This Privacy Notice is required by the Privacy Regulations stemming from the Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This Privacy Notice explains to you, a patient of this practice, how your medical information may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to your medical information.
This practice is determined to protect the privacy of your medical information. In order to provide you with quality care and service, as well as comply with the law, we must create a medical record for you and document the care and services you receive at this practice. Federal law requires us to ensure the confidentiality of your medical record. This notice will explain to you which circumstances require us to use, or disclose, your medical information. We also describe your rights as well as our obligation regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
The federal law requires us to:
We Have the Right to:
Notice of Change to Privacy Practices:
Following is a description of the different circumstances that may require this practice to use or disclose your medical information. For any of these circumstances, you can submit a written request restricting our use or disclosure of your medical information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request (in writing) that we only disclose your medical information to certain individuals responsible for your care, or the payment of your care. Legally we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree to honor the written request, then we must abide by our agreement except in those situations required by law, in emergencies, or when information is necessary to treat you. If you wish to revoke any previously written request, you may do so in writing.
We may use your health information to provide you with medical treatment or services such as, sharing medical data with another provider, making referrals, and placing lab and prescription orders. We may disclose your health information to those people who are responsible for your care, for instance, your doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or any other people who are taking care of you. We may also share medical information about you to your health care providers to assist them in treating you.
We may use and disclose your health information for payment purposes. For instance, we may need to give your health insurance plan information about a treatment you received at our practice when filing a claim, so that your health plan can either pay us, or reimburse your for payment. We may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to get approval, or to determine if your plan will pay for the treatment.
We may use, and disclose your health information for our healthcare operations: This includes quality assurance, employee performance evaluations, conducting training programs, and getting accreditation, licensure, and, credentialing.
In addition to using and disclosing your medical information for treatment, payment, and health care operations, we may use and disclose medical information for the following purposes:
We will share information about your location, general condition, or death. If you are present, we will get your permission, if possible, before we share, or give you the opportunity to refuse permission. In case of emergency, and if you are not able to refuse permission, we will share only the health information that is directly necessary for your health care, according to our professional judgment. We will also use our professional judgment to make decisions in your best interest about allowing someone to pick up medicine, medical supplies, x-ray or medical information for you.
We may share medical information with a public or private organization or person who can legally assist in disaster relief efforts
We may provide medical information to one of our affiliated fundraising foundations to contact you for fundraising purposes. We will limit our use and sharing to information that describes you in general, not personal, terms and the dates of your health care. In any fundraising materials, we will provide you a description of how you may choose not to receive future fundraising communications.
Medical information for research purposes in limited circumstances where the research has been approved by a review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of medical information.
To help them carry out their duties, we may share the medical information of a person who has died with a coroner, medical examiner, funeral director or an organ procurement organization.
Your medical information may be disclosed if you are military personnel, either active status or a veteran, and if required by the appropriate authorities.
Your medical information may be disclosed if required to do so by a public health or law enforcement official whose job is to prevent, or control disease, injury or disability. Our medical information may also be disclosed to a person from the food and drug administration for the purposes of reporting adverse effects stemming from product defects or problems, to enable product recalls, repairs or replacements, or to conduct activities required by the Food and Drug Administration.
Your medical information may be disclosed, when necessary, to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety, or the health and safety of another individual, or the public. The information will be disclosed only to a person or organization able to prevent the threat.
Your medical information may be disclosed when necessary to comply with the laws for the Workers Compensation Program.
Your medical information may be disclosed to public health authorities, and health oversight agencies that are authorized by law to gather health information (e.g. audits, licensure, disciplinary actions, administrative and criminal investigations, etc.).
Your medical information may be disclosed in response to a court, or administrative order in a lawsuit or similar proceeding.