Privacy Policy
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.
The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996
("HIPAA") is a federal program that requires that all medical
records and other individually identifiable health information
used or disclosed by us in any form, whether electronically, on
paper; or orally, are kept properly confidential. This Act gives
you, the patient, significant new rights to understand and
control your health information is used. "HIPAA" provides
penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health
information.
As required by "HIPAA", we have prepared this explanation of
how we are required to maintain the privacy of your health
information and how we may use and disclose your health
information.
We may use and disclose your medical records only for each of
the following purposes: treatment, payment and health care
operations.
- Treatment means providing,
coordinating, or managing health care and related services
by one or more health care providers. An example of this
would include a physical examination.
- Payment means such activities as
obtaining reimbursement for services. Confirming coverage,
billing or collection activities, and utilization review. An
example of this would be sending a bill for your visit to
your insurance company for payment.
- Health care operations include the
business aspects of running our practice, such as conducting
quality assessment and improvement activities, auditing
functions, cost-management analysis, and customer service.
An example would be an internal quality assessment review.
We may also create and distribute de-identified health
information by removing all references to individually
identifiable information.
We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or
information about treatment alternatives or other health-related
benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Any other uses and disclosures will be made only with your
written authorization. You may revoke such authorization in
writing and we are required to honor and abide by that written
request, except to the extent that we have already taken actions
relying on your authorization.
You have the following rights with respect to your protected
health information, which you can exercise by presenting a
written request to the Privacy Officer:
- The right to request restrictions on certain uses and
disclosures of protected health information, including those
related to disclosures to family members, other relatives,
close personal friends, or any other person identified by
you. We are, however, not required to agree to a requested
restriction. If we do agree to a restriction, we must abide
by it unless you agree in writing to remove it.
- The right to reasonable requests to receive confidential
communications of protected health information from us by
alternative means or at alternative locations.
- The right to inspect and copy your protected health
information.
- The right to amend your protected health information.
- The right to receive an accounting of disclosures of
protected health information.
- The right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us
upon request.
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