Policies

Web Privacy Policy

LUTHERAN SOCICAL SERVICES OF ILLINOIS 

WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE 

Effective Date: Last Updated – November 9th, 2022 

This website privacy policy describes the information Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Inc., and its affiliated entities (collectively, “LSSI” or “we”) collect about you through our website, and how we use, share and store that information. This policy applies to information you provide when you access or use  our website. This policy does not apply to information we may collect by any other method than  through your access and use of our website. 

For information about how LSSI treats any personal health information you submit in the course of using  any of our programs or services, please contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@lssi.org. 

 

Changes to this Online Privacy Policy 

The effective date of this privacy policy is at the top of this webpage. We may change this privacy policy from time to time. If we make changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on our website  and revising the “Last Updated” date above. We encourage you to review our privacy policy whenever  you use our website to stay informed about our information practices and about ways you can help  protect your privacy. 

 

User Consent 

PLEASE REVIEW THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY. By accessing our website or providing any information  through our website, you consent to the collection and processing of your information as described in  this privacy policy. 

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY PART OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY, THEN PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS  WEBSITE. 

 

Information We Collect 

Information You Provide 

We collect personal information you choose to provide, which generally includes your name, email  address, credit card information, address, or other information you may provide in comments to us.  Please do not provide any information that you do not want us to have.

You may provide us with your personal information when you communicate with us through our  website, including when you: 

  • Contact us through our website;
  • Sign up for newsletters;
  • Donate to LSSI or make purchases;
  • Request information about any of our programs, services or events; and
  • Communicate with us in other ways through our website.

Information from Third Parties 

We may obtain additional information about you from third parties, including other non-profit  organizations, such as Lutheran World Relief, and our business partners, such as our donor database  provider. We may combine information that we collect from you with information about you that we  obtain from third parties and information from other sources. We may use the combined information  as described in this privacy policy. 

Information We Collect from Your Use of Our Website 

In addition to the information that you provide to us through our website, LSSI and its business partners may collect and store other information about your use of our website through cookies or other  technologies that track and monitor your use of our website. For more information about these  technologies, please see the section titled “Cookies” below. 

“Cookies” are small computer files transferred to your computing device that contain information such  as user ID, user preferences, browsing history and activities conducted while using our website. We use  cookies to help us improve or tailor our website by tracking your navigation habits, storing your  authentication status so you do not have to re-enter your credentials each time you use our website,  customizing your experience with our website, and for analytics and fraud prevention. For more  information on cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org. 

 

Use of Information 

We generally use the information that we collect to provide you with the information you have  requested about our programs and services, to contact you about our programs and services that may  be of interest to you, to contact you regarding fundraising and giving opportunities, and to process donations and other purchases. We also use the information we collect for the following: 

  • To give you a more personalized experience when interacting with us, including informing you of  programs, events, and services tailored to your individual interests and needs; 
  • To improve the content of our website and to improve our promotional and giving efforts; • To comply with our legal obligations; and 
  • To analyze website usage patterns on an aggregate basis and improve our knowledge base  regarding users of our website.

 

Sharing of Information 

We may share your information with others for a number of different reasons, such as to fulfill your  requests, to provide services on our behalf, to provide you with information and to comply with laws or  protect our rights. Occasionally, we share personal information among affiliated non-profit  organizations, such as Lutheran World Relief. 

Examples of how we may share your personal information include: 

With Business Partners: We may share information with third parties who partner with us to perform  services on our behalf. Some third-party partners may collect information on our behalf from our  website and may have access to personal information when needed to perform their services. 

To Comply with Laws or to Protect Our Rights: We may disclose your personal information or  information about you as required by law when we believe disclosure is necessary to comply with a  regulatory requirement, judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on us, or to protect the  safety, rights, or property of our clients, the public or LSSI. 

 

Social Media and Third-Party Platforms 

Certain functions on our website may permit you to share information on third party social media sites  or platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or other similar sites. We have no control over social media sites, and providing your information to any social media sites is subject to the third  

party’s privacy policies and other legal terms. We are not responsible for the consequences of your  choosing to share your information on social media sites. 

 

Information Storage and Security 

We retain information as long as it is necessary and relevant for our uses. We also retain personal  information to comply with applicable law, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems,  assist with any investigation and other actions permitted by law. After it is no longer necessary for us to  retain information, we dispose of it according to our data retention and deletion policies. 

We take reasonable measures to protect the security of your personal information. Unfortunately, no  security system is impenetrable. As a result, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of our systems,  nor can we guarantee that the information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to  us over the internet; any transmission of this information is at your own risk.  

 

Your Privacy Choices 

How You Can Access and Update Your Information 

You may update or correct information about yourself at any time or by emailing us at privacy@lssi.org. 

Options for Opting out of Cookies and Mobile Device Identifiers 

If you are interested in more information about how you can generally control cookies from being put  on your computer to deliver tailored advertising, you may visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s  Consumer Opt-Out link, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Consumer Opt-Out link or TRUSTe’s Advertising  Choices Page to opt-out of receiving tailored advertising from companies that participate in those  programs. 

Opting out does not mean that we are no longer using our tracking tools. We still may collect  information about your use of the services even after you have opted out. 

Browser “Do Not Track” Signals 

We want to provide you with meaningful choices about the information collected on our site for third party purposes, and that is why we have given you information about the Network Advertising  Initiative’s “Consumer Opt-out” link, Digital Advertising Alliance’s Consumer Opt-Out Link, and TRUSTe’s  Advertising Choices page. However, we do not recognize or respond to browser-initiated Do Not Track  signals, as the Internet industry is still working on Do Not Track standards, implementations and  solutions. For more information about DNT signals, visit http://allaboutdnt.com. 

Links to Other Websites 

Our website may contain links to other websites and those websites may not follow the same privacy  practices as we do. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. We  encourage you to read the privacy policies of such third parties to learn more about their privacy  practices. 

Children 

We do not knowingly collect or maintain personally identifiable information from persons under 13  years of age without verifiable parental consent. If we learn or believe that personally identifiable  information of persons less than 13 years of age has been collected without verifiable parental consent,  then we will take the appropriate steps to delete this information. To make such a request, please  contact us at privacy@lssi.org.  

 

California Residents 

California Shine the Light Act 

California law permits users who are California residents to request and obtain from us once a year, free  of charge, a list of the third parties to whom we have disclosed their Personal Information (as defined in  the California law), if any, for their direct marketing purposes in the prior calendar year, as well as the  type of Personal Information disclosed to those parties. If you are a California resident and would like to  request this information, please submit your request in an email at privacy@lssi.org or mail your request  to our address included in the “How to Contact Us” section below. 

 

How to Contact Us 

Please contact us with any questions or concerns regarding this privacy policy in an email to privacy@lssi.org or by mail at: 

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
Privacy Officer
Quality, Compliance and Data
1001 E. Touhy Avenue, Suite #50
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018

Client Health Care Policies

Important Information for Our Clients

NOTE: 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.

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. If you have questions about any part of this notice, or if you want more information about the privacy practices at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, please contact the office of the:

  • Privacy Official
  • c/o Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
  • 1001 E. Touhy Avenue, Ste. 50
  • Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
  • Tel: 847/635-4600
  • Effective date of this notice: April 14, 2003

How Lutheran Social Services of Illinois May Use or Disclose Your Health Information

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) collects health information from you and stores it in a chart and/or on a computer. This is your medical record. The medical record is the property of LSSI, but the information in the medical record belongs to you. LSSI protects the privacy of your health information. The HIPAA law permits LSSI to use or disclose your health information for the following purposes:

1. Treatment

Treatment means the provision, coordination or management of health care and related services by one or more health care providers, including the coordination or management of health care by a health care provider with a third party; consultation between health care providers relating to a client/patient; or the referral of a client/patient for health care from one health care provider to another.

Use or disclosure of your health care information for the purposes of providing you with treatment DOES NOT REQUIRE THAT WE OBTAIN YOUR AUTHORIZATION OR CONSENT.

Here’s an example of a use or disclosure for treatment purposes:

Mr. New Client telephones Central Intake after hearing a radio public announcement. Mr. New Client asks for and receives an appointment for an assessment. Mr. New Client provides the intake worker with personal information, including his name, address, telephone number, date of birth and specific information regarding his symptoms, which he describes to include restlessness, insomnia and erratic thought patterns. Mr. New Client asks to see a counselor and informs the intake worker that he once saw a clinical psychologist for a depressive disorder. Mr. New Client provides the name, address and telephone number of his former psychologist. The LSSI assessor contacts Mr. New Client’s medical doctor and former clinical psychologist for information pertaining to treating Mr. New Client’s current presenting condition.

The detailed and confidential information necessary to fully assess Mr. New Client is gleaned from him during a formal assessment. Under the revised Privacy rules (August 14, 2002), LSSI is not required to obtain a written consent or authorization from Mr. New Client to obtain his records from both his medical physician and his former clinical psychologist. The August 14, 2002, rules permit an exchange of information between LSSI and the former medical doctor and clinical psychologist without having a written authorization or consent providing that the minimum necessary information is exchanged solely for the purposes of treating Mr. New Client.

Under these Privacy rules (August 14, 2002), the assessor uses information from his comprehensive assessment, the records of Mr. New Client’s physical condition as supplied by his medical doctor and clinical psychologist (who supplied the minimum necessary protected health information) to develop a thorough clinical picture of Mr. New Client’s current needs. The assessor reviews his assessment and treatment recommendations with his supervisor before meeting again with Mr. New Client to address the recommendations and commencing treatment.

2. Payment

Payment means the activities undertaken by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) to obtain or provide reimbursement for the provision of health care or social services and the activities undertaken on behalf of the individual receiving health care or social services from LSSI to determine eligibility or insurance coverage, billing, claims management, collection activities or obtaining payment under a contract for reinsurance. These activities include, too, a review of health care services with respect to medical necessity, coverage under a health plan and appropriateness of care. These activities may include, utilization review activities, precertification and preauthorization services, concurrent and retrospective reviews of services. The activities may require disclosure to consumer reporting agencies of specific protected health information relating to the collection of premiums or reimbursement such as: name and address; date of birth; Social Security Number; payment history; account number; and name and address of health care provider and/or health plan.

Here’s an example of a use or disclosure for payment purposes:

Mr. New Client provided the intake worker with a copy of his health plan card. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois contacts Mr. New Client’s health plan to verify his coverage and receives authorization from the plan to provide Mr. New Client with 12 weeks of individual psychological counseling services by a trained master’s-level therapist (supervised by a clinical psychologist).

3. Regular Health Care Operations

Regular health care operations at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) include the following:

  1. Conducting quality assessment and improvement activities;
  2. Reviewing the quality and competence of health care professionals; conducting training so that practitioners may, under supervision, improve their skills, and for certification, licensing or credentialing purposes;
  3. Conducting or arranging for medical review, legal services and auditing functions, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance;
  4. Business planning and development, such as conducting cost-management and planning-related analyses to managing and operating the agency; and
  5. General administrative activities, such as compliance with the requirements of the HIPAA of 1996, client satisfaction, resolution of internal grievances and, consistent with 164.514, creating de-identified health information, fundraising for the benefit of LSSI, and marketing for which an individual authorization is not required.

Here is an example of a use or disclosures for health care operations purposes:

Mr. New Client, for the purposes of LSSI internal quality assessment and improvement purposes, and for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Council On Accreditation, provides the agency with demographic information, including his: name, address, city, state, ZIP code, Social Security Number, sex, age-group, yearly income and ethnicity, which are included in a database from which LSSI draws non-specific characteristics of the clients it serves.

This demographic information is entered into the agency’s database to develop a profile of the characteristics of the populations being served by the agency and is matched with census statistics to determine whether the agency is adequately serving all identified sub-groups within its service areas.

4. Information provided to you

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) provides access to individuals to inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information about the individual except as follows: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in anticipation of, or for use in, a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding; protected health information that is subject to CLIA of 1988 as may be prohibited by law or exempt from the CLIA of 1988 pursuant to 42CFR 493.3(a)(2), and under the unreviewable grounds for denial in paragraph 164.524(a)(2).

5. Directory

LSSI may list your name, where you are located in its facilities, your general medical condition and your religious affiliation in an LSSI directory. This information may be provided to members of the clergy. This information, except your religious affiliation, may be provided to other people who ask for you by name. If you do not want LSSI to list this information in its directory and provide it to clergy and others, you must tell LSSI that you object.

6. Notification and communication with family

LSSI may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care about your location, your general condition or in the event of your death. If you are able and available to agree or object, LSSI will give you the opportunity to object prior to making this notification. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, LSSI health professionals will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others.

7. Required by law

As required by law, LSSI may use and disclose your health information.

8. Public health

As required by law, LSSI may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting disease or infection exposure.

9. Health oversight activities

LSSI may disclose your health information to health agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings.

10. Judicial and administrative proceedings

LSSI may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.

11. Law enforcement

LSSI may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.

12. Deceased person information

LSSI may disclose your health information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors.

13. Organ donation

LSSI may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues.

14. Research

LSSI may disclose your health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the Management Team of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), this organization’s approval body for research activities.

15. Public safety

LSSI may disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.

16. Specialized government functions

LSSI may disclose your health information for military, national security, prisoner, and government benefits [Note: disclosures for government benefits purposes are limited to health plans only].

17. Workers compensation

LSSI may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with workers compensation laws.

18. Marketing

LSSI may contact you to provide appointment reminders or to give you information about other treatments or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

19. Fund-raising

LSSI may contact you to participate in fund-raising activities for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

20. Change of Ownership

In the event that Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner.

I. When Lutheran Social Services of Illinois May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information

Except as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) will not use or disclose your health information without your written authorization. If you do authorize LSSI to use or disclose your health information for another purpose, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time.

II. Your Health Information Rights

  1. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested.
  2. You have the right to receive your health information through a reasonable alternative means or at an alternative location. Requests for reasonable alternative means shall be made in writing; specifying the alternative method; how payment for such method is to be made if it is determined by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois that the method incurs additional expense, etc.
  3. You have the right to inspect and copy your health information.
  4. You have a right to request that Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) amend your health information that is incorrect or incomplete. LSSI is not required to change your health information and will provide you with information about LSSI’s procedures for contesting a denial.
  5. You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, except that LSSI does not have to account for the disclosures described in parts 1. (treatment), 2. (payment), 3. (health care operations), 4. (information provided to you), 5. (directory listings) and 16. (certain government functions) of section I of this Notice of Privacy Practices.
  6. You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices.

If you would like to have a more detailed explanation of these rights or if you would like to exercise one or more of these rights, contact the office of the:

  • Privacy Official
  • c/o Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
  • 1001 E. Touhy Avenue, Ste. 50
  • DesPlaines, Illinois 60018
  • Tele: 847/635-4600

III. Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future. Until such amendment is made, LSSI is required by law to comply with this Notice.

LSSI will communicate revisions to this Notice by posting such revisions in a conspicuous place, provide the revised notice on the agency’s Web site, and allow thirty (30) days before effective date of implementation of the new revisions.

IV. Complaints

Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Practices or how Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) handles your health information should be directed to the office of the:

  • Privacy Official
  • c/o Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
  • 1001 E. Touhy Avenue, Ste 50
  • Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
  • Tel: 847/635-4600,

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to: Department of Health and Human Services

  • Office of Civil Rights
  • Hubert H. Humphrey Bldg.
  • 200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
  • Room 509F, HHH Building
  • Washington, DC 20201
  • Tel: 202/514-2000

The undersigned acknowledges receipt of this “Notice of Privacy Practices” as provided at the time of initial service delivery.*

Client Signature _______________

Date _______________