Hands and Hearts Home Care, LLC

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: August 14, 2025

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.

Our Legal Duty

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your medical information and to provide you with this notice explaining our legal duties and privacy practices. We will follow the practices described in this notice.

What Information We Collect

To provide you with quality care, we collect certain personal and medical information, also known as Protected Health Information (PHI). This may include, but is not limited to:

• Your name, address, phone number, and date of birth
• Your medical history, diagnoses, and treatment plans
• Information from other healthcare providers
• Insurance and payment information
• Phone numbers and contact details for SMS (text) communications

Ways We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

• For Treatment: We will use your PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage your health care. For example, we may share information with a specialist to whom we have referred you.
• For Payment: We will use your PHI to obtain payment for the services we provide. This may include sending a bill to a third-party payer with information identifying you and the services you received.
• For Health Care Operations: We may use your PHI to support our business activities, such as evaluating the performance of our staff or reviewing the quality of our services.
• Appointment Reminders: We will use your information to contact you about scheduled appointments.
• Others Involved in Your Care: We may share your PHI with a family member, friend, or other person you identify who is involved in your medical care or payment for care.
• As Required by Law: We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
• Public Health and Safety: We may disclose your PHI to public health authorities to control disease or to avert a serious threat to public health or safety.

Policy on SMS (Text) Messaging and Terms & Conditions

SMS Opt-In Policy

You have the right to opt-in to receive electronic communications from us via SMS (text message). Your phone number and any SMS opt-in consent will not be shared or sold to third parties for marketing purposes.

SMS Terms & Conditions (Part of Privacy Practices)

By opting in to receive SMS messages from Hands and Hearts Home Care, LLC, you agree to the following terms:

• Expected Message Types: Appointment reminders, scheduling confirmations, caregiver arrival alerts, and account notifications.
• Messaging Frequency: Messaging frequency may vary.
• Rates: Message and data rates may apply.
• Opt-Out: To opt out at any time, text STOP.
• Assistance: For assistance, text HELP or visit our website at https://handsandheartshomecare.com/.
• Policies: Visit https://handsandheartshomecare.com/privacy for both our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

• Get a Copy of This Notice: You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request.
• Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy your medical and billing records. Your request must be made in writing to our Privacy Officer, James Moore. We may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying and mailing. We will respond within 30 days if the information is on-site, or 60 days if stored off-site.
• Request Amendment: You may ask us to amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. This request must be in writing and include a reason to support the request.
• Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction on how we use or disclose your information. This request must be in writing. We are not required to agree to your request, but if we do, we will comply except in an emergency.
• An Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information. The first request within a 12-month period is free; subsequent requests may include a fee.
• Request Confidential Communications: You can request that we communicate with you in a specific way to preserve your privacy, such as calling you only at your work number. Your request must be in writing, and we will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Complaints and Contact Information

If you believe we have violated your privacy rights, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our manager, you must do so in writing within 180 days of the suspected violation.

If you have questions, please contact our Privacy Officer, James Moore, at our office number 803-926-1669.