PRIVACY PRACTICES NOTICE
PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI)
PHI refers to any information in the medical record that could potentially identify you. It includes information about your past, present, and expected future health or condition. Some examples of PHI include but are not limited to name, address, date of birth, phone number, medical record, genetic information, and billing records.
MEDICAL RECORDS
Your medical records are used to provide treatment, conduct healthcare operations, bill, and receive payments. Examples of these activities include 1) Review of treatment to ensure appropriate care, 2) Electronic or mail delivery of billing for treatment to you or other authorized payers, 3) Appointment reminder telephone calls, e-mails and/or text messages, 4) Review of records to ensure completeness and quality of care.
FEDERAL AND STATE REQUIREMENTS
Evolve Psychiatry is required by law to maintain your privacy and protected health information. Evolve Psychiatry is required to abide by the terms of this Notice for as long as it remains in effect. Evolve Psychiatry reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice as necessary and to make a new notice of privacy practices effective for all protected health information. Evolve Psychiatry is required to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information. Evolve Psychiatry is also required to inform you that there may be a provision of state law that relates to the privacy of your health information that may be more stringent than a standard or requirement under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA")
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
Authorization and Consent: Except as outlined below, Evolve Psychiatry will not use or disclose your protected health information for any purpose other than treatment, payment or health care operations unless you have signed a form authorizing such use or disclosure. You have the right to revoke such authorization in writing, with such revocation being effective once Evolve Psychiatry receives the information; however, such revocation shall not be effective to the extent that Evolve Psychiatry takes any action in reliance on the authorization, or if the authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage, other law provides the insurer with the right to contest a claim under the policy or the policy itself.
Uses and Disclosures for Treatment: Evolve Psychiatry will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary for your treatment. Doctors and nurses and other professionals involved in your care will use information in your medical record and information that you provide about your symptoms and reactions to your course of treatment that may include procedures, medications, tests, etc.
Uses and Disclosures for Payment: Evolve Psychiatry will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary for payment purposes. During the normal course of business operations, Evolve Psychiatry may forward information regarding your medical procedures and treatment to your insurance company to arrange payment for the services provided to you. Evolve Psychiatry may also use your information to prepare a bill to send to you or to the person responsible for your payment.
Uses and Disclosures for Health Care Operations: Evolve Psychiatry will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary, and as permitted by law, for our health care operations, which may include clinical improvement, professional peer review, business management, accreditation and licensing, etc. For instance, Evolve Psychiatry may use and disclose your protected health information for purposes of improving clinical treatment and care.
Individuals Involved In Your Care: If you are unavailable, incapacitated, or facing an emergency medical situation and Evolve Psychiatry determines that a limited disclosure may be in your best interest, Evolve Psychiatry may disclose your protected health information to designated family, friends and others who are involved in your care or in payment of your care in order to facilitate that person's involvement in caring for you or paying for your care. Evolve Psychiatry may also disclose limited protected health information to a public or private entity that is authorized to assist in disaster relief efforts for that entity to locate a family member or other persons that may be involved in some aspect of caring for you.
Business Associates: Certain aspects and components of care at Evolve Psychiatry are performed through contracts with outside persons or organizations, such as auditing, accreditation, strategy and systems consultants, data collection, billing, administrative and legal services, etc. At times it may be necessary for Evolve Psychiatry to provide your protected health information to one or more of these outside persons or organizations who assist us with our health care operations. In all cases, Evolve Psychiatry requires these associates to appropriately safeguard the privacy of your information.
Appointments and Services: Evolve Psychiatry may contact you to provide appointment updates or information about your treatment or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. You have the right to request, and Evolve Psychiatry will accommodate reasonable requests by you to receive communications regarding your protected health information from Evolve Psychiatry by alternative means or at alternative locations. For instance, if you wish appointment reminders to not be left on voicemail or sent to a particular address, Evolve Psychiatry will accommodate reasonable requests. With such a request, you must provide an appropriate alternative address or method of contact.
Other Uses and Disclosures: Evolve Psychiatry is permitted and/or required by law to make certain other uses and disclosures of your protected health information without your consent or authorization for the following:
- Any purpose required by law;
- Public health activities such as required reporting of immunizations, disease, injury, birth and death, or in connection with public health investigations;
- If Evolve Psychiatry suspects child abuse or neglect; if Evolve Psychiatry believes you to be a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence;
- To the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects, or to participate in product recalls;
- To your employer when Evolve Psychiatry has provided health care to you at the request of your employer;
- To a government oversight agency conducting audits, investigations, civil or criminal proceedings; Court or administrative ordered subpoena or discovery requests
- To law enforcement officials, as required by law, if Evolve Psychiatry believes you have been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Evolve Psychiatry will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law;
- To coroners and/or funeral directors consistent with law;
- If necessary to arrange an organ or tissue donation from you or a transplant for you;
- If you are a member of the military, Evolve Psychiatry may also release your protected health information for national security or intelligence activities; and
- To workers' compensation agencies for workers' compensation benefit determination.