We are required by law to maintain the privacy of, and provide individuals with, this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. We are also required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
This Notice of Privacy Practices is NOT an authorization. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we, our Business Associates, and their subcontractors, may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. "Protected health information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services.
Your protected health information may be used and disclosed by your physician, our office staff, and others outside of our office that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you, to pay your health care bills, to support the operation of the physician's practice, and any other use required by law.
TREATMENT - We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you. We will abide by the patient's request not to disclose PHI to a health plan for services which the patient has paid out of pocket and requests the restriction.
PAYMENT - Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, obtaining approval for a hospital stay may require that your relevant protected health information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the hospital admission.
HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS - We may disclose, as needed, your protected health information to support the business activities of your physician’s practice. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment, employee review, training of medical students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. We may use or disclose your protected health information in the following situations without your authorization. These situations include as required by law, public health issues as required by law, communicable diseases, health oversight, abuse or neglect, food and drug administration requirements, legal proceedings, law enforcement, coroners, funeral directors, organ donation, research, criminal activity, military activity and national security, and other required uses and disclosures. Under the law, we must disclose it to you upon your request. Under the law, we must also disclose your protected health information when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate our compliance with the requirements under Section 164.500.
Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures will be made only with your consent, authorization, or opportunity to object unless required by law. The same authorization/restrictions that were used while you are alive will remain in place for up to 50 years after your death. Without your authorization, we are expressly prohibited from using or disclosing your protected health information for marketing purposes. We may not sell your protected health information without your authorization. We may not use or disclose most psychotherapy notes contained in your protected health information. We will not use or disclose any of your protected health information that contains genetic information that will be used for underwriting purposes. You may revoke the authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that your physician or the physician’s practice has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.
The following are statements of your rights with respect to your protected health information: You have the right to inspect and have a copy of your protected health information (fees may apply). Pursuant to your written request, you have the right to inspect or have a copy of your protected health information whether in paper or electronic format. The records will be provided within 30 days of request. Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: Psychotherapy notes, information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or used in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, protected health information restricted by law, information that is related to medical research in which you have agreed to participate, information whose disclosure may result in harm or injury to you or to another person, or information that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality.
Patient Requesting Medical Records Copies. There may be fees associated with requesting copies of medical records, such as copy fees, and/or shipping and handling fees. You have the right to request a restriction of your protected health information – You may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your protected health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
You have the right to request confidential communications – You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. You have the right to request an amendment to your protected health information – You may ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures — You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures, paper or electronic, except for disclosures: pursuant to an authorization, for purposes of treatment, payment, healthcare operations; required by law for up to six years prior to the date of the request.
You have the right to receive notice of a breach - We will notify you if your unsecured protected health information has been breached. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and we will notify you of such changes in the following appointment. We will also make available copies of our new notice if you wish to obtain one.