Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

We respect patient confidentiality and only release personal health information about you in accordance with the State and Federal law. This notice describes our policies related to the use of the records of your care generated by The Heart and Vascular Center.

If you have any questions about this policy or your rights, contact the Privacy Officer, Lesa Bowman, at 336-719-7892, extension 1010.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

In order to effectively provide you care, there are times when we will need to share your personal health information with others beyond The Heart and Vascular Center. This includes for:

  • Treatment. With your permission, we may use or disclose personal health information about you to provide, coordinate, or manage your care or any related services, including sharing information with others outside The Heart and Vascular Center that we are consulting with or referring you to.
  • Payment. Information will be used to obtain payment for the treatment and services provided. This will include contacting your health insurance company for prior approval of planned treatment or for billing purposes.
  • Healthcare Operations. We may use information about you to coordinate our business activities. This may include scheduling your appointments, reviewing your care, and/or training staff.

INFORMATION DISCLOSED WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT

Under State and Federal law, information about you may be disclosed without your consent in the following circumstances:

  • Emergencies. Sufficient information may be shared to address the immediate emergency you are facing.
  • Follow up Appointments/Care. We will be contacting you to remind you of future appointments or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
  • As Required by Law. This would include situations where we have a subpoena, court order, or are mandated to provide public health information, such as communicable diseases or suspected abuse and neglect such as child abuse, elder abuse, or institutional abuse.
  • Coroners and/or Funeral Directors. We may disclose personal health information to a coroner or personal health examiner and/or funeral directors for the purposes of carrying out their duties.
  • Governmental Requirements. We may disclose information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections and/or licensure. There also might be a need to share information with the Food and Drug Administration related to adverse events or product defects. We are also required to share information, if requested, with the Department of Health and Human Services to determine our compliance with Federal laws related to health care.

PATIENT RIGHTS

You have the following rights under State and Federal law:

  • Copy of Record. You are entitled to inspect the personal health record The Heart and Vascular Center has generated about you. We may charge you a reasonable fee for copying and mailing your record.
  • Release of Record. You may consent, in writing, to release your record to others, for any purpose you choose. This could include your attorney, employer, and/or others who you wish to have knowledge of your care. You may revoke this consent at any time, but only to the extent no action has been taken in reliance on your prior authorization.
  • Restriction of Record. You may ask us not to use or disclose part of the personal health information. This request must be in writing. The Heart and Vascular Center is not required to agree to you request if we believe it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of the information. The request should be given to the Operations Manager who will consult with the staff involved in your care to determine if the request can be granted.
  • Contacting You. You may request that we send information to another address or by alternative means. We will honor such request as long as it is reasonable and we are assured it is correct. We have a right to verify that the payment information you are providing is correct. Due to agency policy, we are not able to provide information by email.
  • Amending Record. If you believe that something in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request we amend it. To do this, contact the Operations Manager and ask for the Request to Amend Health Information form. In certain cases, we may deny your request. If we deny your request for an amendment, you have a right to file a statement that you disagree with us. We will then file our response and your statement and our subsequent response to your statement in your record.
  • Accounting for Disclosures. You may request a listing of any disclosures we have made related to your personal health information, except for information we used for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes or that we shared with you or your family, or information that you gave us specific consent to release. It also excludes information we were required to release. To receive information regarding disclosure made for specific time periods no longer than six years and after April 14, 2003, please submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will notify you of the cost involved in preparing this list.
  • Questions and Complaints. If you have any questions, or wish to a copy of this policy or have any complaints, you may contact our Privacy Office in writing at our office for further information. You also may complain to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe The Heart and Vascular Center has violated your privacy rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
  • Changes in Policy. The Heart and Vascular Center reserves the right to change its Privacy Policy based on the needs of The Heart and Vascular Center and changes in State and Federal law.