Notice of Privacy Practices

Site privacy policy

Unity Hospice LP (“Unity Hospice”, “we” or “our”), has created this privacy policy for this website in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. This disclosure is intended to provide you with a level of comfort and confidence in how we collect, use and safeguard personal and other information we collect or that you provide through this website, and how you can contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We encourage you to read this policy before using this website. Your use of the websites signifies that you agree with all of this privacy policy. Unity Hospice and its affiliates may share this personal information with each other and use it consistently with this Privacy Policy. We may also combine it with other information to provide and improve our products, services, content, and advertising.

Information we collect

When you visit our website, you may be asked to voluntarily provide your personal information, such as your name, company name, street address, telephone number, email address and related information when you are requesting more information, signing up for a newsletter, using live chat, filling out forms, or providing general feedback. If you opt not to provide us with personal information, you can still access our website; however, you may be unable to use certain functionalities on the website, such as requesting more information.

During a normal visit to our website, some non-personally identifiable information about you is collected. This is data that does not permit direct association with any specific individual and is collected on an aggregated (or anonymous) basis. Non-personal information may include information such as tracking website pages that are visited, amount of time spent on the website, clicks, page views, browser type and version, and zip code.

Also, certain functionalities of our website may allow you to create login credentials by typing in your user name/ID and password and other information or by using social network credentials, such as LinkedIn or Facebook. If you choose to create login credentials where you allow us or a third party to access your credential information that is publicly available or that you have made publicly available (e.g., user ID, profile picture, etc.), you “allow” our website to access and store this same information. For information regarding third party website privacy practices that may be linked to our website, refer to those third parties privacy statements; as Unity Hospice does not own or operate those third party or social networking websites.

The email and share functionalities on our website provide you with the opportunity to share content by emailing website content to anyone you choose including yourself or by sharing the information on a social networking website. When you share the information on a social networking website, you allow us to receive your personal and other information that is accessible.

What do we use your information for?

Our primary goal in collecting personal information from you when you visit our website is to provide you the functionality and services that you need to have for a meaningful and tailored experience while using our website features.

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

To personalize your experience – your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs;
To improve our website – we continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you;
To improve customer service – your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs;
To analyze and manage our business – your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any third party for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express purpose of delivering on a request you have made to us;
To send periodic emails -the email address you provide will only be used to send you brochure fulfillment, response to request for information, marketing and promotional information, etc., as requested. Note: If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email;
To assist you in posting materials should we allow this capability in the future, such as reviews or stories, to our website – in doing so, your name may also be posted (please keep in mind that if you disclose personally identifiable information or other sensitive data through a chat room, message board, or other public online forums, this information may be collected and used by others);
To comply with legal requirements. We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purposes.

Our primary goal in collecting aggregate (non-personal) information from you is to be able to perform website metrics that allow us to improve the functionality of the website and to understand which parts of the website are of most interest.

If we do combine non-personal information with personal information the combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined.

Location of Your Personal Data

This website is hosted on our web servers in the United States. By using Unity Hospice’s website, and providing your personal data to Unity Hospice, you consent to the processing and transfer outside your jurisdiction, which may not provide an equivalent level of data protection to the laws in your home country.

If you are opposed to the transfer of your personal data please refer to the Section below “Your Rights & Your Consent”.

Your rights and your Consent

You may at any time review or ask for the rectification or removal of your personal data held by Unity Hospice as well as object, at no charge, to any further use of the same personal data, such as for direct marketing purposes or the transfer of your personal data, by contacting us at the address provided below.

How do we protect your information?

Unity Hospice maintains appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect the security of your personal information against loss and misuse. Unity Hospice will use its best efforts to see that data transferred outside your jurisdiction will remain subject to the same security and confidentiality regime as the one they would have been subject to if located within your jurisdiction.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that a website or its service provider transfers to your devices, such as mobile devices or computers through your web browser (if you allow) that enables the websites or service providers’ systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. This can include whether you clicked on particular links or pages, or read pages on the site months or even years ago.

We may use cookies to help us understand and save your preferences for future visits and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction, so that we can offer a better website experiences and tools in the future. This helps us make your experience more convenient, personal and relevant.

There are different types of cookies used by our website that have been categorized based on the guidelines found in the ICC UK Cookie guide. We use the following categories on our websites.

Category 1 – Strictly necessary cookies – these are essential cookies that let you move around the website and use its features. Without them, these features cannot be provided. These cookies do not collect any information that could be used for marketing or remembering where you’ve been on the internet.
Category 2 – Performance cookies – these collect information about how you use a website, for instance, which pages you go to most often, and if you get error messages. They do not collect information that identifies you, and all information is anonymous. It is used only to improve how the website works.
Category 3 – Functional cookies – these remember choices you make (such as the language or the region you are in) and provide personalized features. They can remember changes you have made to the text size, fonts and other parts of the web pages that you can customize if the capabilities are available to you. They may also provide services you’ve asked for, such as watching a video or commenting on a blog if those capabilities are available to you.

Within these types of cookies, cookies are sorted as either temporary (“session” cookies) or more long-term (“persistent” cookies).

“Session” cookies link your actions in one session only. This “session” starts when the web page is opened and finishes when it is closed. Then the cookie is deleted forever.
“Persistent” cookies are where the cookie remains on your phone or computer for a specific period of time. They are activated automatically when you visit a particular website.

One other difference is if the cookie is “first-party cookie” or “third-party cookie.” A first party cookie is set by the Unity Hospice website you’re visiting, whereas a third-party cookie is set by someone else. Unity Hospice will only allow third-party cookies that are approved by Unity Hospice.

By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to the placement of cookies on your phone, mobile device or computer in order to analyze the way you use our website. You can block cookies by activating the setting on your web browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. These settings are usually found in the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu of your web browser. In order to understand these settings or get further information, refer to the documentation provided by the provider / publisher of the web browser you are using. For further information about deleting or blocking cookies, please visit: http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of our site or perform certain functionalities of the website, such as requesting a quote.

Do we disclose any information to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to third 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.

California Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

Because we value your privacy we have taken the necessary precautions to be in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act. We therefore will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent. As part of the California Online Privacy Protection Act, all users of our website may make any changes to their information at anytime by using the Contact Form or writing to the address provided below.

Children Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act), we do not knowingly 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. If we learn that we have collected the personal information of a child under 13 years of age, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

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 website privacy policy.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page, and/or update the Privacy Policy modification date below.

This policy was last modified on July 25, 2013.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, the data processing practices of Unity Hospice, or your dealings with one of Unity Hospice’s websites, you can contact us at:

Unity Hospice Inc.
4101 Main St
Skokie, IL, 60076, USA

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Patient services are provided without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, handicap (mental or physical), or place of national origin.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

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

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Unity Hospice LP, Unity Hospice of Chicagoland, LLC, Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis, LLC, Unity Hospice of Western IL, LLC, Unity Hospice of NW Indiana, LLC, Unity Hospice GSL LLC (“Hospice”) takes the privacy of your health information seriously. The Hospice is required by law to maintain that privacy and to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices. This Notice is provided to tell you about our duties and practices with respect to your information. The Hospice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice as are currently in effect.

HOW THE HOSPICE MAY USE AND DISCLOSURE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

The following categories describe different ways that the Hospice uses and discloses your health information. For each category, an explanation of the category is provided, in some cases with examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways the Hospice is permitted to use and disclose your health information will fall into one of these categories.

Treatment:

The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to coordinate care within the Hospice and with others involved in your care, such as your attending physician, members of the Hospice interdisciplinary team and other health care professionals who have agreed to assist the Hospice in coordinating care. For example, the Hospice may disclose your health information to a physician involved in your care who needs information about your symptoms to prescribe appropriate medications. The Hospice also may disclose health information about you to individuals outside of the Hospice involved in your care, including family members, other relatives, close personal friends, pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment or other health care professionals.

Payment:

The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to receive payment for the care you receive from the Hospice. For example, the Hospice may be required by your health insurer to provide information regarding your health care status, your need for care and the care that the Hospice intends to provide to you so that the insurer will reimburse you or the Hospice.

Health Care Operations:

The Hospice may use and disclose health information for its own operations to facilitate the functioning of the Hospice and as necessary to provide quality care to all of the Hospice’s patients. Health care operations include such activities as:

Quality assessment and improvement activities.
Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
Protocol development, case management and care coordination.
Contacting health care providers and patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment.
Professional review and performance evaluation.
Training programs, including those in which students, trainees or practitioners in health care learn under supervision.
Training of non-health care professionals.
Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs.
Business planning and development, including cost management and planning related analyses and formulary development.
Business management and general administrative activities of the Hospice.
Fundraising for the benefit of the Hospice.

For example the Hospice may use your health information to evaluate its performance, combine your health information with other Hospice patients in evaluating how to more effectively serve all Hospice patients, disclose your health information to members of the Hospice workforce for training purposes, use your health information to contact you as a reminder regarding a visit to you, or contact you as part of general fundraising and community information mailings (unless you tell us you do not want to be contacted).

Appointment Reminders.

The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for a home visit.

Treatment Alternatives.

The Hospice may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

As Required by Law.

The Hospice will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any Federal, State or local law.

Public Health Risks.

The Hospice may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

Prevent or control disease, injury or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions.
Report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
Notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
Notify an employer about an individual who is a member of the employer’s workforce in certain limited situations, as authorized by law.

Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence.

The Hospice is allowed to notify government authorities if the Hospice believes a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. The Hospice will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the patient agrees to the disclosure.

Health Oversight Activities.

The Hospice may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. The Hospice, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings.

The Hospice may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when the Hospice makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information.

Law Enforcement.

As permitted or required by State law, the Hospice may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes as follows:

As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.
For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.
To a law enforcement official if the Hospice has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct, including criminal conduct at the Hospice.
In an emergency in order to report a crime.

Coroners and Medical Examiners.

The Hospice may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners for purposes of determining your cause of death or for other duties, as authorized by law.

Funeral Directors.

The Hospice may disclose your health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law and, if necessary, to carry out their duties with respect to your funeral arrangements. If necessary to carry out their duties, the Hospice may disclose your health information prior to and in reasonable anticipation of your death.

Organ, Eye or Tissue Donation.

The Hospice may use or disclose your health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplantation of organs, eyes or tissue for the purpose of facilitating the donation and transplantation.

Limited Data Set.

The Hospice may use or disclose a limited data set of your health information, that is, a subset of your health information for which all identifying information has been removed, for purposes of research, public health, or health care operations. Prior to our release, any recipient of that limited data set must agree to appropriately safeguard your health information.

Serious Threat to Health or Safety.

The Hospice may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the Hospice, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.

Specified Government Functions.

In certain circumstances, the Federal regulations authorize the Hospice to use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions relating to military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, medical suitability determinations and inmates and law enforcement custody.

Worker’s Compensation.

The Hospice may release your health information for worker’s compensation or similar programs.

OTHER USES OR DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Except as otherwise permitted or required by this Notice of Privacy Practices, the Hospice will not use or disclose your health information unless you provide written authorization. If you or your representative authorizes the Hospice to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, the Hospice will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization, except to the extent that the Hospice has taken action in reliance thereon. You understand that the Hospice is unable to take back any disclosures it has already made under the authorization, and that the Hospice is required to retain our records of the care that it has provided you.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

You have the following rights regarding your health information that the Hospice maintains:

Right to request restrictions You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on the Hospice’s disclosure of your health information to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. The Hospice is not required to agree to your request, unless your request is for a restriction on a disclosure to a health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations (and is not for purposes of treatment) and the medical information you are requesting to be restricted from disclosure pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you have paid out of pocket in full. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, Administrator, Phone: 312-427-6000
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, Administrator, Phone: 219-769-8648
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, Administrator, Phone: 815-561-8866
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, Administrator, Phone: 618-346-1111
- Unity Hospice GSL LLC, Administrator, Phone: 618-346-1111
Right to receive confidential communications You have the right to request that the Hospice communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that the Hospice only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. If you wish to receive confidential communications, please contact.
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, Administrator, Phone: 312-427-6000
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, Administrator, Phone: 219-769-8648
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, Administrator, Phone: 815-561-8866
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, Administrator, Phone: 618-346-1111
- Unity Hospice GSL LLC, Administrator, Phone: 618-346-1111

The Hospice will not request that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.

Right to inspect and copy your health information. You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, including billing records. A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information may be made to
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, Administrator, PCC, DCS, Phone: 312-427-6000
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, Administrator, PCC, DCS, Phone: 219-769-8648
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, Administrator, PCC, DCS, Phone: 815-561-8866
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, Administrator, PCC, DCS, Phone: 618-346-1111
- Unity Hospice of GSL LLC, Administrator, PCC, DCS, Phone: 618-346-1111

If you request a copy of your health information, the Hospice may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.

You have the right to request that the Hospice provide you, an entity or a designated individual with an electronic copy of your electronic health record containing your health information, if the Hospice uses or maintains electronic health records containing patient health information. The Hospice may require you to pay the labor costs incurred by the Hospice in responding to your request.

Right to amend health care information. You or your representative have the right to request that the Hospice amend your records, if you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete. That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by the Hospice. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, 600 W. Cermak Street, Suite 3D, Chicago, IL 60616. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, 3313 E 83rd Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, 915 N Caron Rd, 101, Rochelle, IL 61068. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, 1604 Eastport Plaza Dr, Collinsville, IL 62234. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of GSL LLC, 6406 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. Administrator

The Hospice may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the amendment. The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by the Hospice, if the records you are requesting are not part of the Hospice’s records, if the health information you wish to amend is not part of the health information you or your representative are permitted to inspect and copy or if, in the opinion of the Hospice, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.

Right to an accounting You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by the Hospice for certain reasons, including reasons related to public purposes authorized by law and certain research. The request for an accounting must be made in writing to
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, 600 W. Cermak Street, Suite 3D, Chicago, IL 60616. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, 3313 E 83rd Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, 915 N Caron Rd, 101, Rochelle, IL 61068. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, 1604 Eastport Plaza Dr, Collinsville, IL 62234. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of GSL LLC, 6406 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. Administrator

The request should specify the time period for the accounting starting on or after April 14, 2003. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time in excess of six (6) years. The Hospice would provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.

Right to a paper copy of this notice You or your representative have a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you or your representative have received this Notice previously. To obtain a separate paper copy, please contact
- Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, 600 W. Cermak Street, Suite 3D, Chicago, IL 60616. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, 3313 E 83rd Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, 915 N Caron Rd, 101, Rochelle, IL 61068. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, 1604 Eastport Plaza Dr, Collinsville, IL 62234. Administrator
- Unity Hospice of GSL LLC, 6406 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. Administrator

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

The Hospice reserves the right to change this Notice. The Hospice reserves the right to make the revised Notice effective for health information we already have about you, as well as any health information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current Notice in a clear and prominent location to which you have access. The Notice also is available to you upon request. The Notice will contain, at the end of this document, the effective date. In addition, if the Hospice revises the Notice, the Hospice will offer you a copy of the current Notice in effect.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

The Hospice has designated the

Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, Administrator.
Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, Administrator.
Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, Administrator.
Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, Administrator.
Unity Hospice GSL LLC, Administrator.

as its contact person for all issues regarding patient privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards. You may contact this person at

1604 Eastport Plaza Dr, Collinsville, IL 62234. Phone: 618-346-1111
915 N Caron Rd, 101, Rochelle, IL 61068. Phone: 815-561-8866
3313 E 83rd Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Phone: 219-769-8648
600 W. Cermak Street, Suite 3D, Chicago, IL 60616. Phone: 312-427-6000
6406 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. Phone: 618-346-1111

COMPLAINTS

You or your personal representative have the right to express complaints to the Hospice and to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Any complaints to the Hospice should be made in writing to

Unity Hospice of Chicagoland LLC, 600 W. Cermak Street, Suite 3D, Chicago, IL 60616. Administrator
Unity Hospice of NW Indiana LLC, 3313 E 83rd Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Administrator
Unity Hospice of Western Illinois LLC, 915 N Caron Rd, 101, Rochelle, IL 61068. Administrator
Unity Hospice of Greater St. Louis LLC, 1604 Eastport Plaza Dr, Collinsville, IL 62234. Administrator
Unity Hospice of GSL LLC, 6406 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. Administrator

The Hospice encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

EFFECTIVE DATE

This Notice is effective 08/31/2012