Life Flight Network - Portland Oregon helicopter and fixed wing medical transport service

Life Flight Privacy Practices


This important notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please read it carefully! This Notice applies to information regarding your health care maintained by LFN. LFN is committed to protecting your medical information. For purposes of this Notice, we refer to medical information about you as Protected Health Information (PHI). We have created a patient care record of the services provided to you in connection with your medical transport. This Notice describes the ways in which we may use and disclose your PHI. It also describes your rights and obligations regarding the use and disclosure of PHI. We are required by law to protect your PHI, provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the terms of this Notice.

We may use and disclose your health information for the following reasons:

  • For Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose PHI (1) for your medical care, including disclosures to hospitals, physicians and other persons who are involved in your care; (2) so that payment may be collected from you, your insurance company, or a third party for the transport services we provide; and (3) for medical transport operations, which include activities necessary to run the medical transport company and make sure you receive quality care.
  • For Health-Related Products and Services. We may use or disclose PHI to tell you about health-related products or services, or to recommend possible treatment alternatives that may be of interest to you.
  • For Fundraising Activities. We may use your PHI to contact you in an effort to raise money for the medical transport provider and its operations. If you do not want LFN to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify us in writing.
  • For Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may disclose PHI to a family member or friend who is involved in your medical care or payment for your care, provided you agree to this disclosure, or we give you an opportunity to object to this disclosure. However, if you are not available or are unable to agree or object, we will use our best judgment to decide whether this disclosure is in your best interests.
  • For Disaster Relief Efforts. We may disclose PHI to entities assisting in a disaster relief effort so your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location. We will give you the opportunity to agree or object to this disclosure, unless we decide we need to disclose your PHI in order to respond to the emergency circumstances.
  • For Research. We may use PHI to contact you to find out if you may be interested in participating in a research study. The research studies would not use any information that would individually identify you.
  • As Required By Law. We will disclose PHI when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
  • To Avert a Serious Threat to Health and Safety. We may use and disclose PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
  • Organ & Tissue Donation. If you are a donor, we may release PHI to organ or tissue procurement organizations as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
  • Workers’ Compensation. We may release PHI to workers’ compensation programs or other similar programs which provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
  • Public Health Disclosures. We may disclose PHI for public health activities, such as those aimed at preventing or controlling disease, preventing injury, reporting reactions to medications or problems with products, and reporting the abuse or neglect of children, elders and dependent adults.
  • Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities, which are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, include audits, investigations, inspections and licensure.
  • Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose PHI in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
  • Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may disclose PHI to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director as necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death, or to carry out their duties.
  • Specialized Government Functions. We may disclose PHI (1) if you are a member of the armed forces, as required by military command authorities; (2) if you are an inmate or in lawful custody, to a correctional institution or law enforcement official; (3) in response to a request from law enforcement, if certain conditions are satisfied; and (4) for national security reasons authorized by law.

Other Uses of Medical Information. Other uses and disclosures of PHI not covered in this Notice will be made only with your written permission. You may revoke this permission at any time and we will stop use and disclosure for the reasons covered in your written permission. You understand we are unable to take back any disclosures already made with your permission, and we are required to retain our records of the care we provided to you.

Your Rights Regarding Your Medical Information

  • You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI, with certain exceptions. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain limited circumstances, in which case, you may request the denial be reviewed.
  • You have the right to request an amendment of your PHI if you believe your PHI is incorrect/incomplete. You must provide a reason supporting your request. We may deny your request if you ask us to amend PHI that is accurate and complete, or is not part of the PHI kept by or for us. Even if we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to submit a statement of disagreement regarding any item in your record you believe is incomplete or incorrect, which, if you request, will become part of your medical record.
  • You have the right to an accounting of disclosures of your PHI we have made, other than for treatment, payment or health care operations, and other exceptions pursuant to law.
  • You have the right to request we follow special restrictions when using or disclosing your PHI for treatment, payment or health care operations, or when using or disclosing your PHI to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care. However, we are not required to agree to your request.
  • You have the right to request we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
  • You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time.

Questions or Complaints
If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact us at the contact on the accompanying page. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with LFN or the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

Changes to This Notice
LFN reserves the right to change this Notice and make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any PHI we receive in the future. If we change our Notice, you may obtain a copy of the revised Notice by verbal request at the number on the accompanying page.