Privacy Policy
EXPRESS HEALTH INC. PRIVACY POLICY
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
This Notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you may obtain access to this information. Please review it carefully.USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
ExpressHealth Inc. (the “Clinics”) may use your health information, that is, information that constitutes protected health information as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), for purposes of making or obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations. The Clinics have established a policy to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND/OR DISCLOSED:
As Required by Law
The Clinics will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state or local law.To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
The Clinics may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the Clinics, in good faith, believe that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.Public Health Risks
The Clinics will disclose your health information for public health reporting required by federal or state law. These activities generally include the following:
- To prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
- To report births and deaths;
- To report child abuse or neglect;
- To report reactions to medications or problems with products;
- To notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
- To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
- To notify the appropriate government authority if the Clinics believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. The Clinics will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities
The Clinics will disclose your health information as required by law to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, the Clinics will disclose your health information when properly ordered to do so by a court.
Law Enforcement
The Clinics will release your health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official, and if permitted by law:
- In response to a court order;
- If required by state or federal law;
- To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
- About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, the Clinics are unable to obtain the person’s agreement;
- About a death the Clinics believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
- About criminal conduct at a Clinic facility; and
- In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the
crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the
person who committed the crime.
For Treatment
The Clinics may use your health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. The Clinics may disclose your health information to doctors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, therapists, technicians, medical students, or other Clinics personnel who are involved in taking care of you. Different departments of the Clinics also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need. The Clinics also may disclose your health information to people outside the Clinics, such as other health care providers involved in providing medical treatment for you and to people who may be involved in your medical care, such as family members, clergy or others the Clinics use to provide services that are part of your care.
For Payment
The Clinics may use and disclose your health information so that the treatment and services you receive at the Clinics, or other health care providers from whom you receive treatment, may be billed to, and payment may be collected from, you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, the Clinics may need to give information about treatment you received at the Clinics so that your health plan will pay the Clinics or reimburse you for your treatment. The Clinics may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
For Health Care Operations
The Clinics may use and disclose your health information for the Clinics’ operations or to another health care provider or health plan, if you have a relationship with that health care provider or health plan. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the Clinics and make sure that all of the Clinics’ patients receive quality care. For example, the Clinics may use your health information to review the Clinics treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of the Clinics’ staff in caring for you. The Clinics may also combine health information about many patients to decide what additional services the Clinics should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. The Clinics may also disclose information to doctors, social workers, therapists, nurses, psychologists, technicians, medical students, and other personnel for review and learning purposes. The Clinics may also combine the health information they have with health information from other health care providers to compare how the Clinics are doing and see where the Clinics can make improvements in the care and services the Clinics offer. The Clinics may remove information that identifies you from this set of health information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who the specific patients are.
For Appointment Reminders
The Clinics may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the Clinics.
For Treatment Alternatives
The Clinics may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services
The Clinics may use or disclose your health information to provide you with information on health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
The Clinics may release your health information to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. The Clinics may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. In addition, the Clinics may disclose your health information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location.
Research
Under certain circumstances, the Clinics may use and disclose your health information for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of health information, trying to balance the research needs with patients’ need for privacy of their health information. Before the Clinics use or disclose health information for research, the project will have been approved through this research approval process, but the Clinics may, however, disclose your health information to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the health information they review does not leave the Clinics. The Clinics may ask for your specific permission if the researcher will have access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care at the Clinics.
For Workers' Compensation
The Clinics may release your health information to the extent necessary to comply with laws related to workers' compensation or similar programs.
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, the Clinics may release your health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, the Clinics may release your health information as required by military command authorities. The Clinics may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors
The Clinics may release health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. The Clinics may also release medical information about patients of the Clinics to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities
The Clinics may release your health information to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, the Clinics may release your health information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary: (i) for the institution to provide you with health care; (ii) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (iii) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.
AUTHORIZATION TO USE OR DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION
Other than as stated above, the Clinics will not disclose your health information other than with your written authorization. If you authorize the Clinics to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.
YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have the following rights regarding your health information that the Clinics maintain:
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You have the right to request a limit on the Clinics’ disclosure of your health information to someone involved in the payment of your care. However, the Clinics are not required to agree to your request. If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that the Clinics communicate with you in a certain way if you feel the disclosure of your health information could endanger you. For example, you may ask that the Clinics only communicate with you at a certain telephone number. If you wish to receive confidential communications, please make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. The Clinics will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.
Right to Inspect and Copy Your Health Information
You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to made decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes. A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer. If you request a copy of your health information, the Clinics may charge a reasonable fee for copying, assembling costs and postage, if applicable, associated with your request.
Right to Amend Your Health Information
If you believe that your health information records are incorrect or incomplete, you may request that the Clinics amend the records. That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by the Clinics. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer. The Clinics may deny the request if it does not include a reason to support the amendment. The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by the Clinics, if the health information you are requesting to amend is not part of the Clinics’ records, if the health information you wish to amend falls within an exception to the health information you are permitted to inspect and copy, or if the Clinics determine the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of disclosures of your health information made by the Clinics. The request must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer. The request should specify the time period for which you are requesting the information, but may not start earlier than July 15, 2007. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time going back more than six (6) years. The Clinics will provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee. The Clinics will inform you in advance of the fee, if applicable.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice
You have a right to receive a paper copy of this Notice. To obtain a paper copy, please contact the Privacy Officer. You also may obtain a print a copy of the current version of the Clinics’ Notice from its website at www.ehclinics.com.
DUTIES OF THE CLINICS
The Clinics are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information as set forth in this Notice and to provide to you this Notice of its duties and privacy practices. The Clinics are required to abide by the terms of this Notice, which may be amended from time to time. The Clinics reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains. If the Clinics change their policies and procedures, the Clinics will revise the Notice and will post a copy of the revised Notice in each of its facilities. You have the right to express complaints to the Clinics and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Any complaints to the Clinics should be made in writing to the Clinics’ Privacy Officer. The Clinics encourage you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.
CONTACT PERSON / PRIVACY OFFICER
You may write to the the Privacy Officer that the Clinics have dedicated as its contact person for all issues regarding your privacy rights. The Privacy Officer for the Clinics is:
Karen DeGange
ExpressHealth Inc.
3531 Walton Way, Suite C
Augusta, GA 30909
Telephone: 706-364-3286
Facsimile: 706-364-3285
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Notice is effective July 23, 2007.