Hipaa - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Notice of Health Information Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Introduction

At Generations ObGyn, P.C., we are committed to treating and using protected health information about you responsibly. This Notice of Health Information Practices describes the personal information we collect, and how and when we use or disclose that information. It also describes your rights as they relate to your protected health information. This Notice is effective March 24, 2003 , and applies to all protected health information as defined by federal regulations.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit Generations ObGyn, P.C., a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a:

• Basis for planning your care and treatment,
• Means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care,
• Legal document describing the care you received,
• Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided,
• A tool in educating heath professionals,
• A source of data for medical research,
• A source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of this state and the nation,
• A source of data for our planning and marketing,
• A tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve,

Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to: ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information, and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Health Information Rights

Although your health record is the physical property of Generations ObGyn, P.C., the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

• Obtain a paper copy of this notice of information practices upon request,
• Inspect and copy 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,
• Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by 45 CFR 164.522, and
• Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

Our Responsibilities

Generations ObGyn, P.C. is required to:

• Maintain the privacy of your health information,
• Provide you with this 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, and
• Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.
• Accommodate your request for an accounting of disclosures.

We reserve the right to amend, change, or eliminate provisions in our privacy practices and access practices and to enact new provisions regarding the protected health information we maintain. If our information practices change, we will amend our Notice. You are entitled to receive a revised copy of the Notice by calling and requesting a copy of our "Notice" or by visiting our office and picking up a copy.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice. We will also discontinue to use or disclose your health information after we have received a written revocation of the authorization according to the procedures included in the authorization.

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the practice's Privacy Officer, Nancy Yeomans at 865-769-4443.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the practice's Privacy Officer, or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office for Civil Rights. The address for the OCR is listed below:

Office for Civil Rights

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington , D.C. 20201

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, 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.

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 and 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 outcome 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 healthcare and service we provide.

Business associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates. Examples include the transcription service that transcribes dictations for your physician. 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. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Following is a List of Other Uses and Disclosures Allowed by the Privacy Rule

Patient Contact

• We may contact you to provide you with appointment reminders, with information about treatment alternatives or with information about health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may contact you as part of a fund raising effort.

Notification- Opportunity to Agree or Object

• If you are present and able and do not object, or if you are not present, able, or in an emergency using our professional judgment we 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 in payment for such care. This will allow them to pick up a filled prescription, ect.
• Use or disclose your protected health information to notify, or assist in notifying, a family member, personal representative, or other person responsible for your care, about your location, and about your general condition, or your death.
• We may use and disclose your protected health information to assist in disaster relief efforts.

Notification-Opportunity to Agree or Object Not Required

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVITIES

Controlling Disease - As required by law, we may disclose your protected heath information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.

Child Abuse & Neglect - We may disclose your protected health information to public authorities as allowed by law to report child abuse or neglect.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - We may disclose to the FDA your protected health information relating to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, products and product defects, or post-marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacements.

VICTIMS OF ABUSE, NEGLECT, OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

We can disclose protected health information to governmental authorities to the extent the disclosure is authorized by statute or regulation and in the exercise of professional judgment the doctor believes the disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm to the individual or other potential victim.

OVERSIGHT AGENCIES

Federal law allows us to release your protected health information to appropriate health oversight agencies or for health oversight activities to include audits, civil, administrative or criminal investigations: inspections; licensures or disciplinary actions, and for similar reasons related to the administration of healthcare.

JUDICAIAL/ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS

We may disclose your protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding as allowed by law, or as directed by a proper court order or administrative tribunal, provided that only the protected health information released is expressly authorized by such order, or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or lawful process.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

We may disclose your protected health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law, such as when required by court order, including laws that require reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injury.

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 protected health information.

THREAT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY

To avert a serious threat to health or safety, we may disclose your protected health information consistent with applicable law to prevent or lessen a serious, imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

FOR SPECIALIZED GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTIONS

We may disclose your protected health information for specialized government functions as authorized by law such as to Armed Forces personnel, for national security purposes, or to public assistance program personnel.

CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS

If you are an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or it's agents the protected health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.

WORKERS COMPENSATION

If you are seeking compensation through Workers Compensation, we may disclose your protected health information to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to Workers Compensations.

Other Uses and Disclosures

• Other uses and disclosures besides those identified in this Notice will be made only as otherwise authorized by law or with your written authorization which you may revoke except to the extent information or action has already been taken.

Website

• If we maintain a website that provides information about our entity, this Notice will be on the website.