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.

I. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information :

The Practice may use or disclose your protected health information for purposes of providing treatment, obtaining payment for treatment, and conducting health care operations. Your protected health information may be used or disclosed only for these purposes unless the Practice has obtained your authorization or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule or State law.

Treatment. We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party for treatment purposes if you sign a Release. We may also disclose protected health information to physicians who may be treating you or consulting with the Practice with respect to your care. In some cases, we may also disclose your protected health information to an outside treatment provider for purposes of the treatment activities of the other provider, again with a Release or in dire emergency.

Payment. Your protected health information will be used and disclosed, as needed, to obtain payment for the services that we provide. This may include certain communications to your health insurer to get approval for the treatment that we recommend. For example, if a certain level of service is recommended, we may need to disclose information to your health insurer to get prior approval for the level of service. We may also disclose protected health information to your insurance company to determine whether you are eligible for benefits or whether a particular service is covered. In order to get payment for your services, we may also need to disclose your protected health information to your insurance company to demonstrate the medical necessity of the services or to demonstrate that required documentation exists. We may also disclose patient information to another provider involved in your care for the other provider’s payment activities.

Other Uses and Disclosures. As part of treatment, payment and healthcare operations, we may also use or disclose your protected health information for the following purposes:

• To remind you of an appointment including the use of post cards and/or messages left on answering machines.
• To inform you of potential treatment alternatives or options
• To inform you of health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

II. Uses and Disclosures Beyond Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations Permitted Without Authorization or Opportunity to Object:

The HIPAA Privacy Rule also allows us to use or disclose your protected health information without your permission or authorization for a number of reasons including the following:

When Legally Required. We will disclose your protected health information when we are required to do so by any Federal, State or local law.

When There Are Risks to Public Health. We may disclose your protected health information for the following public activities and purposes:

• To prevent, control, or report disease, injury or disability as permitted by law.
• To report vital events such as birth or death as permitted or required by law.
• To notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease as authorized by law.
• To report to employer information about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally permitted or required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence. We may notify government authorities if we believe that a consumer is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law or when the consumer agrees to the disclosure.

To Conduct Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits; civil, administrative, or criminal investigations, proceedings, or actions; inspections; licensure or disciplinary actions; or other activities necessary for appropriate oversight as authorized by law. We will not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information are not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.