Privacy Policy
Notice Of Privacy Practices
1. Summary Of Rights And Obligations Concerning Health Information.
- Plan Your Care And Treatment;
- Provide Treatment By Us Or Others;
- Communicate With Other Providers Such As Referring Physicians;
- Receive Payment From You, Your Health Plan, Or Your Health Insurer;
- Make Quality Assessments And Work To Improve The Care We Render And The Outcomes We Achieve, Known As Health Care Operations;
- Make You Aware Of Services And Treatments That May Be Of Interest To You; And
- Comply With State And Federal Laws That Require Us To Disclose Your Health Information.
- Ensure The Accuracy Of Your Health Record;
- Request Confidential Communications Between You And Your Physician And Request Limits On The Use And Disclosure Of Your Health Information; And
- Request An Accounting Of Certain Uses And Disclosures Of Health Information We Have Made About You.
- Maintain The Privacy Of Your Health Information;
- Provide You With Notice, Such As This Notice Of Privacy Practices, As To Our Legal Duties And Privacy Practices With Respect To Information We Collect And Maintain About You;
- Abide By The Terms Of Our Most Current Notice Of Privacy Practices;
- Notify You If We Are Unable To Agree To A Requested Restriction; And
- Accommodate Reasonable Requests You May Have To Communicate Health Information By Alternative Means Or At Alternative Locations.
2. We May Use Or Disclose Your Medical Information In The Following Ways:
- Treatment.
- Payment.
- Health Care Operations.
- Students.
- Business Associates.
- Appointment Reminders.
- Treatment Options.
- Release to Family/Friends.
- Health-Related Benefits and Services.
- Newsletters and Other Communications.
- Disaster Relief.
- Marketing.
- Fundraising.
- Public Health Activities.
- Licensing And Certification Carried Out By Public Health Authorities;
- Prevention Or Control Of Disease, Injury, Or Disability;
- Reports Of Births And Deaths;
- Reports Of Child Abuse Or Neglect;
- Notifications To People Who May Have Been Exposed To A Disease Or May Be At Risk For Contracting Or Spreading A Disease Or Condition;
- Organ Or Tissue Donation; And
- Notifications To Appropriate Government Authorities If We Believe A Patient Has Been The Victim Of Abuse, Neglect, Or Domestic Violence.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- Research.
- Workers Compensation.
- Law Enforcement.
- In Response To A Court Order, Subpoena, Warrant, Summons, Or Similar Process Of Authorized Under State Or Federal Law;
- To Identify Or Locate A Suspect, Fugitive, Material Witness, Or Similar Person;
- About The Victim Of A Crime If, Under Certain Limited Circumstances, We Are Unable To Obtain The Person’s Agreement;
- About A Death We Believe May Be The Result Of Criminal Conduct;
- About Criminal Conduct At [name Of Provider];
- To Coroners Or Medical Examiners;
- In Emergency Circumstances To Report A Crime, The Location Of The Crime Or Victims, Or The Identity, Description, Or Location Of The Person Who Committed The Crime;
- To Authorized Federal Officials For Intelligence, Counterintelligence, And Other National Security Authorized By Law; And
- To Authorized Federal Officials So They May Conduct Special Investigations Or Provide Protection To The President, Other Authorized Persons, Or Foreign Heads Of State.
- De-identified Information.
- Personal Representative.
- HLTV-III Test.
- Limited Data Set.
3. Authorization For Other Uses Of Medical Information.
4. Your Health Information Rights.
A. Right To Obtain A Paper Copy Of This Notice.
You Have The Right To A Paper Copy Of This Notice Of Privacy Practices At Any Time. Even If You Have Agreed To Receive This Notice Electronically, You Are Still Entitled To A Paper Copy.
B. Right To Inspect And Copy.
You Have The Right To Inspect And Copy Medical Information That May Be Used To Make Decisions About Your Care. This Includes Medical And Billing Records. To Inspect And Copy Medical Information, You Must Submit A Written Request To Our Privacy Officer. We Will Supply You With A Form For Such A Request. If You Request A Copy Of Your Medical Information, We May Charge A Reasonable Fee For The Costs Of Labor, Postage, And Supplies Associated With Your Request. We May Not Charge You A Fee If You Require Your Medical Information For A Claim For Benefits Under The Social Security Act (Such As Claims For Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, And Any Other State Or Federal Needs-based Benefit Program. If Your Medical Information Is Maintained In An Electronic Health Record, You Also Have The Right To Request That An Electronic Copy Of Your Record Be Sent To You Or To Another Individual Or Entity. We May Charge You A Reasonable Cost Based Fee Limited To The Labor Costs Associated With Transmitting The Electronic Health Record.
C. Right To Amend.
If You Feel That Medical Information We Have About You Is Incorrect Or Incomplete, You May Ask Us To Amend The Information. You Have The Right To Request An Amendment For As Long As We Retain The Information. To Request An Amendment, Your Request Must Be Made In Writing And Submitted To Our Privacy Officer. In Addition, You Must Provide A Reason That Supports Your Request. We May Deny Your Request For An Amendment If It Is Not In Writing Or Does Not Include A Reason To Support The Request. In Addition, We May Deny Your Request If You Ask Us To Amend Information That:
- Was Not Created By Us, Unless The Person Or Entity That Created The Information Is No Longer Available To Make The Amendment;
- Is Not Part Of The Medical Information Kept By Or For [name Of Provider];
- Is Not Part Of The Information Which You Would Be Permitted To Inspect And Copy; Or
- Is Accurate And Complete. If We Deny Your Request For Amendment, You May Submit A Statement Of Disagreement.
D. Right To An Accounting Of Disclosures.
You Have The Right To Request An Accounting Of Disclosures Of Your Health Information Made By Us. In Your Accounting, We Are Not Required To List Certain Disclosures, Including:
- Disclosures Made For Treatment, Payment, And Health Care Operations Purposes Or Disclosures Made Incidental To Treatment, Payment, And Health Care Operations, However, If The Disclosures Were Made Through An Electronic Health Record, You Have The Right To Request An Accounting For Such Disclosures That Were Made During The Previous 3 Years;
- Disclosures Made Pursuant To Your Authorization;
- Disclosures Made To Create A Limited Data Set;
- Disclosures Made Directly To You. To Request An Accounting Of Disclosures, You Must Submit Your Request In Writing To Our Privacy Officer.
E. Right To Request Restrictions.
You Have The Right To Request A Restriction Or Limitation On The Medical Information We Use Or Disclose About You For Treatment, Payment, Or Health Care Operations. If You Paid Out-of-pocket For A Specific Item Or Service, You Have The Right To Request That Medical Information With Respect To That Item Or Service Not Be Disclosed To A Health Plan For Purposes Of Payment Or Health Care Operations, And We Are Required To Honor That Request. You Also Have The Right To Request A Limit On The Medical Information We Communicate About You To Someone Who Is Involved In Your Care Or The Payment For Your Care. Except As Noted Above, We Are Not Required To Agree To Your Request. If We Do Agree, We Will Comply With Your Request Unless The Restricted Information Is Needed To Provide You With Emergency Treatment. To Request Restrictions, You Must Make Your Request In Writing To Our Privacy Officer.
- What Information You Want To Limit;
- Whether You Want To Limit Our Use, Disclosure, Or Both; And
- To Whom You Want The Limits To Apply.
F. Right To Request Confidential Communications.
You Have The Right To Request That We Communicate With You About Medical Matters In A Certain Way Or At A Certain Location. For Example, You Can Ask That We Only Contact You At Work Or By E-mail. To Request Confidential Communications, You Must Make Your Request In Writing To Your Provider Or Our Privacy Officer. We Will Not Ask You The Reason For Your Request. We Will Accommodate All Reasonable Requests. Your Request Must Specify How Or Where You Wish To Be Contacted.
G. Right To Receive Notice Of A Breach.
We Are Required To Notify You By First Class Mail Or By E-mail (If You Have Indicated A Preference To Receive Information By E-mail), Of Any Breaches Of Unsecured Protected Health Information As Soon As Possible, But In Any Event, No Later Than 60 Days Following The Discovery Of The Breach. “unsecured Protected Health Information” Is Information That Is Not Secured Through The Use Of A Technology Or Methodology Identified By The Secretary Of The U.s. Department Of Health And Human Services To Render The Protected Health Information Unusable, Unreadable, And Undecipherable To Unauthorized Users. The Notice Is Required To Include The Following Information:
- A Brief Description Of The Breach, Including The Date Of The Breach And The Date Of Its Discovery, If Known;
- A Description Of The Type Of Unsecured Protected Health Information Involved In The Breach;
- Steps You Should Take To Protect Yourself From Potential Harm Resulting From The Breach;
- A Brief Description Of Actions We Are Taking To Investigate The Breach, Mitigate Losses, And Protect Against Further Breaches;
- Contact Information, Including A Toll-free Telephone Number, E-mail Address, Web Site Or Postal Address To Permit You To Ask Questions Or Obtain Additional Information.