Notice of Privacy Practices
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.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This
section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
- We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually
within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is
incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
- We may say “no” to your request, but we'll tell you why in writing within 60
days.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office
phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment,
payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request,
and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
- If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can
ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our
operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires
us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we've shared information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we've shared your health
information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with,
and why.
- We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment,
payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as
any you asked us to make). We'll provide one accounting a year for free but
will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within
12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
- You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have
agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a
paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
- If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your
legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about
your health information.
- We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before
we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us
using the information on page 1.
- You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we
share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the
situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we
will follow your instructions.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in
your care
- Share information in a disaster relief situation
- Include your information in a hospital directory
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are
unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is
in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to
lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
In these cases we never share your information unless you give us permission:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes
In the case of fundraising:
- We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to
contact you again.
Our Uses and Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information?
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Treat you
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who
are treating you.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your
overall health condition.
Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your
care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and
services.
Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from
health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it
will pay for your services.
How else can we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways - usually
in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and
research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your
information for these purposes. For more information see:
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting adverse reactions to medications
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone's health or safety
Do research
- We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
- We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it,
including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to
see that we're complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- We can share health information about you with organ procurement
organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral
director when an individual dies.
Address workers' compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers' compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and
presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
- We can share health information about you in response to a court or
administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your
protected health information.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised
the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and
give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here
unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change
your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
For more information see:
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all
information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request,
in our office, and on our web site.
HIPAA Compliance Officer
Caroline Antony - Email compliance@southdemmj.com