Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: September 26, 2026

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.

This notice applies to Essential Quality Care, LLC, doing business as EQC Home Care Agency (“EQC”, “we” or “us”), and to the staff who provide or arrange your care. It covers the health information EQC keeps about its clients. How the website’s forms handle information is explained on the Website privacy page.

Your rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.

Get a copy of your health and billing records

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your health and billing records and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. We will provide a copy or a summary, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your records

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, a home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment or our operations. We are not required to agree, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out of pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or our operations. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share it.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years before the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all disclosures except those about treatment, payment and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide it promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us (see “Contact us” below). You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

You have both the right and choice to tell us to

Share information with your family, close friends or others involved in your care, and share information in a disaster relief situation. If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission

Marketing purposes, sale of your information, and most sharing of psychotherapy notes.

Our uses and disclosures

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: a member of your care team tells another professional who is treating you about a change in your condition.

Run our organization

We can use and share your health information to run our agency, improve your care and contact you when necessary. Example: we use health information about you to manage your care and services.

Bill for your services

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans, programs or other entities. Example: we give information about you to a health plan or program so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/notice-privacy-practices/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as preventing disease, helping with product recalls, reporting adverse reactions to medications, reporting suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

Do research

We can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law

We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement and other government requests

We can use or share health information about you for workers’ compensation claims; for law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official; with health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law; and for special government functions such as military, national security and presidential protective services.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

In all cases, including those listed above, if we have substance use disorder patient records about you that are subject to 42 CFR part 2, we cannot use or share information in those records in civil, criminal, administrative or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without (1) your consent or (2) a court order and a subpoena.

Some state or federal laws give certain kinds of health information more protection than this notice describes. When a law is more protective than this notice, we follow that law.

Our responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Changes to the terms of this notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available on request and on our website.

Contact us

For questions about this notice, to use any of the rights above, or to file a complaint with EQC, contact the main office of Essential Quality Care, LLC by phone at (503) 753-8551 or by email at info@eqchomecare.com. You can also write to us at 7133 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203.