Public Health and Benefit Activities: We may use and disclose your medical information, without your permission, when required by law, and when authorized by law for the following kinds of public health and benefit activities:
- for public health, including to report disease and vital statistics, child abuse.
and adult abuse, neglect or violence;
- to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety;
- for heatth care oversight, such as actvities of state insurance commissioners, licensing and peer review authorities, and fraud prevention agencies;
- for research:
- in response to court and administrative orders and other lawful process;
- to law enforcement officials with regard to crime victims ard criminal activities:
- to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ procurement
organizations;
- to the military, to federal officials for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and national security activities, and to correctional and law enforcement regarding persons in lawful custody; and
- as authorized by state worker's compensation laws.
If a use or disclosure of health information described above in this notice is prohibited or materially limited by offer laws that apply to us, it is our intent to meet the requirements of the more stringent law.
Business Associates: We may disclose your medical information to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the informations is necessary for such functions or services. Our business associates are required, under contract with us, to protect the privacy of your information and are not allowed to use or disclose any information other than
as specified in our contract.
Data Breach Notification Purposes: We may use your contact information to provide legally-required notices or unauthorized acquisition, access, or disclosure of your health information.
Additional Restrictions on use and Disclosure: Certain federal and state laws may require special privacy protections that restrict the use and disclosure of certain health information, including highly confidential about you. "Highly confidential information" may include confidential information under Federal laws governing alcohol and drug abuse information and genetic infomation as well as state laws that often protect the following types of informaton.
1. HIV/AIDS;
2. Mental health;
3. Genetic tests;
4. Alcohol and drug abuse:
5. Sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health information; and
6. Child or adult abuse or neglect, including sexual assault
YOUR RIGHTS
Access: You have the right to examine and to receive a copy of your medical information, with limited exceptions. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. You should submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
We may charge you reasonable, cost-based fees for a copy of your medical information, for mailing the copy to you, and for preparing any summary or explanation of your medical information you request. Contact our Privacy Officer for information about our fees.
Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to a list of instances in which we disclose your medical information for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations, as authorized by you, and for certain other activities.
You should submit your request to our Privacy Officer. We will provide you with information about each accountable disclosure that we made during tle period for which you request the accounting, except we are not obligated to account for a disclosure that occurred more man 6 years before the date of your request
Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your medical infomation. You should submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
We may deny your request only for certain reasons. If we deny your request, we will provide a written explanation. If we deny your request, you may have a statement of your added to your medical information. If we accept your request, we will make pur amendment part of your medical information and use reasonable efforts to inform others of the amendment we know may have and rely on the unamended information to your detriment, well as persons you want to receive the amendment.
Restriction: You have the right to request that we restrict our use or disclosure of your medical information for treatment, payment or health care operations, or with family, friends or others you identify. Except in limited circumstances, we are not required to agree to your request. But if we do agree, we will abide by our agreement, except in a medical emergency or as required or authorized by law. You should submit your request to our Privacy Offcer. Except as otherwise required by law, we must agree to a restriction request if:
- except as otherwise required by law, the disclosure is to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations (and not for purposes of carrying out treatment); and
- the medical information pertains solely to a health care item or service which the healthcare provider involved has been paid out pocket in full by the patient.
Confidential Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your medical information in confidence by means or to locations that you specify. You should submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
Breach Notification: You have the right to receive notice of a breach of your unsecured medical information. Breach may be delayed or not provided if so required by a law enforcement offical. You may request that notice provided by electronic mail. If you are deceased and there is a breach of your medical information, the notice will be provided to your next of kin or personal representatives if we know the identity and address of such individual(s).
Electronic Notice: If you receive this notice on our web site or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this notice in written form. Please contact our Privacy Officer to obtain this notice in written form.
COMPLAINTS
If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your medical information, about amending your medical information, about restricting our use or disclosure of your medical information, or about how we communicate with you about your medical information (including a breach notice communication), you may contact to our Privacy Officer.
You also may submit a written complaint to the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 509F, Washington, D.C. 20201. You may contact the Office for Civil Rights' Hotline at 1-800-368-1019.
We support your right to the privacy of your medical infomation. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.