Your Health Information
Although your health record is the physical property of the health care practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:
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- Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by 45 CFR 164.522
- Obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request
- Inspect and obtain a copy of your health record as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524
- Amend your health record as provided in 45 CFR 164.528
- Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as provided in 45 CFR 164.528
- Request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations
- Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken
This organization is required to:
- Maintain the privacy of your health information
- Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you
- Abide by the terms of this notice
- Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
- Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.
- We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain.
- Should our information practices change, we will mail a revised notice to the address you’ve supplied us. We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.
For More Information or to Report a Problem
If have questions and would like additional information, you may contact management at 480-394-0200.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, If you have any complaints concerning our privacy practices, you may contact the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, at 200 Independence Avenue, S. W. Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington D.C. 20201. You also may contact the Privacy Office (Office Manager) of this practice at (480) 394-0200.
THIS PRACTICE reserves the right to amend our privacy policy as dictated by law, without sending you a copy of the amendment. Any changes to this policy will be posted in our office.
This notice is effective as of February 21, 2006.
Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations
We will use your health information for treatment.
For example: Information obtained by a nurse, physician, resident physician, or other member of your health care team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. Your physician will document in your record his or her expectations of the members of your health care team. Members of your health care team will then record the actions they took and their observations. In that way, the physician will know how you are responding to treatment.
We will also provide your physician or a subsequent health care provider with copies of various reports that should assist him or her in treating you once you’re discharged from your urology specialist.
We will use your health information for payment.
For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.
We will use your health information for regular health operations.
For example: Members of the medical staff may use information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care and service we provide.
We will use your health information to send by United States mail, facsimile and internet.
For Example: We may use your health information to send your test and lab results as well as appointment reminders by United States mail. Our electronic notification of appointment system will automatically call you at home to notify you of your upcoming appointment. If there is no answer, the electronic notification will automatically leave a message on your answering machine if you have one. Your health information may be sent via facsimile or Internet to another physician, clinic or insurance company upon requests.
Business associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates. Examples include physician services in radiology and in certain laboratory tests. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job we’ve asked them to do and bill you or your third-party payer for services rendered. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.
Notification: We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition.
Communication with family: Health professionals, using their best judgement, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person’s involvement in your care or payment related to your care.
Research: We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.
Funeral directors: We may disclose health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.
Organ procurement organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.
Marketing: 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.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
Workers’ compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.
Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
Correctional institution: Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.
Law enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.
Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers or the public.
Effective Date: Effective on or after 02/01/03.
References
Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services. “Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records.” Code of Federal Regulations, 2000. 42 CFR, Chapter I, Part 2.
“Standards for the Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information; Final Rule.” 45 CFR Parts 160 through 164. Federal Register 65, no. 250 (December 28, 2000). Available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/admnsimp/.
This article is based on the privacy rule issued on December 28, 2000. At press time the rule was under review by the new administration and could be subject to change.
