Advanced Directives
Building Access
Extension Chords
Medications
Personal Belongings

Privacy Practices

Room Transfer
Smoking
Transportation Services
Video Recorders, Cell Phones, Etc.
Visiting Hours

 

 

 

 

 

  • Advanced Directives
    • Covenant Home recognizes the person’s stated wishes as may be outlined on a living will document, a Health Care Proxy, a Do Not Resuscitate order and/or a LaPost document.  If any of these documents have been previously completed, please ensure that Resident Services receives a copy for the medical chart. If they do not currently exist, LaPost documents are distributed upon admission and are available online.  
    • Advanced directives, which are driven by resident choice, supersede, the wishes of the family, responsible parties or other involved persons.  
  • Building Access
    • Access codes to the facility will be provided upon admission.  These codes are changed periodically for safety purposes. Please do not assist a resident from the building unless the nursing staff on their unit is aware of their departure from the building.  At the same time, please be aware of someone you are letting in. Please be wary of those lingering outside the doors who appear not to have the code.
  • Extension Cords
    • Electrical extension cords are prohibited in the facility.  Only surge protectors may be used to extend electrical outlets.  If an extension cord is located in a resident’s room, it will be removed immediately.
  • Medications
    • We utilize Pharmerica for all physician-ordered prescriptions.  We are strictly regulated by state and federal law related to the delivery of medications and only our licensed nurses may administer medications including over-the-counter medications.  In addition, residents may NOT keep anything considered a medication at bedside. This includes antacids, eye drops, ointments, vitamins and other OTC medications.
  • Personal Belongings
    • We respectfully ask that you leave all valuables and monies at home or ask the front desk to secure them in our facility vault.  This is strictly a standard precaution to prevent loss or misplacement of items that have actual or sentimental value. Your family is responsible for conducting a complete inventory of all personal items upon admission so we can properly account for possessions upon discharge.  The facility is not responsible for any lost or misplaced items but will investigate any such occurrences and attempt to resolve each on a case by case basis.

 

  • Privacy Practices
    • In compliance with Federal Law, Effective: July 1, 2013

       

      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 Covenant Nursing Home 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 provider, a health care clearinghouse or a health plan that relates to:

       

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

       

      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 purpose 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 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.

       

      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 way, 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.

       

      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 without 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.

       

      • For Payment: We may use and disclose your protected health information so that the treatment and services you receive at the facility 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 quality and effectiveness of the services you receive.

       

      • 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.

       

      • 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.

       

      • 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 and 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 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 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 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.

       

      • 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.

       

      • Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may disclose you 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. 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 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 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:

       

      • Rights 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 requested if (1) except as otherwise required by law, the disclosure is to a health plan for purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations (and is not for purpose 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 Covenant Nursing Home, 5919 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115. 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 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.

       

      Despite your general right to access your protected health information, access may be denied in limited circumstances. For example, 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 Administrator, 5919 Magazine St.  New Orleans LA 70115. If your 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 facility;
        • 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 Compliance Officer, 1125 West Hwy 30, Gonzales, LA 70737. 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: (1) disclosures made for the purpose of carrying out treatment, payment or health care operations unless HIPAA provides otherwise, (2) disclosure made to you, (3) disclosures made to persons involved in your care, or for the purpose of notifying your family or friends about your whereabouts, (4) disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes, (5) disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials who had you in custody at the time of disclosure, (6) disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you, (7) disclosures that are part of a limited data set, (8) disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, or (9) 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 disclosure, you must submit your request in writing to the Compliance Officer, 5919 Magazine St. New Orleans LA 70115. 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, www.covenantnursinghome.org.  To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, contact the Compliance Officer, 504-897-6216.

       

      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 facility 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 Administrator, 5919 Magazine St.  New Orleans LA 70115.  504-897-6216. 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 Officer at 504-897-6216 for further information about the complaint process or for further information about this document.

 

  • Room Transfer
    • During the course of a resident’s stay, it may be advisable or necessary for them to transfer from one room to another.  Room changes are kept to a minimum in order to minimize the potential effects of adaptation to room changes. The facility does attempt to house residents in such a way that there will be a congenial and comfortable room situation for each resident as the situation and population allows.

 

  • Smoking
    • Covenant Home is a smoke-free facility.  All rooms are equipped with smoke detectors and automatic water sprinklers.  All staff is well trained in emergency procedures. Your safety is always our main concern.
    • There will be absolutely NO SMOKING IN THE ENTIRE FACILITY by residents, family members, staff and/or contractors.  Any person violating the smoke-free rules will be asked to leave Covenant Home for the safety of all our residents.  

 

  • Transportation Services
    • Non-emergent medical appointments should be scheduled between 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Monday-Friday for Covenant Home transport.  When you have a medical appointment, notify the receptionist desk with three (3) business days in advanced notice who will assist in scheduling transportation.  
  • Video Recorders, Cell Phones, Etc.
    • For the protection of both resident and employee privacy, recording events, taking pictures or any other use of photographic equipment is not permitted without the written consent of all parties involved as well as prior approval from the Executive Director.  A photographer is hired to photograph special events on site such as the Mardi Gras Ball, the Mothers’ Day Tea, the Fathers’ Day BBQ, and the Resident Christmas Party. Photographs from those events will be made available to families.
    • Residents are allowed to use cell phones in their room, however, cell phones are not allowed to be used in the hallways, dining room or resident care areas by visitors or staff.  

 

  • Visiting Hours
    • While there are no set visiting hours at Covenant Home, we encourage those who wish to spend time with their families and friends to visit between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Visitors are allowed outside of this time frame, but we ask that guests check-in at the Nurses’ Station and to keep conversations at a quiet level as a courtesy to other residents. Facility staff request that visiting times be geared to their loved one’s daily routine, condition and needs.
    • Administration requests that families please use discretion by not visiting when they may have a contagious illness or are otherwise not well.  Children of any age are welcome and encouraged to visit. Pets (dogs and cats) are welcome. Animals must be leashed or caged at all times.