Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)

Clare Senior Care AFC | GAFC, Inc. (“Clare Senior Care,” “we,” “us,” “our”)
Effective Date: September 24, 2025

This Notice describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI) and how you can access that information. Please review it carefully. We are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable Massachusetts laws to safeguard your PHI and to provide you this Notice.

How to contact us about privacy
Email: clareteam@clare-afc.com
Phone: (888) 479-8354
Postal: Attn: Privacy, Clare Senior Care, 100 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02171, USA
You may also view this Notice on our website: www.clareseniorcare.com

Website privacy: This Notice covers PHI in our role as a healthcare provider. For personal data collected only through our public websites (e.g., analytics/cookies) that is not PHI, please see our website Privacy Policy.

Our duties

We must:

  • Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
  • Give you this Notice and follow it.
  • Notify you if a breach compromises the privacy or security of your PHI.
  • Abide by HIPAA, Massachusetts law, and (when stricter) other applicable privacy laws.
    We will not use or disclose your PHI for purposes not described in this Notice unless you authorize us in writing.

How we may use and disclose PHI without your authorization

1) Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations (“TPO”)

  • Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your care (e.g., communication between our nurses/case managers and your primary care provider; sharing with your AFC live-in caregiver or GAFC on-site team as appropriate; referrals to specialty services).
  • Payment: To obtain payment for services (e.g., submitting claims to MassHealth/Medicaid, managed care or SCO/ACO plans, verifying eligibility, prior authorizations).
  • Health Care Operations: For quality assessment, care management, training, licensing, audits, and administrative activities (including communicating with case managers, ASAPs, and program partners as permitted by law).

2) Persons involved in your care & disaster relief

We may share PHI with a family member, your caregiver, or another person involved in your care or payment for your care when appropriate or in an emergency, and with entities assisting in disaster relief.

3) Public health & safety

We may disclose PHI for public health activities, to report abuse/neglect as required by law, to avert a serious threat to health or safety, and for product safety or adverse event reporting.

4) Health oversight & law

We may disclose PHI to health oversight agencies (audits, inspections, investigations), in response to court/administrative orders, and as otherwise required by law.

5) Law enforcement & legal process

We may disclose limited PHI for law enforcement purposes as permitted by HIPAA, in response to valid legal process, or to locate a missing person or suspect.

6) Decedents, organ & tissue donation

We may disclose PHI to coroners/medical examiners/funeral directors and to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation.

7) Research

We may use or disclose PHI for approved research when an Institutional Review Board/Privacy Board has reviewed and approved safeguards, or with your authorization.

8) Specialized government functions & workers’ compensation

We may disclose PHI for certain specialized government functions (e.g., military, national security) and to comply with workers’ compensation or similar laws.

9) Business associates

We may share PHI with business associates (e.g., secure faxing, EHR, cloud, analytics, and other vendors) who must safeguard your PHI under written agreements.

10) Additional protections (42 CFR Part 2 & state law)

If we maintain substance use disorder treatment records from a federally assisted program, those records are protected by 42 CFR Part 2 and usually require your written consent for disclosure except in limited circumstances. Massachusetts law may provide extra protections for certain information (e.g., HIV/STD, genetic testing, mental health, sexual assault, domestic violence). When those laws are stricter than HIPAA, we will follow the stricter law.

11) Reproductive health information (HIPAA 2024 rule)

We will not use or disclose PHI related to reproductive health care for prohibited purposes (such as investigations or proceedings against a person for seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating lawful reproductive health care). Where required, we will obtain a valid attestation before disclosing PHI potentially related to reproductive health care.

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

We will obtain your written authorization for:

  • Marketing communications that are not permitted by HIPAA without authorization.
  • The sale of PHI.
  • Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (if we maintain any).
  • Any other use or disclosure not described in this Notice.
    You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

Your rights regarding PHI

1) Right to access and obtain copies

You may inspect or get a copy of your PHI (including electronic copies when we maintain PHI electronically). We will provide it in the format you request if readily producible, or a readable alternative, within the timeframes required by law. Reasonable, cost-based fees may apply.

2) Right to request amendment

If you believe your PHI is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. We may deny your request in certain cases, but you can submit a statement of disagreement to be included in your record.

3) Right to an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list (“accounting”) of certain disclosures we made of your PHI during the period required by law, excluding those for TPO and certain other disclosures.

4) Right to request restrictions

You may request that we restrict the use or disclosure of your PHI. We are not required to agree except:
If you pay in full out-of-pocket for a specific service and request that we not disclose PHI about that service to your health plan for payment or operations, we must honor that restriction unless the disclosure is required by law.

5) Right to request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (e.g., at a different address or phone) or to not leave messages. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

6) Right to a paper copy

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

7) Right to choose a personal representative

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your privacy rights to the extent permitted by law.

8) Right to complain without retaliation

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us (see contact above) or with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/ or by mail/phone as listed on the OCR website. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Communications, reminders, and fundraising

  • We may contact you for appointment reminders, care coordination, or to discuss program benefits and options.
  • If we engage in fundraising communications, you may opt out of further fundraising contacts.

Email, SMS, and electronic communications

If you provide an email address or mobile number, you consent to our contacting you by those methods for permitted healthcare communications. Standard messaging/data rates may apply. You can change your preferences or opt out where legally allowed.

Changes to this Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice and the changes will apply to all PHI we maintain, including PHI from before the change. The current Notice will be posted at our office(s) and on our website with the Effective Date at the top.

Contact us

Questions about this Notice, your rights, or our privacy practices?
Contact us | Phone: (888) 479-8354
Postal: Attn: Clare Senior Care, 100 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02171, USA

Language & accessibility assistance

We provide free language assistance and alternative formats (e.g., large print) upon request. Please contact us using the information above.

Legal & Privacy Notices

At Clare Senior Care AFC | GAFC, Inc., transparency and trust are central to how we serve seniors, caregivers, and families. We publish the following legal and compliance notices to explain your rights and our responsibilities:

These notices work together to protect your privacy, ensure compliance with federal and Massachusetts law, and help you understand how Clare Senior Care operates with fairness, equity, and respect.