Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Effective date: August 14, 2026

Who we are

This notice applies to our hospice

Santa Maria Hospice, Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we may use and share your protected health information (PHI), and what rights you have.

We give this notice to every patient at admission. We also post it on our website and at our office. Our website Privacy policy covers website visitors who are not patients.

Your rights

You can decide certain things about your information

You have the right to:

Get a copy of your health and billing records
Ask us to correct records you believe are wrong or incomplete
Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures of your information
Ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific place
Get a list of certain disclosures we have made
Get a paper copy of this notice, even if you received it electronically
Choose someone to act for you, if that person has legal authority
File a complaint if you believe we have violated your privacy rights

To use any of these rights, contact us using the information at the end of this notice. We may ask you to make the request in writing.

Our uses

How we use and share your health information

We may use and share your PHI for treatment, payment, and health care operations without your written permission. Other uses need your written authorization, unless the law allows or requires the use.

Treatment

To provide and coordinate hospice care with your physicians, nurses, aides, and other caregivers
To share information with pharmacies, equipment suppliers, and facilities involved in your care
To consult with covering clinicians when your usual team is not available

Payment

To bill Medicare, Medi-Cal, or your insurer for covered hospice services
To confirm eligibility and coverage before or during care
To collect payment and respond to claim questions

Health care operations

To review the quality and safety of the care we provide
To train staff and meet accreditation and survey requirements
To run our office, including scheduling, records, and compliance

Other disclosures

When the law allows other sharing

We may also share PHI when the law allows or requires it, including:

To a family member or other person involved in your care, unless you object
To public health authorities, as required for disease reporting or safety
To health oversight agencies, including survey and accreditation bodies
In response to a court order, warrant, or other lawful process
To prevent a serious and imminent threat to health or safety
For workers’ compensation or similar programs, as the law allows
After death, to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as needed

We do not sell your PHI. We do not use or share your PHI for marketing that requires authorization, or for the sale of PHI, without your written permission.

Website forms

Do not send health details through the website

Our website contact form is for general questions only. Messages are processed by Formspree, a third-party form service. Do not include diagnoses, medications, test results, or other PHI in a website form. Call us at (805) 361-0264 to discuss clinical matters.

Our duties

How we protect your information

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, to give you this notice, and to follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect. We must notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

We may change this notice. The new notice will apply to all PHI we already have, and to information we receive in the future. We will post the current notice on our website and at our office.

Complaints

How to file a complaint

If you believe we have violated your privacy rights, contact us using the information below. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at hhs.gov/hipaa.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Questions?

Contact our Privacy Officer

For questions about this notice, or to use your privacy rights, contact:

Privacy Officer

Santa Maria Hospice, Inc.

222 Carmen Ln., Suite 206
Santa Maria, CA 93458

Phone:: (805) 361-0264
Email:: info@santamariahospice.com