Privacy Notice
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.
We respect our legal obligation to keep health information that identifies you private. We are obligated by law to give you notice of our privacy practices. This Notice describes how we protect your health information and what rights you have regarding it.
TREATMENT, PAYMENT AND HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
The most common reason why we use or disclose your health information is for treatment, payment or health care operations. Examples of how we use or disclose information for treatment purposes are: setting up an appointment for you testing or examining your eyes prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or medications and faxing them to be filled referring you to another doctor or clinic or getting copies of your health information from another professional that you may have seen before us. Examples of how we use or disclose your health information for payment purposes are: asking you about your health or vision care plans, or other sources of payment preparing and sending bills or claims and collecting unpaid amounts. ?Health care operations? mean those administrative and managerial functions that we have to do in order to run our office. Examples of how we use or disclose your health information for health care operations area: financial or billing audits internal quality assurance personnel decisions participation in managed care plans defense of legal matters business planning and outside storage of our records.
We routinely use your health information inside our office for these purposes without any special permission. If we need to disclose your health information outside of our office for these reasons, we usually will not ask you for special written permission.
USES AND DISCLOSURES FOR OTHER REASONS WITHOUT PERMISSION
In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your permission. Not all of these situations will apply to us some may never come up at our office at all. Such uses or disclosures are:
a) when a state or federal law mandates that certain health information be reported for a specific purpose
b) for public health purposes, such as contagious disease reporting, investigation or surveillance and notices to and from the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding drugs or medical devices
c) disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence
d) uses and disclosures for health oversight activities, such as for audits by Medicare or Medicaid or for investigation of possible violations of health care laws
e) disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings, such as in response to subpoenas or orders of courts or administrative agencies
f) uses and disclosures to prevent a serious threat to health or safety
g) disclosures to ?business associates? who perform health care operations for us and who commit to respect the privacy of your health information
Unless you object, we will also share relevant information about your health care with your family or friends who are helping you with your eye care.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may call or write to remind you of scheduled appointments, or that it is time to make a routine appointment. We may also call or write to notify you of other treatments or services available at our office that might help you. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will mail you an appointment reminder on a post card, and/or leave you a reminder message on your phone answering machine or with someone who answers your phone if you are not home.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES
We will not make any other uses or disclosures of your health information unless you sign a written ?authorization form.? The content of an ?authorization form? is determined by federal law. Sometimes, we may initiate the authorization process if the use or disclosure is our idea. Sometimes, you may initiate the process if it is your idea for us to send your information to someone else. Typically, in this situation you will give us a properly completed authorization form, or you can use one of ours.
If we initiate the process and ask you to sign an authorization form, you do not have to sign it. If you do not sign the authorization, we cannot make the use or disclosure. If you do sign one, you may revoke it at any time unless we have already acted in reliance upon it. Revocations must be in writing. Send them to our office at the address given at the beginning of this Notice.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
In the event of your incapacity or an emergency situation, we will disclose health information to a family member, or another person responsible for your care, using our professional judgment. We will only disclose health information that is directly relevant to the person?s involvement in your healthcare.
YOUR RIGHTS AS A PATIENT
You have the right to restrict the disclosure of your protected health information (in writing). The request for restriction may be denied if the information is required for treatment, payment of health care operations.
You have the right to receive confidential communications regarding your protected health information.
You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information.
You have the right to amend your protected health information.
You have the right to receive an account of disclosures of your protected health information.
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice of privacy practices.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Park Cities Eye Associates is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice as it is currently stated, and reserve the right to change this notice. The policies in any new notice will not be in effect until they are available within our office.
COMPLAINTS
If you think that we have not properly respected the privacy of your health information, you are free to complain to us or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not be retaliating against you if you make a complaint. If you want to complain to us, send a written complaint to the office contact person at the address shown at the beginning of this Notice. If you prefer, you can discuss your complaint in person or by phone.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For further information about the Park Cities Eye Associates privacy policies, call or visit our office and ask for Dr. DeChatelets.
We respect our legal obligation to keep health information that identifies you private. We are obligated by law to give you notice of our privacy practices. This Notice describes how we protect your health information and what rights you have regarding it.
TREATMENT, PAYMENT AND HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
The most common reason why we use or disclose your health information is for treatment, payment or health care operations. Examples of how we use or disclose information for treatment purposes are: setting up an appointment for you testing or examining your eyes prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or medications and faxing them to be filled referring you to another doctor or clinic or getting copies of your health information from another professional that you may have seen before us. Examples of how we use or disclose your health information for payment purposes are: asking you about your health or vision care plans, or other sources of payment preparing and sending bills or claims and collecting unpaid amounts. ?Health care operations? mean those administrative and managerial functions that we have to do in order to run our office. Examples of how we use or disclose your health information for health care operations area: financial or billing audits internal quality assurance personnel decisions participation in managed care plans defense of legal matters business planning and outside storage of our records.
We routinely use your health information inside our office for these purposes without any special permission. If we need to disclose your health information outside of our office for these reasons, we usually will not ask you for special written permission.
USES AND DISCLOSURES FOR OTHER REASONS WITHOUT PERMISSION
In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your permission. Not all of these situations will apply to us some may never come up at our office at all. Such uses or disclosures are:
a) when a state or federal law mandates that certain health information be reported for a specific purpose
b) for public health purposes, such as contagious disease reporting, investigation or surveillance and notices to and from the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding drugs or medical devices
c) disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence
d) uses and disclosures for health oversight activities, such as for audits by Medicare or Medicaid or for investigation of possible violations of health care laws
e) disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings, such as in response to subpoenas or orders of courts or administrative agencies
f) uses and disclosures to prevent a serious threat to health or safety
g) disclosures to ?business associates? who perform health care operations for us and who commit to respect the privacy of your health information
Unless you object, we will also share relevant information about your health care with your family or friends who are helping you with your eye care.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may call or write to remind you of scheduled appointments, or that it is time to make a routine appointment. We may also call or write to notify you of other treatments or services available at our office that might help you. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will mail you an appointment reminder on a post card, and/or leave you a reminder message on your phone answering machine or with someone who answers your phone if you are not home.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES
We will not make any other uses or disclosures of your health information unless you sign a written ?authorization form.? The content of an ?authorization form? is determined by federal law. Sometimes, we may initiate the authorization process if the use or disclosure is our idea. Sometimes, you may initiate the process if it is your idea for us to send your information to someone else. Typically, in this situation you will give us a properly completed authorization form, or you can use one of ours.
If we initiate the process and ask you to sign an authorization form, you do not have to sign it. If you do not sign the authorization, we cannot make the use or disclosure. If you do sign one, you may revoke it at any time unless we have already acted in reliance upon it. Revocations must be in writing. Send them to our office at the address given at the beginning of this Notice.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
In the event of your incapacity or an emergency situation, we will disclose health information to a family member, or another person responsible for your care, using our professional judgment. We will only disclose health information that is directly relevant to the person?s involvement in your healthcare.
YOUR RIGHTS AS A PATIENT
You have the right to restrict the disclosure of your protected health information (in writing). The request for restriction may be denied if the information is required for treatment, payment of health care operations.
You have the right to receive confidential communications regarding your protected health information.
You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information.
You have the right to amend your protected health information.
You have the right to receive an account of disclosures of your protected health information.
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice of privacy practices.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Park Cities Eye Associates is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice as it is currently stated, and reserve the right to change this notice. The policies in any new notice will not be in effect until they are available within our office.
COMPLAINTS
If you think that we have not properly respected the privacy of your health information, you are free to complain to us or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not be retaliating against you if you make a complaint. If you want to complain to us, send a written complaint to the office contact person at the address shown at the beginning of this Notice. If you prefer, you can discuss your complaint in person or by phone.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For further information about the Park Cities Eye Associates privacy policies, call or visit our office and ask for Dr. DeChatelets.