I. USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION:
a. Your PHI may be used and disclosed by the physician, our office staff and others outside our offices that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you, to pay your health care bills, to support the operation of the business, and any other use required by law. We may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization for certain purposes as described below. The examples provided in each category are not meant to be exhaustive, but instead are meant to describe the types of uses and disclosures that are permissible under federal and state law.
i. Treatment: We may use and disclose PHI in order to provide treatment to you. For example, we may use PHI including your medication history, to diagnose, treat, and provide medical services to you. In addition, we may disclose PHI to other health care providers involved in your treatment.
ii. Payment: Under federal law we may use or disclose PHI so that services you receive are appropriately billed to, and payment is collected from your health plan. By way of example, we may disclose PHI to permit your health plan to take certain actions before it approves or pays for treatment services. We may contact the Guarantor for your visit in order to obtain payment.
iii. Health Care Operations: We may use or disclose your PHI in order to support our business activities. These activities include, but are not limited to business associates, quality assessment activities, internal investigations, performance reviews, and training employees. In addition, we will use a sign in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to provide your first and last name. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when the physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you of an appointment, to notify you of test results, to inform you of health-related services that may be of interest to you, and to check on your treatment, progress, and satisfaction with our services.
iv. Required of Permitted by Law: As required by law, Public Health issues as required by law, Communicable diseases, Health Oversight, Abuse or Neglect, Food and Drug Administration requirements, Legal Proceedings, Law Enforcement Concerns, Funeral Directors, Organ Donation, Research, Criminal Activity, Military Activity, National Security, Worker’s Compensation, Inmates and other required uses and disclosures. Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
b. Permissible Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Authorization, But For Which You Have An Opportunity to Object
i. Family and Other Persons Involved in Your Care. We may use or disclose health information to notify or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience to make reasonable inference of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.
ii. Disaster Relief Efforts. We may use or disclose protected health information to a public or private entity authorized by law or it’s charter to assist in disaster relief efforts for the purpose of coordinating notification of family members of your location, general condition, or death.
c. Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures: Use or Disclose of your PHI for marketing or sale of your PHI to third parties will be made only with your authorization. Once given, you may withdraw authorization at any time in writing.