for the purpose of carrying out treatment, payment or health care operations unless HIPAA provides otherwise, (ii) disclosures made to you, (iii) disclosures of information maintained in our patient directory, or disclosures made to persons involved in your care, or for the purpose of notifying your family or friends about your whereabouts, (iv) disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes, (v) disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials who had you in custody at the time of disclosure, (vi) disclosures that occurred prior to April 14, 2003, (viii)disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you, (viii) disclosures that are part of a limited data set, (ix) disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, or (x) disclosures made to a health oversight agency or law enforcement official, but only if the agency or official asks us not to account to you for such disclosures and only for the limited period of time covered by that request. The accounting will include the date of each disclosure, the name of the entity or person who received the information and that person's address (if known), and a brief description of the information disclosed and the purpose of the disclosure for the period requested unless the period or right to receive the accounting is limited under HIPAA.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Manager of Medical Records of St. Francis Medical Center, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201. Your request must state a time period. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we will charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice

You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may obtain a copy of this Notice at our website, www.stfran.com (https://fmolhs.org/).

To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, contact the St. Francis Medical Center Compliance Officer, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201 (318) 966-4000.

OUR DUTIES

We are required by law to make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private;
We are required to provide you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices;
We are required to notify you in the event that we discover a breach of unsecured protected health information, as that term is defined under federal law; and
We are required to follow the terms of this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make those changes applicable to all protected
health information that we maintain. Any changes to this Notice will be posted on our website and at our facility,and will be available from us upon request.

COMPLAINTS

f you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, please contact the Compliance and Privacy Officer of St. Francis Medical Center, 309 Jackson Street, Monroe, Louisiana 71201 (318) 966-4000. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized, or in any other way retaliated against, for filing a complaint.

CONTACT INFORMATION

You may contact the Compliance and Privacy Officer at (318) 966-4000 for further information about the complaint process or for further information about this document.

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