TRAVELERS AID OF PITTSBURGH
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
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
THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
We use and disclose health information about you as is reasonably necessary to process your application or to provide you with transportation services which may require communication and attendance verification between Travelers Aid and health care providers, medical product or service providers, pharmacies, insurance companies, and other providers necessary to verify your medical information is accurate and used to determine the type of transportation services you need. For example:
Application: We may receive program applications from medical affiliates and process and determine eligibility status depending upon applicable government programs or foundation funding guidelines. We may use or disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare professional providing treatment to you, to applicable program government entities, to applicable program funding entities, insurance companies or to family and friends you approve.
Transportation Request Processing: We may use and disclose your health information to process transportation requests made by you, to medical affiliates, physicians or other healthcare professionals providing treatment to you, to applicable program government entities, to applicable program funding entities, insurance companies or to family and friends you approve.
Program Operations: We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our program operations. Program operations include application and transportation processing, quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of agency professionals, evaluating performance, conducting training programs, or credentialing activities.
Your Authorization :In addition to our use of your health information for application, transportation request processing or program operations, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. You also have the right to request restrictions on disclosure of PHI (Protected Health Information),or alternative means of communication to ensure privacy.
Marketing Program-Related Services: We will not use your health information for marketing communications without your written authorization. Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law or national security activities. Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities when we suspect abuse or neglect. Appointment Verification: We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment verification
(Such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).
PATIENT RIGHTS
Access: You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information with limited exceptions. Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information.
Right to Notice of Breach: We take very seriously the confidentiality of our client’s information, and we are required by law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information through appropriate safeguards. We will notify you in the event a breach occurs involving or potentially involving your unsecured health information and inform you of what steps you may need to take to protect yourself.
QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us. If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Privacy/Contact Officer has been designated for this office. The Privacy Officer can be contacted by simply contacting the office and asking to speak to the Office Manager who serves as the Privacy Officer.
For Further Information: If you have questions, need further assistance regarding or would like to submit a request pursuant to this Notice, you may contact the Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh Privacy Officer by phone at (412)281-5474 or at the following address: 343 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222. This Notice of Privacy Practices is also available on our web page at www.travelersaidpgh.org.
Notice of Information Practices and Privacy Statement
Travelers Aid is an Equal Opportunity Organization. Federal and State Laws prohibit discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital or veteran status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender preference. No inquiry or applicable program survey questions are asked for the purpose of limiting or excluding any applicant’s consideration due to his or her race, color, sex, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender preference. All survey responses are intended for use to leverage future project funding and no client names will be linked to personal details when evaluating overall data.
How We Collect Information About You
Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh and its employees collect data through a variety of means including but not necessarily limited to letters, phone calls, emails, voicemails, and from the submission of applications, applicable program documents and attendance verifications from partner entities that are either required by law or necessary to process applications or other requests for assistance through our organization.
What We Do Not Do With Your Information:
Information about your financial situation and medical conditions and care that you provide to us in writing, via email or other electronic correspondence, on the phone (including information left on voicemails), contained in or attached to applications, program documents or directly or indirectly given to us by you or an authorized party, is held in strictest confidence.
We do not give out, exchange, barter, rent, sell, lend, or disseminate any information about applicants or clients who apply for or actually receive our services that are considered patient confidential, restricted by law, or specifically restricted by a patient/client in a signed HIPAA consent form.
How We Do Use Your Information:
Information is only used as is reasonably necessary to process your application or to provide you with transportation services which may require communication and attendance verification between Travelers Aid and health care providers, medical product or service providers, pharmacies, insurance companies, and other providers necessary to verify your medical information is accurate and used to determine the type of transportation services you need. The same policy applies to other Travelers Aid programs that are not medical in nature, but require data sharing between Travelers Aid and partner affiliates.
If you apply or attempt to apply to receive assistance through us and provide information with the intent or purpose of fraud or that results in either an actual crime of fraud for any reason including willful or un-willful acts of negligence whether intended or not, or in any way demonstrates or indicates attempted fraud, your non-medical information can be given to legal authorities including police, investigators, courts, and/or attorneys or other legal professionals, as well as any other information as permitted by law.
Limited Right to Use Non-Identifying Personal Information From Biographies, Letters, Notes, and Other Sources:
Any pictures, stories, letters, biographies, correspondence, or thank you notes sent to us become the exclusive property of Travelers Aid. We reserve the right to use non-identifying information about our clients (those who receive services or goods from or through us) for fundraising and promotional purposes that are directly related to our mission.
Clients will not be compensated for use of this information and no identifying information (photos, addresses, phone numbers, contact information, last names or uniquely identifiable names) will be used without the client’s express advance permission.
You may specifically request that NO information be used whatsoever for promotional purposes, but you must identify any requested restrictions in writing. We respect your right to privacy and assure you no identifying information or photos that you send to us will ever be publicly used without your direct or indirect consent.