PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT – HEALTH CARE RECORDS

This statement gives you notice required by law (the Privacy Act of 1974). This statement is not a consent form. It will not be used to release or to use your health care information.

I. Authority for collection of your information, including your social security number, and whether or not you are required to provide information for this assessment. Sections 1102(a), 1154, 1861(z), 1864, 1865, 1866, 1871, 1886(j) of the Social Security Act.

Medicare participating inpatient rehabilitation facilities must do a complete assessment that accurately reflects your current clinical status and includes information that can be used to show your progress toward your rehabilitation goals. The inpatient rehabilitation facility must use the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility-Patient Assessment Instrument (IFR-PAI) as part of that assessment, when evaluating your clinical status. The IRF-PAI must be used to assess every Medicare Part A fee-for-service inpatient, and it may be used to assess other types of inpatients. This information will be used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to be sure that the inpatient rehabilitation facility is paid appropriately for the services that they furnish you, and to help evaluate that the inpatient rehabilitation facility meets quality standards and gives appropriate health care to its patients. You have the right to refuse to provide information to the inpatient rehabilitation facility for the assessment. Information provided to the federal government for this assessment is protected under the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 and the IRF-PAI System of Records. You have the right to see, copy, review, and request correction of inaccurate or missing personal health information in the IRF-PAI System of Records.

II. PRINCIPAL PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR INFORMATION IS INTENDED TO BE USED

The information collected will be entered into the IRF-PAI System No. 09-70-1518. Your health care information in the IRF-PAI System of Records will be used for the following purposes:

support the IRF prospective payment system (PPS) for payment of the IRF Medicare Part A fee-for-services furnished by the IRF to Medicare beneficiaries;
help validate and refine the Medicare IRF-PPS
study and help ensure the quality of care provided by IRFs;
enable CMS and its agents to provide IRFs with data for their quality assurance and ultimately quality improvement activities;
support agencies of the State government, deeming organizations or accrediting agencies to determine, evaluate and assess overall effectiveness and quality of IRF services provided in the State;
provide information to consumers to allow them to make better informed selections of providers;
support regulatory and policy functions performed within the IRF or by a contractor or consultant;
support constituent requests made to a Congressional representative;
support litigation involving the facility;
support research on the utilization and quality of inpatient rehabilitation services; as well as, evaluation, or epidemiological projects related to the prevention of disease or disability, or the restoration or maintenance of health for understanding and improving payment systems.

III. ROUTINE USES

These “routine uses” specify the circumstances when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may release your information from the IRF-PAI System of Records without your consent. Each prospective recipient must agree in writing to ensure the continuing confidentiality and security of your information. Disclosures of protected health information authorized by these routine uses may be made only if, and as, permitted or required by the ‘Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.’ (45 CFR Parts 160 and 164). Disclosures of the information may be to:

To agency contractors or consultants who have been contracted by the agency to assist in the performance of a service related to this system of records and who need to have access to the records in order to perform the activity;
To a Peer Review Organization (PRO) in order to assist the PRO to perform Title XI and Title XVIII functions relating to assessing and improving IRF quality of care. PROs will work with IRFs to implement quality improvement programs, provide consultation to CMS, its contractors, and to State agencies;
To another Federal or State agency:
a. To contribute to the accuracy of CMS’s proper payment of Medicare benefits,
b. To enable such agency to administer a Federal health benefits program, or as necessary to enable such agency to fulfill a requirement of a Federal statute or regulation that implements a health benefits program funded in whole or in part with Federal funds, or
c. To improve the state survey process for investigation of complains related to health and safety or quality of care and to implement a more outcome oriented survey and certification program.
To an individual or organization for a research, evaluation, or epidemiological projects related to the prevention of disease or disability, the restoration or maintenance of health epidemiological or for understanding and improving payment projects.
To a member of Congress or to a congressional staff member in response to an inquiry of the Congressional Office made at the written request of the constituent about whom the record is maintained.
To the Department of Justice (DOJ), court or adjudicatory body when:
a. The agency or any component thereof; or
b. Any employee of the agency in his or her official capacity; or
c. Any employee of the agency in his or her individual capacity where the employee; or
d. The United States Government; is a party to litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and by careful review, CMS determines that the records are both relevant and necessary to the litigation and the use of such records by the DOJ, court or adjudicatory body is compatible with the purpose for which the agency collected the records.
To a CMS contractor (including, but not necessarily limited to fiscal intermediaries and carriers) that assists in the administration of a CMSadministered health benefits program, or to a grantee of a CMS-administered grant program, when disclosure is deemed reasonably necessary by CMS to prevent, deter, discover, detect, investigate, examine, prosecute, sue with respect to, defend against, correct, remedy, or otherwise combat fraud or abuse in such program.
To another Federal agency or to an instrumentality of any governmental jurisdiction within or under the control of the United States (including any State or local governmental agency), that administers, or that has the authority to investigate potential fraud or abuse in whole or part by Federal funds, when disclosure is deemed reasonably necessary by CMS to prevent, deter, discover, detect, investigate, examine, prosecute, sue with respect to, defend against, correct, remedy, or otherwise combat frauds or abuse in such programs;
To a national accrediting organization that has been approved for deeming authority for Medicare requirements for inpatient rehabilitation services (i.e., the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American Osteopathic Association and the Commission of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). Data will be released to these organizations only for those facilities that participate in Medicare by virtue of their accreditation status.
To insurance companies, third party administrators (TPA), employers, self-insurers, manage care organizations, other supplemental insurers, noncoordinating insurers, multiple employer trusts, group health plans (i.e., health maintenance organizations (HMO) or a competitive medical plan (CMP)) with a Medicare contract, or a Medicare-approved health care prepayment plan (HCPP), directly or through a contractor, and other groups providing protection for their enrollees. Information to be disclosed shall be limited to Medicare entitlement data. In order to receive the information, they must agree to:
a. Certify that the individual about whom the information is being provided is one of its insured or employees, or is insured and/or employed by another entity for whom they serve as a third party administrator;
b. Utilize the information solely for the purpose of processing the individual’s insurance claims; and
c. Safeguard the confidentiality of the data and prevent unauthorized access.

IV. EFFECT ON YOU IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION

The inpatient rehabilitation facility needs the information contained in the IRF-PAI in order to comply with the Medicare regulations. Your inpatient rehabilitation facility will also use the IRF-PAI to assist in providing you with quality care. It is important that the information be correct. Incorrect information could result in payment errors. Incorrect 3 information also could make it difficult to evaluate if the facility is giving you quality services. If you choose not to provide information, there is no federal requirement for the inpatient rehabilitation facility to refuse you services.

Contact

If you want to ask the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to see, review, copy or request correction of inaccurate or missing personal health information which that Federal agency maintains in its IRF-PAI System of Records:

Call 1-800-MEDICARE, toll-free, for assistance in contacting the IRF-PAI System of Records Manager.

TTY for the hearing and speech impaired: 1-800-820-1202

This is a Medicare & Medicaid Approved Notice.