Notice of Privacy Practices
These policies and procedures were approved
by the
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.
Introduction
We at
Our Obligation to You
We are required by law to maintain the
privacy of your protected health information, to notify you of our legal duties
and your legal rights, and to abide by the privacy policies described in this
Notice.
What
is “Protected Health Information”
“Protected health information” means any
information that we create or receive that identifies you and relates to your
health or payment for services for you.
This could include information about your health condition, health care
services you have received or will receive in the future, geographic
information (such as where you live or work), demographic information (such as
your race, gender or ethnicity) or unique numbers that may identify you (such
as your social security number).
Our
Policy
It is our
policy to obtain a general written consent to use and disclose your protected
health information for treatment, payment or health care operation
purposes. You will be asked to sign a Consent
form to permit all such uses and disclosures of your information.
Except as described in
the following paragraphs, we will not use or disclose your protected health
information without your written authorization.
We
will use or disclose your
health information for:
Treatment
We will use your protected health
information and disclose it to others, as
necessary, to provide treatment to you.
For example:
1.
Various members
of our staff may see your record in the course of our care for you. This may include nurses, therapists, case
workers or administrative personnel.
2.
It may be
necessary to send blood or tissue samples to a laboratory for analysis to help
us evaluate your medical condition.
3.
We may provide
information to your health plan or another treatment provider in order to
arrange for a referral or clinical consultation.
4.
We may contact
you to remind you of appointments.
5.
We may contact
you to tell you about
treatment or social services that we offer that might be of
benefit to you.
Payment
We will use or disclose your protected
health information as needed to arrange for payment for services to you. For example, information about your diagnosis
and the service we render is included in the bills that we submit to your
health insurance plan. Your health plan
may require health information in order to confirm that the services rendered
are covered by your benefit program and medically necessary. A health care provider that delivers service
to you, such as a clinical laboratory, may need information about you in order
to arrange for payment of its services.
Health Care Operations
It may also be necessary to use or
disclose protected health information for our health care operations or those
of another organization that has a relationship with you. For example, your health plan may wish to
review your records to be sure that we meet proper standards for care.
Other Disclosures
There are other circumstances in which
we may be required by law to disclose protected health information without your
permission. This includes disclosures
made:
·
Unless you
object, to a family member or a close personal friend who is involved in your
care or payment for that care;
·
In emergency
situations;
·
To comply with
state law requiring reports of suspected child abuse or neglect;
·
Pursuant to court
order;
·
To health
oversight agencies, government agencies, or public health authorities;
·
To law
enforcement officials, under certain circumstances;
·
To coroners,
medical examiners or funeral directors;
·
To researchers
involved in approved research projects; and
·
As otherwise
required by law.
Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Treatment Programs
We will follow the provisions of 42 CFR
Part 2 governing disclosure of protected health information in Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Treatment Programs. For
individuals receiving such treatment, except as otherwise required by law, the
Program will not disclose your protected health information to a third party
without your written permission or a court order.
Your Legal Rights
Although your records are the physical
property of the
·
Request confidential communications. You may
request that communications to you, such as appointment
reminders, bills or explanations Of health benefits be
made in a confidential manner. We will
accommodate any such request.
·
Request restrictions on use and disclosure
of your information. You have the right to request restrictions on
our use of your protected health information for particular purposes, or our
disclosure of that information to certain third parties. We are not obligated to agree to a requested
restriction, but we will consider your request.
·
Revoke a Consent or Authorization. You may revoke
a written Consent or Authorization for us to use or disclose your protected
health information. The revocation will
not affect any previous use or disclosure of your information.
·
Review and copy record. You have the
right to see records used to make decisions about you. We will, however, delete any protected
health information about other persons that may be contained in your
record. At your request, we will make a
copy of your record for you. However, we
will charge a fee for this service.
·
“Amend” your record. If you believe
your record contains an error, you may ask us to amend it. If there is a mistake, a note will be entered
in the record to correct the error. If
not, you will be told and allowed the opportunity to add a short statement to
the record explaining why you believe the record is inaccurate. This information will be included as part of
the total record.
·
An accounting. You have the right to an accounting of some
disclosures of your protected health information to third parties. This does not include disclosures that you
authorize, or disclosures that occur in the context of treatment, payment or
health care operations. We will provide
an accounting of other disclosures made from the date of effect of this policy,
up to six years. If requested by law
enforcement authorities that are conducting a criminal investigation, we will
suspend accounting of disclosures made to them.
·
A paper copy of this Notice. A copy of our
current notice will always be posted on our website (madisoncounty.org) and in
our reception areas. You also have the
right to a paper copy of
Personal
Representatives. A personal representative of a patient or
client may act on their behalf in exercising their privacy rights. This includes the parent or legal guardian
of a minor. Disclosure of protected
health information to a personal representative may be limited in cases of
domestic or child abuse.
How to Exercise Your Legal Rights
Questions about our privacy policies and
procedures and requests to exercise individual rights should be directed to the
County’s Privacy Officer at (315) 366-2203.
If you believe your privacy rights have
been violated, you may file a compliant with the County’s Privacy Officer, or
with the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
(“DHHS”). Should you choose to file a
complaint with the County’s Privacy Officer, you will be given a complaint form
and an overview of the complaint process
If you want to file a complaint with
DHHS please call the County Privacy Officer at (315) 366-2203 and we will
provide you with the appropriate DHHS contact and address. You
will not be retaliated against, in any manner, for filing a complaint.
·
You also have the
right to a paper copy of
Personal
Representatives. A personal representative of a patient or
client may act on their behalf in exercising their privacy rights. This includes the parent or legal guardian
of a minor. Disclosure of protected
health information to a personal representative may be limited in cases of
domestic or child abuse.
How to Exercise Your Legal Rights
Questions about our privacy policies and
procedures and requests to exercise individual rights should be directed to the
County’s Privacy Officer at (315) 366-2203.
If you believe your privacy rights have
been violated, you may file a compliant with the County’s Privacy Officer, or
with the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
(“DHHS”). Should you choose to file a
complaint with the County’s Privacy Officer, you will be given a complaint form
and an overview of the complaint process
If you want to file a complaint with
DHHS please call the County Privacy Officer at (315) 366-2203 and we will
provide you with the appropriate DHHS contact and address. You
will not be retaliated against, in any manner, for filing a complaint.
Madison
County
Board of Supervisors
Phone (315) 366-2201
Fax (315) 366-2502