HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (1996) NOTICE OF PRIVACY POLICY (NPP) AND PRACTICE ACT FOR PROCTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI)
PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE
Crane Rehab Center, LLC is committed to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of our patients' Protected Health Information (PHI). We understand the importance of maintaining the privacy of your health information and have always been diligent in our efforts to protect it. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we are required to provide you with written notification regarding how we may use and disclose your PHI. Please be assured that we remain steadfast in our commitment to maintaining your privacy and confidentiality.
TYPES OF PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI) WE COLLECT
Each time you visit Crane Rehab Center, LLC, a record of your visit is created. This record typically includes your initial evaluation, diagnosis, treatment plan, recommended exercises, modalities, and frequency of treatments. This Protected Health Information (PHI) is commonly referred to as your medical record or chart and serves as the foundation for your ongoing care and treatment.
In addition to treatment information, your PHI may also include authorizations, insurance forms, billing information, and other identifying information such as name, date of birth, gender, social security number, address, and phone numbers (home, work, or mobile). This information may also include reports, test results, and consults from other medical facilities.
We retain this information for a minimum of 10 years, as required by law, and we limit the collection of personal information to that which is necessary to provide you with quality medical care, as well as for insurance and reimbursement purposes.
HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We protect your PHI by limiting access to only those employees and contractors who need to know this information to provide effective treatment and facilitate documentation for reimbursement and insurance purposes. Each employee of Crane Rehab Center, LLC is required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement, acknowledging their understanding of their responsibilities in maintaining the confidentiality of your information.
DISCLOSURE AND USES OF PHI FOR TREATMENT, PAYMENT, AND HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS
We may use and disclose your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations as permitted by law. For example:
-Treatment: Our therapists may share your health information with other healthcare professionals involved in your care, including the referring physician, to coordinate your treatment and ensure the best possible outcomes.
-Payment: We may disclose PHI for the purpose of billing your insurance provider or any third-party payer. This includes submitting diagnosis codes, treatment codes, and other necessary information to process your claims.
-Healthcare Operations: We may use your PHI for purposes related to our operations, such as quality assessment, audits, and training.
COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILY AND GUARDIAN
For patients who are minors, or for those with designated guardians, we may communicate with parents, guardians, or authorized representatives regarding treatment, appointment reminders, and referral questions. This includes sharing updates on the patient’s progress or treatment plan with the referring physician. However, in the case of divorced or separated parents, we will communicate with both parents unless a court order is provided specifying otherwise. If a court order restricts access to information or designates one parent or guardian as the sole contact, we will comply with the terms of that order.