GENERAL: Whom do I call for help on a legal matter arising out of the Hospitals?
HOSPITALS: What is the legal status of Stanford Health Care? What is the legal status of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford? Are they part of the University?
UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE: What is the legal status of University HealthCare Alliance? Is it part of the University?
PACKARD CHILDREN'S HEALTH ALLIANCE: What is the legal status of Packard Children's Health Alliance? Is it part of the University?
CARECOUNSEL: What is the legal status of CareCounsel? Is it part of the University?
BENEFITS: I am employed at one of the Stanford Hospitals. Where can I find information about my benefits?
SIGNATURE AUTHORITY: Do I have proper signature authority to enter into a transaction on behalf of one of the Hospitals?
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: What is the Hospitals' policy on sexual harassment? What sexual harassment resources are available to me?
DISCRIMINATION: What is the Hospitals' policy on equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination? What resources are available to me?
SERVICE OF A LAWSUIT: Someone is asking me to accept service of lawsuit? What should I do?
LEGAL REPRESENTATION: I have been sued. Will the Hospitals represent me?
LAWYER REFERRAL: I need a lawyer for a personal matter. Can you refer me to someone?
SUBPOENA: I have been subpoenaed as a witness. What should I do?
SUBPOENA FOR RECORDS: I have received a subpoena to turn over documents (subpoena duces tecum) relating to Hospital business. What should I do?
JURY DUTY: I have been called for Jury Duty. What should I do?
HIPAA/PRIVACY: What is HIPAA? How will HIPAA be implemented at Stanford and the Hospitals?
GENERAL: Whom do I call for help on a legal matter arising out of the Hospitals?
Contact Sarah DiBoise (650) 736-1214 or sdiboise@stanford.edu about the following legal matters:
- Business issues & contracts
- Benefit issues
- Liability claims and lawsuits, malpractice and risk management
- Licensure, accreditation and regulatory
- Medical staff
- Patient treatment
- Real estate
Contact Angeline Covey (650) 721-1674 or acovey@stanford.edu about the following legal matters:
- Labor and employment
HOSPITALS: What is the legal status of Stanford Health Care? What is the legal status of Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford? Are they part of the University?
Stanford Health Care ("SHC") is a non-profit, California corporation. It is a tax-exempt institution under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its governing board is The Board of Directors of the Stanford Health Care.
Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital ("LPCH") at Stanford is a nonprofit, California corporation. It is a tax-exempt institution under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its governing board is The Board of Directors of the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
The two hospitals are legal corporations separate from the University and from each other.
Stanford Medicine is a term that encompasses all of the healthcare entities, including both hospitals and their foundations and the School of Medicine. It replaces the term “Stanford University Medical Center.” Stanford Medicine and Stanford University Medical Center are not legal entities.
For more information, visit the hospital website at http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/ and http://www.stanfordhospital.com
UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE (Formerly Menlo Medical Clinic): What is the legal status of University HealthCare Alliance? Is it part of the University?
University HealthCare Alliance ("UHA") is a non-profit public benefit corporation. Its governing board is The Board of Directors of University HealthCare Alliance. An application for tax exemption has been submitted to the IRS.
It is a legal corporation separate from the University.
The UHA website is www.uha.org.
PACKARD CHILDREN'S HEALTH ALLIANCE: What is the legal status of Packard Children's Health Alliance? Is it part of the University?
Packard Children’s Health Alliance ("PCHA") is a network of community pediatric and obstetric physicians affiliated with Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. PCHA, LPCH and the pediatric faculty of the School of Medicine are also known as Stanford Children’s Health. PCHA is a tax-exempt non-profit public benefit corporation governed by its own Board of Directors.
The PCHA website is www.pcha.org.
CARECOUNSEL: What is the legal status of CareCounsel? Is it part of the University?
CareCounsel is a leading provider of employer-sponsored health advocacy and healthcare assistance services. CareCounsel is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stanford Health Care.
The CareCounsel website is www.carecounsel.com.
BENEFITS: I am employed at one of the Stanford Hospitals. Where can I find information about my benefits?
If you have questions about the benefit plans offered for employees of the Hospitals, including eligibility, benefit amounts, or other terms, or if you have questions about your own benefits, contact the SHC Human Resources Office at (650) 723-HR4U (4748) or http://www.HR4Uonline.org/.
If you have legal questions about SHC benefit plans (but not about your own benefits), contact the Office of the General Counsel.
SIGNATURE AUTHORITY: Do I have proper signature authority to enter into a transaction on behalf of one of the Hospitals?
The ability of a Hospital employee to enter into transactions and take actions on behalf of (and binding on) the Hospitals depends on the authority granted to that employee. For further information, contact your supervisor or contact the OGC at (650) 723-9611.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: What is the Hospitals' policy on sexual harassment? What sexual harassment resources are available to me?
The Hospitals strive to provide a place of work and study free of sexual harassment, intimidation, or exploitation. It is expected that students, faculty, and staff will treat each other with respect.
Please contact Employee Relations at (650) 723-6251 for a copy of the Hospital's sexual harassment policy or for any questions.
In addition, the following resources may be helpful:
- Your Manager
- Lucile Packard: http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/
- Stanford Health Care: http://stanfordhealthcare.org/
DISCRIMINATION: What is the Hospitals' policy on equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination? What resources are available to me?
The Hospitals have a strong policy of equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination The Hospitals do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin; it is the policy of the Hospitals to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees in compliance with all applicable laws. This basic policy applies in all employment relationships.
The resources are available to you to address any discrimination concerns:
- Your Manager
- Lucile Packard: http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/
- Stanford Health Care: http://stanfordhealthcare.org/
- External resources:
- EEOC http://www.eeoc.gov/
- DFEH http://www.dfeh.ca.gov
SERVICE OF A LAWSUIT: Someone is asking me to accept service of lawsuit. What should I do?
The only authorized agent for service of legal process (such as a summons and complaint) for the University and the Hospitals is the Office of the General Counsel.
No one else should accept service on behalf of the University or the Hospitals.
If you are being named individually (as a defendant or respondent) in a lawsuit you can accept service on your own behalf. If the lawsuit involves the University or the Hospitals in any way -- even if they were not named as defendants or respondents or if you were not served on their behalf -- please get a copy of the complaint and summons to the Office of the General Counsel immediately.
If the lawsuit does not have anything to do with the University or Hospitals you may want to consult a personal lawyer.
LEGAL REPRESENTATION: I have been sued. Will the Hospitals represent me?
In most instances, if you are being sued because of your work at Stanford or the Hospitals, you will be represented by Stanford or the Hospitals. For more information see the Administrative Guide Memo 15.7 at http://adminguide.stanford.edu/15_7.pdf.
If you're being sued because of personal activities, the Hospitals will not represent you. The Hospitals cannot recommend a specific lawyer to you, but there are many lawyer referral services in the area. If you have any additional questions, you may contact the Office of the General Counsel.
LAWYER REFERRAL: I need a lawyer for a personal matter. Can you refer me to someone?
We cannot recommend specific counsel, but you may want to contact one of the following bar association lawyer referral services.
SUBPOENA: I have been subpoenaed as a witness. What should I do?
If you have been subpoenaed in connection with activities at the Hospitals, please contact the Office of the General Counsel.
SUBPOENA FOR RECORDS: I have received a subpoena to turn over documents (subpoena duces tecum) relating to Hospital business. What should I do?
The Hospitals regularly handle subpoenas for records. To ensure the subpoena is given to the appropriate person, please contact Sarah DiBoise at (650) 736-1214. Do not produce documents without first contacting Sarah DiBoise. You should, however, insure that any documents described in the subpoena are maintained for possible production.
JURY DUTY: I have been called for Jury Duty. What should I do?
You need to comply with the rules of the County in which you have been called for jury duty. Notify your manager immediately so that arrangements can be made to cover your work.
HIPAA/PRIVACY: What is HIPAA? How will HIPAA be implemented at Stanford and the Hospitals?
HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. A major component of HIPAA addresses the privacy of individuals' health information by establishing a nation-wide federal standard concerning the privacy of health information and how it can be used and disclosed; the policies went into effect April 14, 2003. For more information on HIPAA and its application to Stanford and the Hospitals, please review the following source: http://hipaa.stanford.edu
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