Notice of Privacy Practices (English)
Notice of Privacy Practices of Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town, Boys Town National Research Hospital
Notice of Privacy
Practices
We
are required by law to maintain the privacy of your medical information and to
provide you with notice of our legal duties, privacy practices and your rights
with respect to your medical information. Your medical information includes
your individually identifiable medical, insurance, demographic and medical
payment information. For example, it includes information about your diagnosis,
medications, insurance status and policy number, medical claims history,
address and social security number.
Who Will Follow
This Notice
This Notice describes the Privacy Practices
of Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town and Boys Town National Research
Hospital hereafter known as Boys Town.
Uses and
Disclosures of Information Without Your Authorization
The
following are the types of uses and disclosures we may make of your medical
information without your permission. However, any disclosures made by Boys Town
Center for Behavioral Health – Chemical Use Program and Intensive Outpatient
Program will follow the additional privacy protections described in Appendix A,
which should be read as a supplement to this Notice. Additionally, where other state
or federal law restricts one of the described uses or disclosures, we follow
the requirements of such state or federal law. These are general descriptions
only. They do not cover every example of disclosure within a category.
Treatment
We will use and disclose your medical information for treatment. For example,
we will share medical information about you with your nurses, your physicians
and others who are involved in your care at Boys Town. We will also disclose
your medical information to your physician and other practitioners, providers
and health care facilities for their use in treating you in the future. For
example, if you are transferred to a hospital, we will send medical information
about you to the hospital.
Payment
We will use and disclose your medical information for payment purposes. For
example, we will use your medical information to prepare your bill, and we will
send medical information to your insurance company with your bill. We may also
disclose medical information about you to other medical care providers, medical
plans and health care clearinghouses for their payment purposes. For example,
if you require ambulance transportation, the information collected will be
given to the ambulance provider for its billing purposes. If State law
requires, we will obtain your permission prior to disclosing it to other
providers or health insurance companies for payment purposes.
Health Care
Operations
We may use or disclose your medical information for our health care
operations. For example, physicians may
review your medical information for quality improvement purposes. In some
cases, we will provide other qualified parties with your medical information
for their health care operations. The ambulance company, for example, may also
want information on your condition to help them ensure they do an effective job
of providing care. If State law requires, we will obtain your permission prior
to disclosing your medical information to other providers or health insurance
companies for their health care operations.
Business
Associates
We will disclose your medical information to our business associates and allow
them to create, use and disclose your medical information to perform their
services for us. For example, we may disclose your medical information to an
outside billing company who assists us with billing insurance companies.
Appointment
Reminders
We may contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or
medical services.
Treatment
Alternatives
We may contact you to provide information about treatment alternatives or other
health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising
We may contact you as part of a fundraising effort. We may also use, or
disclose to a business associate, certain medical information about you, such
as your name, address, phone number, dates you received treatment or services,
treating physician, outcome information and department of service (for example,
cardiology or orthopedics), so that we or they may contact you to raise money
for the organization. Any time you are
contacted, whether in writing, by phone or by other means for our fundraising
purposes, you will have the opportunity to “opt out” and not receive further
fundraising communications related to the specific fundraising campaign or
appeal for which you are being contacted, unless we have already sent a
communication prior to receiving notice of your election to opt out.
Information
Received from Substance Use Disorder Programs
We may receive health information from a substance use disorder program. We
will use and disclose that information in the same manner as your other health
information we maintain, except that we will not use or disclose it in civil,
criminal, administrative or legislative proceedings against you, unless you
consent to such use or disclosure or pursuant to a court order that has given
you an opportunity to be heard and that is accompanied by a subpoena or other
legal instrument that requires our disclosure.
Family, Friends or
Others
We may disclose your location or general condition to a family member, your
personal representative or another person identified by you. If any of these
individuals are involved in your care or payment for care, we may also disclose
such medical information as is directly relevant to their involvement. We will
only release this information if you agree, are given the opportunity to object,
and do not, or if in our professional judgment, it would be in your best
interest to allow the person to receive the information or act on your behalf.
For example, we may allow a family member to pick up your prescriptions,
medical supplies or X-rays. We may also disclose your information to an entity
assisting in disaster relief efforts so that your family or individual
responsible for your care may be notified of your location and condition.
Required by Law
We will use and disclose your information as required by federal, state or
local law. Such disclosures include sharing your
information with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to confirm
that we are complying with federal privacy law.
Public Health
Activities
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities.
These activities may include disclosures:
- To a public health authority authorized by law to collect or receive such information for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability;
- To appropriate authorities authorized to receive reports of child abuse and neglect;
- To FDA-regulated entities for purposes of monitoring or reporting the quality, safety or effectiveness of FDA-regulated products;
- 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; and
- With parent or guardian permission, to send proof of required immunization to a school.
Abuse, Neglect or
Domestic Violence
We
may notify the appropriate government authority if we believe you have been the
victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Unless such disclosure is
required by law (for example, to report a particular type of injury), we will
only make this disclosure if you agree.
Health Oversight
Activities
We may disclose medical 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
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical
information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may
also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena,
discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the
dispute, but only if reasonable efforts have been made to notify you of the
request or to obtain an order from the court protecting the information
requested.
Law Enforcement
We may release certain medical information if asked to do so by a law
enforcement official:
- As required by law, including reporting certain wounds and physical injuries;
- In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
- To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person;
- If you are the victim of a crime and we obtain your agreement or, under certain limited circumstances, if we are unable to obtain your agreement;
- To alert authorities of a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
- Information we believe is evidence of criminal conduct occurring on our premises; 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.
Deceased
Individuals
We are required to apply safeguards to protect your medical information for 50
years following your death. Following your death, we may disclose medical
information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director as necessary for
them to carry out their duties and to a personal representative (for example,
the executor of your estate). We may also release your medical information to a
family member or other person who acted as personal representative or was
involved in your care or payment for care before your death, if relevant to
such person’s involvement, unless you have expressed a contrary
preference.
Organ, Eye or
Tissue Donation
We may release medical information to organ, eye or tissue procurement,
transplantation or banking organizations or entities as necessary to facilitate
organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation.
Research
Under certain circumstances, we may use or disclose your medical information
for research, subject to certain safeguards. For example, we may disclose
information to researchers when their research has been approved by a special
committee that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to
ensure the privacy of your medical information. We may disclose medical
information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, but
the information will stay on site.
Threats to Health
or Safety
Under certain circumstances, we may use or
disclose your medical information to avert a serious threat to health and
safety if we, in good faith, believe the use or disclosure is necessary to
prevent or lessen the threat and is to a person reasonably able to prevent or
lessen the threat (including the target) or is necessary for law enforcement
authorities to identify or apprehend an individual involved in a crime.
Specialized
Government Functions
We may use and disclose your medical information for national security and
intelligence activities authorized by law or for protective services of the
President. If you are a military member, we may disclose to military
authorities under certain circumstances. If you are an inmate of a correctional
institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose
to the institution, its agents or the law enforcement official your medical
information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other
individuals.
Workers’
Compensation
We may release medical information about you as authorized by law for workers’
compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related
injuries or illness.
Incidental Uses
and Disclosures
There are certain incidental uses or disclosures of your information that occur
while we are providing service to you or conducting our business. For example,
after surgery the nurse or doctor may need to use your name to identify family
members that may be waiting for you in a waiting area. Other individuals
waiting in the same area may hear your name called. We will make reasonable
efforts to limit these incidental uses and disclosures.
Health Information
Exchange
We participate in one or more electronic
health information exchanges which permit us to electronically exchange medical information about you with other
participating providers (for example, doctors and hospitals) and health plans
and their business associates. For example, we may permit a health plan that
insures you to electronically access our records about you to verify a claim
for payment about services we provide to you. Or we may permit a physician
providing care to you to electronically access our records to have up to date
information with which to treat you. As described earlier in this Notice,
participation in a health information exchange also lets us electronically
access medical information from other participating providers and health plans
for our treatment, payment and health care operations purposes as described in
this Notice. We may in the future allow other parties, for example, public
health departments that participate in the health information exchange, to
access your medical information electronically for their permitted purposes as
described in this Notice.
Further
Disclosure
Information disclosed without your authorization as described in this Notice,
as well as information disclosed with your authorization, may be subject to
redisclosure by the recipient and no longer protected by HIPAA.
Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization
There are many uses and disclosures we will make only with your written authorization. These include:
- Uses and Disclosures Not Described Above – We will obtain your authorization for any use or disclosure of your medical information that is not described in the preceding examples.
- Psychotherapy Notes – These are notes made by a mental health professional documenting conversations during private counseling sessions or in joint or group therapy. Many uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes require your authorization.
- Marketing – We will not use or disclose your medical information for marketing purposes without your authorization. Moreover, if we receive any financial remuneration from a third party in connection with marketing, we will tell you that in the authorization form.
- Sale of Medical Information – We will not sell your medical information to third parties without your authorization. Any such authorization will state that we will receive remuneration in the transaction.
If you provide authorization, you may revoke it at any time by giving us notice in accordance with our Release of Information policy and the instructions in our authorization form. Your revocation will not be effective for uses and disclosures made in reliance on your prior authorization.
Individual Rights
Request for
Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical
information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care
operations or to people involved in your care. We are not required to agree to
your request, with one exception explained in the next paragraph, and we will
notify you if we are unable to agree to your request.
We are required to agree to your request that we not disclose certain health information to your health plan for payment or health care operations purposes, if you pay out-of-pocket in full for all expenses related to that service prior to your request, and the disclosure is not otherwise required by law. Such a restriction will only apply to records that relate solely to the service for which you have paid in full. If we later receive an Authorization from you dated after the date of your requested restriction which authorizes us to disclose all of your records to your health plan, we will assume you have withdrawn your request for restriction.
Several different covered entities listed at the start of this Notice use this Notice. You must make a separate request to each covered entity from whom you will receive services that are involved in your request for any type of restriction. Contact the Hospital at the address listed below if you have questions regarding which providers will be involved in your care.
Access to Medical
Information
You may inspect and copy much of the medical information we maintain about you,
with some exceptions. If we maintain the medical information electronically in
one or more designated record sets and you ask for an electronic copy, we will
provide the information to you in the form and format you request, if it is
readily producible. If we cannot readily produce the record in the form and
format you request, we will produce it in another readable electronic form we
both agree to. We may charge a cost-based fee for producing copies or, if you
request one, a summary. If you direct us to transmit your medical information
to another person, we will do so, provided your signed, written direction
clearly designates the recipient and location for delivery.
Amendment
You may request that we amend certain medical information that we keep in your
records. We are not required to make all requested amendments but will give
each request careful consideration. If we deny your request, we will provide
you with a written explanation of the reasons and your rights.
Accounting
You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your
medical information made by us or our business associates for the six years
prior to your request. Your right to an accounting does not include disclosures
for treatment, payment and health care operations and certain other types of
disclosures, for example, as part of a facility directory or disclosures in
accordance with your authorization.
Confidential
Communications
You may request that we communicate with you about your medical information in
a certain way or at a certain location. We must agree to your request if it is
reasonable and specifies the alternate means or location.
Notification in
the Case of Breach
We are required by law to notify you of a breach of your unsecured medical
information. We will provide such notification to you without unreasonable
delay but in no case later than 60 days after we discover the breach.
How to Exercise
These Rights
All requests to exercise these rights must be in writing. We will respond to
your request on a timely basis in accordance with our written policies and as
required by law. Contact the Privacy Officer via phone at (531) 355-1226 or by mail to Privacy
Officer, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68010 for more information or
to obtain request forms.
About This Notice
We are required to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect. We
reserve the right to change our practices and the terms of this Notice and to
make the new practices and notice provisions effective for all medical
information that we maintain. Before we make such changes effective, we will
make available the revised Notice by posting it in all Boys Town clinics, hospital
areas and offices of covered affiliate sites, where copies will also be
available. The revised Notice will also be posted on our website at https://www.boystown.org/privacy-center.
You are entitled to receive this Notice in written form. Please contact the
HIPAA Privacy Officer at the address listed below to obtain a written copy.
Complaints
If you have concerns about any of our privacy practices or believe that your
privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint using the contact
information at the end of this Notice. You may also submit a written complaint
to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no
retaliation for filing a complaint.
Contact Information
Boys Town Privacy Officer
14100 Crawford Street
Boys Town, NE 68010
(531) 355-1226
hipaa.privacy@boystown.org
EFFECTIVE DATE OF NOTICE: February 16, 2026
APPENDIX A
Notice of Privacy Practices of Boys Town Center for Behavioral Health Care – Chemical Use Program (CUP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
This notice is a supplement to Boys Town’s Notice of Privacy Practices and applies only to substance use disorder and related records.
This notice describes:
- How records about you may be used and disclosed
- Your rights with respect to your records
- How to file a complaint concerning a violation of the privacy or security of your records, or of your rights concerning your records
You have a right to a copy of this notice (in paper or electronic form) and to discuss it with our Privacy Office at (531) 355-1226 or hipaa.privacy@boystown.org if you have any questions.
Who Will Follow This Notice
This is the Notice covering Chemical Use
Program (CUP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Center for Behavioral
Health Care programs operated by Boys Town. Boys Town CUP and IOP provide
substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment to patients and creates medical
records related to its diagnostic and treatment activities (the “records”). Our
specialized substance use disorder treatment program and the related records are
subject to heightened federal privacy protections under 42 CFR Part 2. This
Notice describes the privacy practices of Boys Town CUP and IOP related to
those records. Boys Town CUP and IOP are also governed by HIPAA. To the extent
Part 2 is not more stringent than HIPAA, we will follow our HIPAA notice.
Uses and Disclosures of Your Record
Uses
and Disclosures That Can be Made Without Your Consent
We may use and disclose your record without your consent in certain, limited
ways. The following are ways we may do so. These are general descriptions only
and do not cover every example of disclosures within a category:
- Medical emergencies. We may disclose your records to medical providers when necessary, due to a medical emergency in which you are unable to consent or when we are closed due to a temporary state of emergency. We may also disclose your record to the FDA for notification purposes related to a product under the FDA’s jurisdiction. For example, if you become unresponsive while in our care, we may disclose your record to the EMTs who respond to our facility to transport you to the emergency room.
- Scientific research. Under certain circumstances, we may use or disclose your record for research, subject to certain safeguards. For example, we may disclose information to researchers when a special committee who has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information has approved the research.
- Certain audits and evaluations. We may disclose your records, with certain limitations or conditions, for the purpose of an audit or evaluation, which can include activities by government entities, accreditation-type entities or payors, to improve care or outcomes, ensure appropriate resource management, adjust payment policies to enhance care of coverage and review of appropriateness and necessity of care or utilization of services. For example, we may disclose your record to the payor in their assessment of whether its members are utilizing available resources appropriately.
- Public health. We may disclose your record to a public health authority in a de-identified manner, so there is no way you will be identified as the patient. For example, we may disclose certain information from your record if we are required to report instances of possible overdose to the state of Nebraska or Iowa.
Disclosures Made by a TPO Consent
We
are permitted to require you to provide your consent as condition of receiving
our services so that we can use and disclose your records for all treatment,
payment and health care operations (TPO) purposes. For example, as a condition
of receiving our services we may require you to allow us to bill your insurer
for your treatment and to allow us to disclose your record to your primary care
physician. We may do this in a single form that covers all TPO purposes.
Revocation of
Consent
You may revoke your consent at any time by sending your written revocation to
our Privacy Office at the contact information listed above or below. We will
comply with your revocation request and stop using or disclosing your record in
such way. However, the revocation does not apply to any prior uses or
disclosures we made in reliance on your consent.
Court Orders
We will not use or disclose your records,
or provide testimony relaying the content of such records, in any civil,
administrative, criminal or legislative proceedings against you unless based on
your consent or a valid court order. To be valid, the consent or order must
have provided you with an opportunity to be heard and must be accompanied by a
subpoena or other legal mandate compelling our disclosure.
Other Disclosures
Any other disclosures not described in this Notice
require that we obtain your written consent before making such disclosures. For
example, we will not disclose any information without your consent to your
family members if they ask whether you are receiving service from our program.
Further Use and Disclosure of Your Records
In
the event we disclose your records to
another provider or certain contractors pursuant to your TPO consent, these
records may be further disclosed by the recipient without further consent by
you, but only to the extent the HIPAA regulations or other applicable law permit
such disclosure.
Fundraising
We
may use and disclose your health information in order to contact you for our
fundraising campaigns, but before we do so, we must provide you with a clear
and conspicuous opportunity to elect not to receive fundraising-related
communications.
Your Individual Rights
This section describes various rights you have over your record. To exercise your rights, you should contact the Privacy Office at the contact information above or below to understand what we may need from you to process your request.
Request for
Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the records we use
or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations,
including when you have previously signed a written consent for such disclosures.
We are not required to agree to your request, with one exception explained in
the next paragraph, and we will notify you regarding our decision about your
request.
We are required to agree to your request that we not disclose certain records to your health plan for payment or health care operations purposes, if you pay out-of-pocket in full at the time of service. Such a restriction will only apply to records that relate solely to the service for which you have paid in full. If we later receive a consent from you dated after the date of your requested restriction which authorizes us to disclose all your records to your health plan, we will assume you have withdrawn your request for restriction.
Accounting
You have a right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your record
made by us for the three years prior to your request. Your right to an
accounting includes disclosures for treatment, payment and health care
operations only when such disclosures are made through an electronic health
record. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free, and you may be
charged a fee for each subsequent accounting you request within the same
12-month period.
If we have provided your record to an intermediary pursuant to your consent, you have the right to receive a list of disclosures made by the intermediary for the past three years prior to your request.
Discuss with the
Privacy Officer
You can discuss this notice with our Privacy Officer at any time.
Elect Not to
Receive Fundraising Communication
As further described above, if we wish to use your record for fundraising, we
must provide you with an opportunity to opt out. You have the right to elect to
not receive fundraising communication at any time.
About This Notice
We
are required by law to maintain the privacy of your records and to provide you
with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practice related to your
records. You have the right to request a copy of this notice in paper or
electronic format upon request to us through the contact information below.
We are required to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect. We reserve the right to change our practices and the terms of this Notice and to make the new practices and notice provisions effective for all health information that we maintain.
Complaints
If you have concerns about any of our privacy practices or believe that your
privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the
contact information at the end of this Notice. You may also submit a written
complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no
retaliation for filing a complaint.
Contact
Information
Boys Town Privacy Officer
14100 Crawford Street
Boys Town, NE 68010
(531) 355-1226
hipaa.privacy@boystown.org
EFFECTIVE DATE OF NOTICE: February 16, 2026