About this Notice
Eminent Hospice Care, Inc. ("Eminent Hospice," "we," "us," or "our") is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding PHI, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect. PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services.
How We May Use and Share Your Health Information
We use and share your PHI for many different reasons. For some of these uses or disclosures we need your prior written authorization; for others, we do not. Below are the categories of uses and disclosures permitted or required by law.
Treatment
We may use and share your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your hospice care, including with physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors, volunteers, pharmacies, durable medical equipment suppliers, and other members of your interdisciplinary care team.
Payment
We may use and share your PHI to bill and collect payment for your care from you, your insurance company, Medicare, Medicaid, or another third-party payer, including to determine eligibility, coverage, and medical necessity.
Health Care Operations
We may use and share your PHI to support our business activities, such as quality assessment and improvement, staff training, accreditation and licensing, internal audits, and general administrative and planning activities.
Family, Friends, and Caregivers Involved in Your Care
We may share PHI relevant to your care with a family member, friend, or other person you identify, or with persons assisting in your care, unless you object. Hospice care, by its nature, often involves close coordination with your family and caregivers.
Required by Law
We will disclose PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law, including in response to a valid court order, subpoena, or other legal process.
Public Health and Safety Activities
We may share PHI to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability; to report births and deaths; to report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; and to report reactions to medications or problems with medical products as required by the FDA.
Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose PHI to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure actions, which are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors
We may share PHI with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as necessary to carry out their duties, including identifying a deceased person, determining cause of death, and consistent with applicable law to permit funeral directors to carry out their duties.
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may share PHI with organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantation, or with an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate donation and transplantation.
Research
Under certain circumstances, and only with appropriate privacy safeguards or institutional review board approval, we may use or share PHI for research purposes.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may share PHI to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of the public or another person, consistent with applicable law.
Workers' Compensation
We may release PHI for workers' compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness, to the extent authorized by and necessary to comply with such laws.
Law Enforcement
We may share PHI with a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; in response to a court order, warrant, or similar legal process; or to report a crime, its location, victims, or the identity of a perpetrator, in the circumstances permitted by law.
Military, National Security, and Government Functions
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release PHI as required by military command authorities, or as otherwise required for national security or intelligence activities authorized by law.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may share PHI with the institution or official as necessary for your health and safety and that of other individuals.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights with respect to your PHI. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information at the end of this Notice; we may ask you to submit your request in writing.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of PHI that we maintain about you in a "designated record set," with limited exceptions. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies.
Right to Request Amendment
You have the right to request that we amend PHI about you that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny your request under certain circumstances, in which case we will tell you why in writing.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI in the six years prior to your request, other than disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other excluded categories.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request that we restrict how we use or share your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to the restriction, except where you have paid out of pocket in full for a service and ask that we not share information about that service with your health plan, in which case we generally must agree.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a certain way or at a certain location, for example only at home or only by mail. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to Choose Someone to Act on Your Behalf
If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. We will confirm that this person has authority and can act on your behalf before taking action.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach
You have the right to be notified if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your PHI, in accordance with applicable law.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, to notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information, to follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice, and to give you a copy of this Notice. We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us, in writing, that we can. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time by notifying us in writing.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the contact information below, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
To file a complaint with the federal government, visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints or call 1-800-368-1019.
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. The current Notice will be available upon request, posted on this page, and available at our office.
This Notice is effective as of June 29, 2026.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Notice, would like to exercise any of your rights, or wish to file a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer: