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.
About This Notice
Guardian Care, Inc., and its affiliate companies, (collectively, “Guardian Care,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (“PHI”) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices. This Notice applies to the health care services of the entities listed above and their workforce members.
PHI is information that may identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition; the health care or services provided to you; or payment for that care or those services. We will follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
SPECIAL PROTECTION FOR CERTAIN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECORDS: To the extent we maintain records subject to 42 C.F.R. Part 2, we will not use or disclose those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without (1) your written consent or (2) a court order and subpoena.
At a Glance
- Your rights include access to your records, corrections, confidential communications, restrictions, an accounting of certain disclosures, a paper copy of this Notice, representation by an authorized person, breach notification, and the right to complain without retaliation.
- Your choices include telling us how to share information with family or others involved in your care, and deciding whether to authorize uses such as marketing, sale of PHI, and most uses of psychotherapy notes.
- We may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization for treatment, payment, health care operations, and other purposes allowed or required by law, subject to all applicable conditions and limits.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have the following rights. Contact our Compliance Officer using the information at the end of this Notice to exercise any of these rights.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your record. You may ask to inspect or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other PHI maintained in a designated record set. We will provide access in the form and format requested if it is readily producible, or in another readable form and format that we agree on. We will act on your request within 30 days. If we need one additional 30-day extension, we will tell you in writing why and when we will respond. We may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee permitted by law and will tell you in advance about any applicable fee. There is no fee merely to inspect your records.
Ask us to correct your record. You may ask us to amend PHI that you believe is incorrect or incomplete for as long as we maintain the information. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the reason in writing, generally within 60 days. If we need one additional 30-day extension, we will notify you in writing.
Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at a particular phone number, or to send mail to a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share. You may ask us not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or not to share information with a person involved in your care or payment for your care. We are generally not required to agree. If we agree, we will follow the restriction except when the information is needed for emergency treatment or another disclosure is required by law.
Restriction for services paid in full. If you pay out of pocket in full for a health care item or service, you may ask us not to disclose information about that item or service to your health plan for payment or health care operations. We will agree unless a law requires the disclosure.
Get a list of certain disclosures. You may ask for an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made during the six years before the date of your request. The accounting will not include certain disclosures, such as those for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or disclosures you authorized or asked us to make. One accounting in any 12-month period is free. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additionalaccountings and will tell you the cost in advance so you may withdraw or change your request.
Get a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive the Notice electronically. We will provide it promptly.
Choose someone to act for you. If a person has legal authority to act for you, such as under a medical power of attorney or legal guardianship, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. We will verify the person’s authority before taking action.
Be notified of a breach. We will notify you as required by law if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI.
File a complaint. You may complain to us or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
For certain PHI, you may tell us your preferences about what we share. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions when the law gives you that choice.
- We may share relevant PHI with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care, and with disaster-relief organizations, unless you object or the law requires another process.
- If you cannot tell us your preference, such as when you are unconscious, we may share relevant information if we reasonably believe it is in your best interest. We may also disclose information when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
Uses and Disclosures That Require Written Authorization
Unless an exception applies, we will obtain your written authorization before:
- Using or disclosing PHI for marketing purposes;
- Disclosing PHI in a way that constitutes a sale of PHI; or
- Using or disclosing most psychotherapy notes, if we maintain them.
Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. The revocation will not affect actions already taken in reliance on the authorization.
Fundraising. We do not currently use PHI for fundraising. If our practices change and we contact you for fundraising as permitted by law, you may tell us not to contact you again. If a fundraising communication would use Part 2 records, we will provide clear and conspicuous notice in advance and a choice about whether to receive it.
How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI
We typically use or disclose your PHI without written authorization in the following ways:
Treatment and care coordination. We may use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and related services. For example, our staff may share relevant information with physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacies, caregivers, case managers, care coordinators, or other providers involved in your care.
Payment. We may use and disclose PHI to bill and collect payment from you, a health plan, Medicaid, Medicare, or another payer. For example, we may provide information needed to determine eligibility, obtain authorization, or support payment for services.
Health care operations. We may use and disclose PHI to run our organization, improve care and services, train and evaluate staff, conduct quality assessment and improvement, perform audits and compliance activities, manage business functions, and work with service providers that are legally required to protect the information.
Communications about your care. We may use PHI to contact you about appointments, schedules, services, treatment alternatives, care options, or health-related benefits and services that may interest you. We may also send service-related newsletters or greeting cards when permitted by law and consistent with your communication preferences.
Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law
We may use or disclose PHI for the purposes below only when applicable legal requirements and safeguards are met:
Required by law. We will disclose PHI when federal, state, or local law requires it, including to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when it is reviewing our compliance with federal privacy law.
Public health and safety. We may disclose PHI for authorized public health activities, including preventing or controlling disease; reporting births, deaths, injuries, adverse events, or product problems; assisting with recalls; or notifying a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease.
Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We may report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or domestic violence to an authorized government agency when permitted or required by law.
Health oversight. We may disclose PHI to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and disciplinary proceedings.
Research. We may use or disclose PHI for research when the applicable approval, waiver, authorization, or other legal requirements are satisfied.
Serious threat to health or safety. We may use or disclose PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public, consistent with applicable law and professional standards.
Organ and tissue donation. We may disclose PHI to organ procurement organizations or others involved in donation and transplantation.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors. We may disclose PHI to these persons as necessary to perform their duties.
Workers’ compensation. We may disclose PHI as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers’ compensation or similar programs.
Law enforcement. We may disclose PHI for law-enforcement purposes only as permitted or required by law and subject to applicable limits, such as in response to certain court orders, warrants, subpoenas, or other legal processes.
Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order or, when legal conditions are met, a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
Specialized government functions. We may disclose PHI for authorized military and veterans’ activities, national security and intelligence activities, protective services, correctional institutions, or other specialized government functions permitted by law.
Additional Protections for Certain Records
Substance use disorder records subject to 42 C.F.R. Part 2. To the extent we maintain Part 2 records, we cannot use or disclose information in those records in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding conducted by a federal, state, or local authority against you without (1) your written consent or (2) a court order and subpoena. These protections apply even when another use or disclosure is described elsewhere in this Notice.
Indiana and other applicable law. Some health information may receive greater protection under Indiana or other applicable law, including certain mental health records, HIV/AIDS or other communicable-disease information, genetic-testing information, and information concerning minors. When another law is more protective than HIPAA, we will follow that law and obtain consent or meet other legal requirements before disclosure unless the law permits or requires disclosure without consent.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, apply appropriate safeguards, and limit uses, disclosures, and requests as required by law.
- We will notify you as required by law if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect and provide you with a copy upon request. We will not use or disclose your PHI other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize us in writing or the law otherwise permits or requires it.
Changes to This Notice
We may change the terms of this Notice, and the revised Notice may apply to all PHI we maintain, including information created or received before the revision. If we make a material change, we will update the effective date, make the revised Notice available upon request and at our office, and prominently post it on our website.
Questions or Complaints
If you have questions about this Notice, need a copy, want to exercise a privacy right, or wish to file a complaint with us, contact:
Compliance Officer
Guardian Care, Inc.
11 Municipal Drive, Suite 200
Fishers, IN 46038
Phone: (317) 360-0359
Email: compliance_department@myguardian.care
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights:
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-877-696-6775
Website: hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint with us or with HHS.
Effective Date: July 22, 2026