NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: 09/21/2013 Publication Date: 09/23/2013
How We May Use or Disclose Protected Health Information
Following are examples of uses and disclosures of your protected health information that we are permitted to make. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to describe possible types of uses and disclosures.
Treatment
We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your healthcare with a third party that involved in your care and treatment. For example, we would disclose your PHI, as necessary, to a pharmacy that would fill your prescriptions.
We will also disclose PHI to other Healthcare Providers who may be involved in your care and treatment.
Special Notices
We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment. We may contact you by phone or other means to provide results from exams or tests and to provide information that describes or recommends treatment alternatives regarding your care. Also, we may contact you to provide information about health-related benefits and services offered by our office, for fund-raising activities, or with respect to a group health plan sponsor. You have the right to opting out of such special notices, and each such notice will include instructions for opting out.
Payment
Your PHI be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your healthcare services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the healthcare services we recommend for you such as, making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits.
Health Operations
We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI in order to support the business activities of our practice. This includes, but is not limited to business planning and development, quality assessment and improvement, medical review, legal services, auditing functions and patient safety activities.
Health Information Organization
The practice may elect to use a health information organization to facilitate the electronic exchange of information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
To others involved in Your Healthcare
Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a close friend or any other person, that you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your healthcare. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest, based on our professional judgment. We may use or disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for your care, of your general condition or death. If you are not present or able to agree or object to the use or disclosure of the PHI, then your healthcare provider may, using professional judgment, determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest, in this case PHI that is necessary will be disclosed.
Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures
We are also permitted to use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes: as required by law; for public health activities; health oversight activities; in cases of abuse or neglect; to comply with Food and Drug Administration requirements; research purposes; legal proceedings; law enforcement purposes; coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors; organ donation; national security; worker’s compensation. We are also permitted to use or disclose your PHI if required by the Department of Health and Human Services in order to investigate or determine our compliance with the Privacy Rule.