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 takes effect on March 1, 2003 and remains in effect until we replace it,

 

1. OUR PLEDGE REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION

The privacy of your medical information is important to us.  We understand that your medical information is personal and we are committed to protecting it.  We create a record of the care and services you receive with our organization.  We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements.  This notice will tell you about the ways we may use and share medical information about you.  We also describe your rights and certain duties we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

 

2. OUR LEGAL DUTY

Law requires us to:

1.       Keep you medical information private.

2.       Give you notice describing our legal duties, privacy practices, and your rights regarding your medical information.

3.       Follow the terms of the notice that is now in effect.

 

We have the right to:

1.       Change our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time, provided that the changes are permitted by law.

2.      Make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our notice effective for all medical information that we keep, including information previously created or received before the changes.

 

Notice of change of privacy practices:

1.      Before we make an important change in our privacy practices, we will change this notice and make the new notice available upon request.

 

3.   USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

The following section describes different ways that we use and disclose medical information.  Not every use or disclosure will be listed.  However, we have listed all of the different ways we are permitted to use and disclose medical information .  We will not disclose your medical information for any purpose not listed below, without your specific written authorization.  Any specific written authorization you provide may be revoked at any time by writing to us.

 

FOR TREATMENT:  We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services.  We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other people who are taking care of you.  We may also share medical information about you to other health care providers to assist them in treating you.

 

FOR PAYMENT:  We may use and disclose your medical information for payment purposes.

 

FOR HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS: We may use and disclose your medical information for our health care operations.  This might include measuring and improving quality, evaluating the performance of employees, conducting training programs, and getting the accreditation, certificates, licenses, and credentials we need to serve you.

 

ADDITIONAL USES AND DISCLOSURES;  In addition to using and disclosing your medical information for treatment, we may use and disclose information for the following reasons

 

Notification:  Medical information to notify or help notify: a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care.  We will share information about your location, general condition or death.  If you are present, we will get your permission if possible before we share, or give you the opportunity to refuse permission. In case of emergency, and if you are not able to give or refuse permission, we will share only the health information that is directly necessary for your health care, according to our professional judgment.  We will also use our professional judgment to make decisions in your best interest about following someone to pick up medicine, medical supplies, x-ray or medical information for you.

 

Funeral Director:  To help carry out their duties, we may share the medical information of a person who has died with a coroner, medical examiner, funeral director, or an organ procurement organization.

 

Specialized Government Functions: Subject to certain requirements, we may disclose or use health information for military personnel and veterans, for national security and intelligence activities, for protective service for the President or others, for medial suitability determinations for the Department of State, for correctional institutions and other law enforcement custodial situations, and for government programs providing public benefits.

 

Court Orders and Judicial and Administrative Proceedings:  We may disclose medical information in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, under certain circumstances.  Under limited circumstances, such as court order, warrant, or grand jury subpoena. We may share your medical information with a law enforcement official concerning the medical information of a suspect, fugitive, material witness, crime victim or missing person.  We may share the medical information of an inmate or other person in lawful custody with a law enforcement official or correctional institution under certain circumstances.

 

Public Health Activities:  As required by law, we may disclose your medical information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, including child abuse or neglect.  We may also disclose your medical information to person subject to jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration for purposes of reporting adverse events associated with product defects or problems, to enable product recalls, repairs or replacements, to track products, or to conduct activities required by the Food and Drug Administration.  We may also, when authorized by the law to do so, notify a person who may have been exposed to communicable disease or otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.

 

Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence:  We may disclose medical information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.  We may share medical information when necessary to help law enforcement officials capture a person who has a person who has admitted to being part of a crime or has escaped from legal custody.

 

Worker’s Compensation:  We may disclose health information when authorized and necessary to comply with lawa relating to workers compensation or other similar programs.

 

Health Oversight Activities:  We may disclose medical information to an agency providing health oversight for oversight activities authorized by law, including audits, civil, administrative, or criminal investigations or proceedings, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions, or other authorrized activities.

 

Law Enforcement:  Under certain circumstances, we may disclose health information to law enforcement officials.  These circumstances include reporting required by certain laws (such as the reporting of certain types of wounds), pursuant to certain subpoenas or court orders, reporting limited information concerning identification and location at the request of a law enforcement official, reports regarding suspected victims of crimes at the request of a law enforcement official, reporting death, crimes on our premises, and crimes in emergencies.

 

4. YOUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

You have a right to:

1.       Look at or get copies of your medical information.  You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies.  We will use the format you request unless it is not practical for us to do so.  You must make your request in writing.  You may get the form to request access by using the contact information at the end of this notice. 

2.       Receive a list of all the times we or our business associates shared your medical information for purposes other than treatment, payment, and health care operations and other specific exceptions.

3.       Request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your medical information.  We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in case of emergency).

4.       Request that we communicate with you about your medical information by different means or to different locations.  Your request that we communicate your medical information to you by different means or at different locations must be made in writing to the contact person listed at the end of this notice.

5.       Request that we change your medical information.  We may deny your request if we did not create the information you want changed or for certain other reasons.  If we deny your request we will provide you with a written explanation.  You may respond with a statement of disagreement that will be added to the information  you want changed.   If we accept your request to change the information, we will make reasonable efforts to tell others, including people you name, of the change and to include the changes in any future sharing of that information.

6.       If you have received this notice electronically, and wish to receive a paper copy, you have the right to obtain a paper copy by making a request in writing to the Privacy Officer at (910) 794-8892 ext. 5.

 

QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

 

If you have any questions about this notice or if you think that we may have violated your privacy rights, please contact us.  You may also submit a written complaint to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.  We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.  We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint.