ProLife Home Care, Inc. is a home care services agency licensed by the New York State Department of Health, operating certificate 2572L001. Every person who receives care from us has the rights set out below. They come from New York State regulation 10 NYCRR § 766.1, and they apply from the moment care begins.
If the person receiving care is not able to exercise these rights themselves, a guardian or legally authorised representative exercises them on their behalf.
Section 1Your twelve rights
As a patient of ProLife Home Care, you have the right to:
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Know your rights.
To be told about these rights, and about your right to use them, in writing before care begins.
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Know what we offer and what it costs.
To receive a statement of the services available from this agency and the charges that go with them.
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Know who pays, before care starts.
To be told, before care begins, how much of the cost is expected to be paid by Medicaid, a health plan or another third party, and how much may be expected from you. If any of that changes, we will tell you as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after we learn of the change. You are told this both out loud and in writing.
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Know who is coming and what they will do.
To be told about every service we will provide, when and how it will be provided, and the name and role of each person and any affiliated agency providing your care.
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Take part in planning your care.
To participate in planning your care, and to be told in advance about any change to the plan.
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Refuse care.
To refuse care or treatment after being fully informed of, and understanding, what that means for you.
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Know how to complain.
To be told the procedure for submitting a complaint.
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Complain without fear.
To voice complaints and suggest changes to our policies and services, to our staff, to the New York State Department of Health, or to any outside representative you choose. You will never face interference, pressure, discrimination or retaliation for doing so.
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Have complaints investigated.
To complain about care that was provided or not provided, or about lack of respect for your property by anyone working on our behalf, to know how to file that complaint, and to have us investigate it. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may take the complaint to the Department of Health's Office of Health Systems Management.
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Be treated with respect.
To be treated with consideration and respect, and with full recognition of your dignity and individuality.
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Privacy.
To privacy, including confidential handling of your records, and to refuse the release of your records to anyone outside this agency, except when you transfer to a health care facility, or where the law or a third-party payment contract requires it.
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Refuse advanced tasks.
To refuse consent to advanced tasks performed by an advanced home health aide. If you refuse, we will arrange for a registered nurse to perform those tasks instead.
Section 2How to make a complaint
Start with us. Call (718) 232-2777 and ask for the Director of Patient Services, or write to Team@ProLifeHC.com, or to our Brooklyn office at 8718 Bay Parkway, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11214.
We will look into what happened and come back to you. Making a complaint will never affect the care you receive.
Section 3Complaining to the State
If you are not satisfied with our answer, or if you would rather go straight to the State, contact the New York State Department of Health. You do not need our permission, and you do not need to tell us that you have.
Home Health Hotline: 1-800-628-5972
The line accepts calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is answered by a person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.
By fax: 518-408-1157
By mail: New York State Department of Health, Division of Home and Community Based Services — CCIP, 875 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
The Division of Home and Community Based Services is the part of the Department responsible for investigating complaints and incidents involving home care agencies and hospices in New York State.
Section 4If English is not your first language
Tell us and we will arrange an interpreter at no cost to you. A right you cannot read is not a right, which is why this matters more here than on most pages. See our Notice of Availability of Language Assistance.