NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICE
The attached Notice describes how health information about you may be used, and your rights, regarding the use of htat information. Please review this summary and the full Notice carefully.
CSCM Pledge: Staff and employees of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine (CSCM), its affiliates, and contract providers understand that information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting your health information.
Who will follow the rules in this notice: All CSCM staff contract provider, employees and CSCM affiliates, as well as students, clinical assistants, and volunteers' must follow these rules.
You have the right to:
- Ask to see, read and obtain a coyp of your health record (charges may be necessary).
- Ask to correct information that you believe is incorrect in your health record.
- Ask that your health information not be shared with certain individuals.
- Ask that your health information not be used for certain purposes: for example, researc.
- Ask CSCM to send copies of your health record to whomever you wish (charges may be necessary).
- Be informed about who has read your records (for reasons other than treatment, payment, and program improvement purposes).
- Specify where and how CSCM employees may contact you.
- Receive a paper copy of the full Notice of Privacy Practices.
Who is authorized to see confidential Patient Health Information (PHI) at CSCM?
The Acupuncturists and other licensed providers in the health care team may access the entire medical record, based on their "need to know". All other members of our workforce have access only to the information needed to do their jobs. The "Notice of Privacy Practices" describes the ways in which we may use PHI without obtaining the patient's specific authorization. Certain uses such as for Treatment, Payment, and health care Operations are permitted.
- Treatment of the patient, including appointment reminders.
- Payment of health care bills (insurance claim submission, authorizations and payment posting).
- Health care operations and business operations, including, teaching and medical staff quality activities, research (when approved by the IRB and with a patient's written permission), health care communication between a patient and their health care practitioner.
Minimum Necessary Standard
CSCM will apply the "minimum necessary" standard regarding PHI. For example, although Clinical Administration, Acupuncturists, Massage Theraphists, Students and Clinical Assistants and other care providers may need to view the entire record, a billing/insurance clerk or data entry staff member might only need to see specific report to determine the billing codes. An adminissions staff member may not need to see the medical record at all, only an order form with the adminitting diagnosis and identification of the admitting physician.
Written Authorizations
To use or disclose PHI for almost any other reason, you will need t osign a written authorization prior to access or disclosrue. Refer to the "Notice of Practices" for a list of covered exceptions to the authorization requirement related to public policy, certain health disease reporting requriements and law enforcement activities. (Available as of April 14, 2003 at http:www.uscf.edu/hipaa.) If you do not know or understand whta you can do with PHI, please read the "Notice of Privacy Practices".
Exceptions to the Rules
Under HIPAA, there are certain exceptions to these general rules. These exceptions are desribed in the "Notice of Privacy Practices". Disclosrues can be made without patient authorization: subject to professional judgment, for public health and safety purposes, for government functions, law enforcement and based on a judicial request or subpoena.
If you have concerns about how your health information might be (or has been) shared, please speak with the CSCM Privacy Coordinator or call 415-861-1101. If you believe your privacy rights have NOT been maintained you may file a complaint with the Secretary, the address is U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, Attn: Regional Manager, 50 United Plaza, Rm. 322, San Francisco, CA 94103. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.